The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys New England Office and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have issued the toughest and most aggressive discharge permit ever written for a secondary sewage treatment plant in this country.
The permit sets stringent limits on pollutants to be discharged into the Massachusetts Bay through the 9.5-mile outfall tunnel constructed as part of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authoritys new wastewater treatment plant on Deer Island in Boston Harbor. The wastewater will be dispersed through 55 discharge points along the last 1.2 miles of the tunnel.
The new Deer Island facility, which treats wastewater from 43 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, is already in partial operation and is scheduled for completion later this year.
"This is the final piece in the Boston Harbor cleanup puzzle," said John P. DeVillars, EPAs New England Administrator. "Boston Harbor, Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays and their beaches will be substantially cleaner and better protected as a result of this effort."
The permit includes extraordinary water conservation and pollution prevention requirements and reflects extensive public comment made over the last year on the draft permit issued in February 1998.
The discharge permit also includes a detailed plan for monitoring discharges and a requirement that the MWRA take certain actions if unexpected problems arise. This is the first time the EPA has required such a contingency plan in issuing a discharge permit. The contingency plan establishes "caution" and "warning" levels for a range of environmental indicators. If the effluent reaches warning levels, prompt action is required unless there is convincing evidence that the discharge is not contributing to an environmental problem.
The permit also breaks new ground by making unprecedented use of the Internet so that the public can actively monitor discharges and any impacts on Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays.
"The issuance of this final permit represents a major milestone for water quality in Massachusetts," said DEP Assistant Commissioner Arleen ODonnell. "The permit ensures that MWRA will continue initiatives in water conservation and pollution prevention, while dramatically increasing water quality protection."
Largely as a result of public comments made in writing and at meetings, the final permit includes:
Stringent requirements to reduce infiltration of water into the sewer system, which can result in sewer overflows.
Strengthens the role of an independent science advisory panel in evaluating monitoring data.
Prohibits any adverse effect on critical habitat for endangered species.
Includes new requirements concerning the maintenance of the Deer Island treatment plant, the protection of the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary and monitoring for red tides.
In addition, the permit:
Sets strict limits for discharges from 15 combined sewer overflows that discharge into Boston Harbor, as well as the Charles and Mystic Rivers and Alewife Brook.
Requires that the MWRA discharge meet water quality standards for 158 pollutants, as well as secondary treatment standards set by EPA.
Includes numeric limits for suspended solids, fecal coliform bacteria, pH, chlorine, PCBs and CBOD (oxygen-demanding material).
Requires the MWRA to periodically test the toxicity of the effluent as a whole on sensitive marine organisms. Because some chemicals may have synergistic effects, reacting unpredictably when they are combined, the permit establishes strict limits based on those tests.
The permit also utilizes the Internet so that the public can actively monitor discharges and any impacts on Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays. The MWRA is required to post a broad spectrum of data on a free-access web site. When specified environmental indicators reach "caution" or "warning" levels, this data must be posted.
