Deer Island Treatment Plant (MWRA)
Tours are held April to November; the public walkway is open all year.
Boston's main sewage treatment plant on Deer Island: free guided tours on Tuesdays and Fridays, April to November (reservation and security form required), plus a public perimeter path.
Ways to visit
Guided plant tour (public and group) Seasonal
- What you see
- Inside tourmwra.com, 2026-10-26
- How
- Scheduled tour, By arrangement · about 2 hoursmwra.com, 2026-10-26
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunTuesdays and Fridays only, starting at 9:30 a.m., April through November. The tour takes 1.5 to 2 hours.Season: 04-01 to 11-30 (Tours each month from April through November.)mwra.com, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Required · by phone or by emailCall (617) 660-7607 or email the tour office; give as much lead time as possible. A security form is due 7 days ahead (14 for international guests, with passport copies).mwra.com, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- FreeMWRA says it does not charge for tours; visitors pay their own transport. A bus or an MWRA vehicle (groups of 14 or fewer) is used on the island; larger groups arriving without a bus walk.mwra.com, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- Personal details in advance: Yes. A security form must be submitted 7 days ahead (domestic) or 14 days ahead with passport copies (international).
Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided) Open
- What you see
- Grounds, View from outsidemwra.com, 2026-10-26
- How
- Walk inmwra.com, 2026-10-26
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunOpen year-round from sunrise to sunset.mwra.com, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not statedmwra.com, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- Not stated on the official pageNo charge is mentioned.mwra.com, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- None stated.
About
Deer Island is where the MWRA treats Greater Boston's wastewater. Public and group tours last 1.5 to 2 hours and cover the historic pump station, the South System Pump Station, Digester Road and the disinfection and discharge area. Tours are free but must be reserved ahead, with a security form returned a week or more before. Without a tour, the 2.6-mile perimeter path has overlooks and views into the plant.
Run by: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA).
Getting there
190 Tafts Avenue, Winthrop, MA, 02152
Reached by car or bus through Winthrop. For a tour, continue past the visitors' lot to the staffed security gate; all guests must be pre-registered.
The pin marks the site itself, not necessarily the entrance (42.35070, -70.95730). Apple Maps directions go to the street address instead. Show on our map · Google Maps · Apple Maps
MWRA Deer Island Tour office: (617) 660-7607 · Nadia.Caines@mwra.com
Last checked 2026-10-26. Sources are listed below.
Sources
- mwra.com/projects-programs/public-affa… · official page · read 2026-10-26For: name; street address; who runs it; phone and email; Guided plant tour (public and group): open or closed; Guided plant tour (public and group): what you see; Guided plant tour (public and group): kind of visit; Guided plant tour (public and group): days and hours; Guided plant tour (public and group): booking; Guided plant tour (public and group): cost; Guided plant tour (public and group): requirements
- wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q5250… · Wikidata · read 2026-10-26For: location
- mwra.com/your-sewer-system/sewer-treat… · official page · read 2026-10-26For: Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided): open or closed; Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided): what you see; Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided): kind of visit; Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided): days and hours; Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided): booking; Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided): cost; Public perimeter path and overlooks (self-guided): requirements
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