Massachusetts Superior Court orders a halt to the discharge of untreated sewage into Boston Harbor.

Judge Paul Garrity issues the order after a suit brought by the city of Quincy. When the discharge continues, Garrity subsequently issues another order that bans any new commercial sewer hook-ups in Boston, effectively halting new development. The order is overturned by Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Joseph Noland on December 5, 1984. Judge Garrity subsequently rules that Boston’s sewage discharge into Boston Harbor violates state law and orders its cleanup in the summer of 1985.*