In the 1980's, Boston Harbor was considered one of the filthiest in the nation. The pollution problem stemmed from the antiquated sewage treatment facility located on Deer Island, which discharged approximately 138 tons of wastewater solids and sludge just one-half mile offshore into the harbor every day.

City of Boston from the harbor

In 1982, the City of Quincy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed suit against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for violations of the Clean Water Act in Boston Harbor, and won. 

The Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) was launched in 1988 as a result of the settlement fines from this lawsuit. That same year, MBP was nominated into the United States National Estuary Program (NEP) , and was officially accepted in 1990. The National Estuary Program is sponsored by the EPA to identify nationally-significant estuaries threatened by pollution, development, or overuse, and create comprehensive management plans to ensure their ecological integrity. MBP is one of 28 NEPs in the United States and is administered by the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office (MCZM) .

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