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Yes and No. The Charles River flows through the city of Boston. I heard this story... Unfortunately, the original city planners designed the storm drains and the sewer system of Boston as one in the same. They combined the systems into one piping system. Consequently, the sewage treatment plants must process the city sewage AND the the rain water that enters all the city storm drains. At times of unusually heavy rainfall, the sewage treatment plants cannot handle the massive volume of rain water mixed with sewage, and the untreated overflow is forced into the Charles River. As a result the excessive growth of bacteria feeding off the untreated sewage causes the river water to turn green. So, if this accidental and unfortunate incident occurs on St. Patrick's Day, I guess we might say that we have colored the Charles River the color of green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. I understand that ALL other cities in America designed the sewage system separate from the storm drain system. Boston is the only city with this problem.

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13y ago

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