Author: Stephen Silva

The TRWA monitoring team sampled all 20 monitoring sites in April!  The team did a great job in its first outing of the 2018 sampling season braving cold weather and high river flows.

Our April data indicated high nitrate levels at a number of locations even though dilution of WWTP effluent is at its highest now with rivers near flood stage.  If this year follows the pattern of 2016 and 2017 nitrate target violations will likely again be substantial from July through November peaking from August to October critical months for aquatic life in both the river and estuary.

Fortunately the watershed’s WWTPs are on compliance schedules to reduce nitrogen levels except Somerset (9+ years overdue) and Fall River (12+ years overdue).  We hope EPA and MassDEP will reissue these remaining long overdue permits soon.  We are also hopeful that municipalities and developers will do a better job addressing nutrients from stormwater discharges in the future.

The November Microbac results for nitrate, total phosphorus and fecal coliform the most important pollutant parameters we track have been received and added to our annual tracking table.

Stream flow on our sampling day (November 14th) was high due to the recent heavy rain and the water was cold. Despite the high dilution nitrate levels at the four main stem sampling locations were still high exceeding the water quality target 2 to 4 times. The lower Three Mile and Matfield locations were high as well (about 4 times the target).

The main stem had one total phosphorus target exceedance at Plain St in Taunton and was borderline at three other locations. The Town River while improved for nitrate was borderline for phosphorus.

Considering the high flows which can cause sewer system overflows and treatment plant bypasses the fecal coliform results looked generally good with the exception of a high level on the Town River at High St. in Bridgewater. This is encouraging.

Overall the results indicate that even at higher flow conditions the river carries enough treated effluent to exceed the instream targets used by MassDEP and EPA in Taunton River permitting. Middleboro recently completed their plant upgrade. As the other plants follow suit with upgrades to remove nitrogen and phosphorus over the next several years our monitoring will be important in tracking river nutrient levels.

On November 10, 2017 Mass Rivers, TRWA and eight other watershed groups filed for summary judgement in their stormwater permit delay lawsuit against EPA and EPA Administrator Scott Pruit.  The government response is due December 12, 2017.

The nitrate, total phosphorus and fecal coliform results for October have been added to the website’s 2017 monitoring results tracking table.

The nitrate and TP results are the results we watch most closely because these nutrients promote algae and undesirable weed growth adversely affecting water quality and the diversity of aquatic life that can thrive within our watershed. Better water quality equals more aquatic and wildlife diversity and more recreation opportunity on and along our waterways. In other words these are the water quality metrics we want to see improve by better wastewater treatment, improved stormwater management, better fertilizer practices, dam removals, stream corridor protection, and land conservation.

The latest monitoring indicates that the very high nitrate levels measured since July continued into October despite colder temperatures and somewhat higher river flows. The levels measured in the lower Three Mile and Town Rivers are still extremely high (up to 12 times the water quality goal) while many other locations ranged from 3.75 to 6.45 times the goal.

TRWA monitoring continues to shine the spotlight on the need to finish the WWTP upgrades (scheduled for completion 2020 to 2022) as required by the last round of watershed wastewater discharge permits. It demonstrates a clear need for better stormwater management (another nutrient source and a waste of groundwater/stream base flow replenishing rainwater) especially better management of stormwater from new development and redevelopment. The need for better stormwater management prompted TRWA, MassRivers and eight other watershed organizations to file a lawsuit against Scott Pruitt Administrator of EPA and EPA concerning their delay of the effective date of the already 8 year overdue 2016 stormwater permit. The delay keeps the obsolete and ineffective 2003 EPA stormwater permit in effect.

On September 25^th The Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, Taunton River Watershed Alliance (TRWA), and eight other watershed groups from across the state filed suit in Boston’s federal district court asking the court to vacate EPA’s one-year delay in implementing the state’s new stormwater permit.  Joining Mass Rivers and TRWA were watershed groups representing the Connecticut; Mystic; Merrimack; Ipswich; North and South; Jones; Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord; and Neponset Rivers.

“Stormwater is the state’s number one pollution problem,” said Mass Rivers Executive Director Julia Blatt, “and this permit is a product of extensive public input as well as eight long years of negotiation among the state DEP, the EPA, and many stakeholders.  The EPA pulled the rug out from under the state’s pollution control efforts by announcing this delay two days before the effective date.”

The permit, known as the “MS4,” for small “municipal separate storm sewer systems,” regulates stormwater pollution under the federal Clean Water Act.  Issued jointly by the EPA and MassDEP, it covers 260 entities in Massachusetts, including municipalities and federal and state facilities.  Stormwater, which runs off land, roads and buildings when it rains, carries fertilizer pollution, harmful bacteria, oil, gas, toxic metals, and salt into nearby waterways.

The largest water quality problems in the Taunton River watershed are algae blooms from too much nutrients and depleted summer river flows which are both made worse by poorly managed stormwater runoff.  The obsolete 2003 EPA stormwater permit EPA’s action leaves in place is outdated, and does a poor job protecting the environment from stormwater’s problems.  The new MS4 permit has more specific conditions requiring towns to create a stormwater management plan and directs them to map their stormwater collection systems, monitor outfall pipes, and prioritize cleanup of the most pressing problems, such as the discharge of untreated sewage into nearby waterways via stormdrains.  The permit also requires public outreach, stormwater recharge, and “good housekeeping” practices such as storm drain cleaning and street sweeping as well as adoption of specific and clear local ordinances for control of stormwater from new development and redevelopment.

The environmental groups are worried that the permit could be delayed much longer than one year.  This permit was eight years in the making and long overdue.  The groups believe further delay of the permit does not make any sense and that we need this permit for a healthy environment and safe recreation.  Click here to see the TRWA press release.

The river groups are represented by Kevin Cassidy of Earthrise Law Center and Access to Justice Fellow Irene C. Freidel.  Click here to see the filed complaint.

The August nitrate, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform sampling results have been added to our tracking table and the Water Quality Monitoring Program page of the website.

The results for nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) the pollutants that cause algae blooms and excess aquatic weed growth are worse (higher) than last month. Nitrogen in particular is many times higher than any reasonable instream water quality criterion would allow and many times our nitrate target for concern. Algae blooms and excessive plant growth is currently evident throughout the watershed.

This underscores the need for the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the watershed to continue to make progress on their permit implementation schedules for nutrient reduction and for reductions from other sources such as golf courses, agriculture (including cow and horse farms), residential/commercial lawn fertilizer application and stormwater runoff.

EPA and MassDEP should also issue the long overdue two remaining major municipal WWTP permits in the watershed Somerset (8+ years overdue) and Fall River (11+ years overdue) with appropriate nutrient limitations and implementation schedules as well as implement (make effective) the new stormwater (a.k.a. MS4 permit) which is 9+ years overdue.