According to a recent report from the public interest organization Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, Metropolitan Boston area beaches were available for swimming 96 percent of the time throughout the summer of 2016, with expectations for 2017 remaining similarly positive barring any unexpected developments.
Such a result represents a significant achievement when one considers that just a generation earlier, Boston-area beaches were typically closed to the public—and even during periods when they remained open, they offered little appeal to swimmers and other recreational visitors.
Those of us who sailed Boston Harbor during the 1980s can attest to the difficulty in locating suitable swimming areas from our vessels—even in the outer harbor near the Brewster Islands. The pervasive contamination rendered Boston Harbor essentially a massive waste receptacle, offering no relief from its murky conditions.
The restoration of Boston Harbor undoubtedly imposed substantial financial burdens on ratepayers throughout the MWRA and neighboring sewer districts. Annual increases in water and sewer rates persisted for 15 years during and following the construction phase of the MWRA’s treatment facility on Deer Island.
Yet as with most endeavors, quality demands investment—there exists no cost-free solution. Though the rapid escalation of water and sewer rates created genuine hardship for certain ratepayers, the reality remains that residents throughout this region had long enjoyed artificially low rates without considering the source of our water or the destination of our waste, giving no thought to the damage inflicted upon Boston Harbor, our region’s most valuable natural asset, with each flush.
Like many government expenses and levies, most ratepayers focused exclusively on costs while overlooking the other side of the financial picture. They failed to recognize that pollution carried substantial economic consequences, while harbor restoration promised considerable economic benefits as an investment.
The pristine harbor we enjoy today, despite its considerable price tag, has functioned as an economic catalyst for the region, generating employment and substantially elevating property values both along the shoreline and throughout Greater Boston—advantages that have accrued to all ratepayers.
As the summer of 2017 approaches, we can appreciate having access to a clean Boston Harbor for recreation with loved ones. Throughout the 30-plus years since the MWRA’s establishment, the economic and other benefits derived from achieving a clean Boston Harbor have extended well beyond the simple pleasure of swimming on a warm day—something we consider invaluable.