Cambridge Water Department

Open Issues: 94 • Closed Issues: 3,466 • Acknowledged Issues: 114
Watching issues created after: 2011-10-19

Notified About

  • Pearl Street Cambridge, Massachusetts - Cambridgeport
    The major snow emergency routes throughout Cambridgeport (Putnam, Magazine, Pearl, Brookline) have barely been plowed! I am shocked not to have seen a snow removal vehicle since early Friday morning. Compared to other parts of the city, nearby cities (e.g. Watertown) and Cambridge's historic effectiveness at ensuring streets are passable, the Cambridgeport neighborhood seems to have been forgotten this week. There will certainly be problems once school buses are trying to navigate tomorrow, and this should be anticipated and avoided.
  • 1 Main St Cambridge Massachusetts - East Cambridge

    In the Main St WB bike lane there are 2 sets of 2 pipe holes in the street that are very deep in the pavement and pose a serious hazard to cyclists, who are likely to be riding at high speed coming off of the downhill at the end of the Longfellow Bridge. They are unmarked and nearly impossible to see at night.

    Please smooth out the pavement around the pipes so that they are not so hazardous and mark them with bright colors so that they are easily visible to cyclists at night.

  • 730 Memorial Drive Cambridge, Massachusetts - Cambridgeport
    There is poor drainage at the entrance to the Trader Joe's/Micro Center parking lot, right where the sidewalk/bike path crosses. It floods every time it rains and in the cold weather it freezes, making an impossible spot for bikes and pedestrians. It's not easy to just cross to the other side of Memorial Drive, I am forced to either bike with car traffic or get my feet and wheels (and brakes) covered in water and ice - very unsafe either way. Flooding at this spot has been an issue for a long time, I don't know why it has never been addressed.
  • 148 Pleasant Street Cambridge, MA - Cambridgeport
    After recent sidewalk crossing repairs, water pools at the corner of Putnam and Pleasant Streets. Water does not drain until it becomes very deep water. There was not a problem with draining prior to these repairs. The sidewalk is angled at each crossing so the water pours away from the street, not towards the street. This can be fixed if the sidewalk is angled back to be lower towards the street than the house there - which will result in pedestrians not having to walk into the street to avoid the flooded area.
  • 30 Lancaster Street Cambridge, Massachusetts - Neighborhood 9
    This Nissan suv Mass plate number 3902DA is leaking a river of gasoline onto the street. The area 20 feet around the vehicle reeks of the stench. A lit cigarette tossed out a car window could ignite it and cause a huge fire, possibly even an explosion.
  • 6th St & Gore St Cambridge, MA, 02141, USA - East Cambridge
    We the residents should be informed - even better, asked - what type of surveillance they are being subjected to. Why were flyers not distributed to residents informing them of what these cameras are monitoring (presumable speeding?)
    And such is the debacle of The Gore Street Construction project. Years and years of relentless noise, vibration, pollution, water main breaks, and numerous operational hiccups - confirmed firsthand by construction workers - that have besieged and assaulted our precious neighborhood - all with a lack of warning and transparency on the part of the city. The irony? The righteous City of Cambridge wants to turn our neighborhood into a quasi historical district. Ironic because good luck if any of our historic homes will still be standing after all this construction. Doubly ironic because the The City of Cambridge has allowed the construction of numerous monoliths (e.g., Cambridge Crossing, Kendal Sq.) that are an eyesore and which encroach our residential space. What an affront. I am all for urban development - but not at the expense and silence of residents.
  • 937-951 Memorial Dr Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA - Riverside

    The much anticipated Memorial Drive pedestrianization opened up thousands of acres of new parkland for Cambridge residents to enjoy this last weekend, amounting to the creation of a previously unimaginable public resource for our community. It would normally cost billions to acquire such beautiful river-side parkland, but we got it for free!

    Cambridge/DCR has called this a pilot project that is subject to evaluation, but I'm afraid we are going to have the wool pulled over our eyes and lose this awesome new resource on a whim. I could imagine both realities: "It has been closed because not enough people are using it"/"It has been closed because too many people are using it." We have been told that the new space is under study, but I have been unable to find any information about metrics that will be used in the evaluation.

    I would like to request that the city calculate essential health and environmental indicators that may be currently getting ignored. We will certainly see benefits in Disability-Adjusted Life Years, reduced noise levels, lower air pollution, for example, especially for the thousands to tens of thousands of people who live within ear-shot of Mem Drive. Perhaps residents along the water will have enjoyed their first week of uninterrupted sleep since moving in. Is it ethical to allow cars back on this now-public space? Do we really need 60+ MPH highways on both sides of the river (we all know how fast people actually travel on these roads)?

    Please consider this a request for public information. Perhaps a website explaining the evaluation rubric?

  • Other Archived
    533–543 Huron Ave Cambridge MA 02138, United States - West Cambridge
    Massive flooding at Fresh Pond, it’s like 6 inches deep need a better runoff solution
  • 3 Linnaean Street Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA - Neighborhood 9
    The mature trees on this site are being killed by Cambridge Landscaping, the group doing site work here. I called DPW on Saturday when I witnessed the tree roots being ripped out by an aggressive digger, well within the recommended canopy “no-go” zone that ensures future tree viability.
    Despite numerous calls to the City, no one is taking true responsibility here. A reply from Andrew Putnam today was platitudinous and showed a woeful lack of awareness of the dire situation these trees are in and seemed to indicate that Mr. Putnam is being gaslighted by the narrative being provided to him by Cambridge Landscaping, rather than doing a site visit and seeing the sad state of affairs for himself.
    It will be over 90 degrees in Cambridge on Thursday. These trees URGENTLY need SIGNIFICANT water NOW to survive. I implore you to please take appropriate action to save these trees. Thank you.
  • Other Archived
    1–3 Central Square Cambridge 02139, United States - The Port
    Constantly seeing open air drug use — and I’m not talking about a little cannabis either. I’m seeing lots of crack or crystal meth being smoked out of little stem pipes, and lots of syringes being stuck into arms legs feet etc. seeing people living under serious mental health conditions which clearly do make them a threat to themselves or others, clearly do make them a public nuisance. When I report these things that I see all the time to the police; I get a response from the dispatchers that goes “well, if one of our officers sees it happening, they’ll stop it.” But I put forward the suggestion that if I- an ordinary person- am noticing and seeing it happen *so often* — that police officers surely must see too, and they *don’t* stop it. They lie.
  • 56 Putnam Ave Cambridge 02139 United States - Riverside
    Water continually runs from this drainpipe from the basement. It is always wet and cars splash the puddle it makes onto the sidewalk. In winter it freezes and makes ice making it difficult to walk on. I am in my mid 80’s, handicapped with a cane and trying to walk my dog. It’s nightmare!
  • Other Acknowledged
    795 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge 02139 United States - Mid-Cambridge
    The city of Cambridge website lists a utility bill, and specifically calls out water bills as valid proof of residency. I was told today while trying to apply in person that my City of Cambridge water bill (or any city of Cambridge bills of that matter) are not valid for residency proof. Please either update your documentation or training so residents do not have to waste time with denials