Sewer Overflow Report Prompts Arlington Water Safety Warning

ARLINGTON, MA — Town officials warned Monday that residents and pets should stay out of affected waterways after the town received a combined sewer overflow report from Cambridge.

The report involved CAM401A, a discharge point upstream of the confluence of the Little River and Alewife Brook and upstream of the Route 2 bridge. According to town officials, combined sewer overflows can happen when heavy rain overwhelms a sewer system, causing stormwater to mix with wastewater and flow into a nearby river or lake.

The Arlington Health Department is advising residents and pets not to swim or stand in the water because of possible health risks from bacteria or other pollutants associated with urban stormwater runoff and sewer overflows.

The warning comes under Massachusetts public notification rules for combined sewer overflows, which require residents to be alerted when these events occur. Officials directed residents to full advisories from Cambridge and Somerville, as well as regional reporting from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

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