Advocates celebrate Neponset River's new "Superfund" status

Community activists have argued for years that the calm waters of the Neponset River in Boston hide layers of toxic pollution, and demanded federal action to clean it up.

The Environmental Protection Agency answered that call this week by designating the Lower Neponset a "Superfund site," a label given to the most hazardous and uncontrolled contaminated areas in the country.

That means the federal government will throw its full weight, and resources, into the river's restoration.

So how did we get here?

We speak to Vivien Morris, the chairperson of the Edgewater Neighborhood Association, a coalition of people in Mattapan and Hyde Park who advocated for the Superfund designation. We also get the latest reporting from WBUR's Hannah Chanatry.