Towns Getting Waivers To Put Snow In Local Waterways
BOSTON (CBS) – With the record snowfall, many cities and towns are struggling to find places to put the new snow.
Dumping it in the water is not usually an option under state environmental laws.
But four communities have been granted state waivers to put snow in local waterways - Salem, Lawrence, Marblehead, and Lowell.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is now looking into the possibility of dumping snow into Boston Harbor.
Bruce Berman of Save the Harbor said if the mayor chooses to do this, they'll support him.
"Public safety has to come first," he told WBZ-TV Monday.
"This is an extraordinary snow event and we've always felt that while we prefer not to dump snow in the harbor as a first resort, as a last resort, in deep water like we have off the Seaport or most of Boston's inner harbor, 40 foot deep water with a falling tide, it's an appropriate thing to do."
"We're concerned about what's in the snow, but we're actually more concerned about the impact of dumping snow on wetlands, as has happened in communities to the south and the north of Boston in the past."