EPA Orders Four
Municipalities to Remove Illicit Discharges into the Charles River
Contact: David Deegan, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1017
William Walsh-Rogalski, (617) 918-1035
For Immediate Release: Nov. 9, 2004; Release # 04-11-01
BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today ordered
four municipalities along the Charles River to remove illicit pipes
discharging raw sewage into the Charles River. Watertown, Brookline,
Newton and Waltham have been ordered to conduct comprehensive investigations
and to remove pipes that discharge combined sewer and storm water
into the Charles. The four communities receiving orders have failed
to provide EPA with progress reports, as required, or to make a
commitment to removing the connections by the end of 2004.
These orders are part of a larger effort by EPA New England to
ensure that the Charles River is fishable and swimmable on a consistent
basis.
Last year the Charles met boating standards 85 percent of the
time and swimming standards 46 percent, a significant improvement
since 1995 when the Charles was meeting bacteria boating standards
only 39 percent of the time and swimming standards only 19 percent.
During that time, significant efforts by state and local agencies,
businesses and individuals have successfully reduced storm water
discharges, illicit sewer connections and other pollution sources.
Removing combined sewers along the river has been a critical part
of the cleanup.
In addition to grants and low interest loans for wastewater treatment
plant construction, EPA has recently invested $1.55 million in
the cleanup of the Charles, primarily to fund studies, provide
technical assistance to municipalities, to provide support to environmental
groups, conduct research and cleanup and to support watershed education
programs in the local high schools. This includes a $400,000 grant
last year to the Charles River Watershed Association, as part of
EPA's competitive national Targeted Watersheds program.
More importantly, the agency has taken a number of enforcement
actions under the Clean Water Act to eliminate contamination through
public reconstruction of infrastructure. Discharges from CSO's
have been reduced 90 percent and more than one million gallons
per day of contaminated water from illicit connections, such as
those being addressed by the orders issued today, have been removed.
"By eliminating dozens of illegal sewer discharges, we have
been able to significantly improve the
quality of water in the Charles River," said Robert W. Varney,
regional administrator for EPA's New England office. "Today's
orders will help ensure that we continue our progress towards a
cleaner and healthier Charles River."
During the last year, bacteria samples taken at and near storm
drain pipes suspected of being contaminated with sewage turned
up about 30 drains likely to come from in illicit connections in
these four communities, plus Boston. This 'hot spot' sampling,
was done with the help of Cambridge resident Roger Frymire, who
canoes along the Charles identifying areas of potential trouble.
"The notion that storm water is somehow as volatile as combined
sewage is simply wrong," said Robert Zimmerman, executive
director of the Charles River Watershed Association, which collects
the water quality samples used for grading the river. "Charles
River Watershed Association tests have shown storm water as it enters
storm drains is 10 times less volatile than the numbers the storm water
managers have used. As a consequence these orders to cleanup remaining
point source discharges are very important to restoring the Charles."
This year EPA gave the Charles a B-, a drop from last year. The
grade, based on water quality data collected the year before, showed
that water quality improvements in the river have leveled off in
recent years and that additional storm water controls and planned
sewer system upgrades will be essential for water quality to improve
over the next few years. The lower Charles River Basin between
the Massachusetts Avenue and Longfellow bridges, where much of
the recreational activities in the Charles now occurs, is meeting
swimming standards more than 90 percent of the time and the lower
Charles from Watertown to Boston is meeting the standard roughly
60 percent of the time.
"As the work of cleaning the river gets more challenging,
we are counting on cooperation from such communities as these along
the Charles to help with the effort," Varney said.
While environmental officials acknowledge the huge challenge involved
in restoring the Charles, they say the goal of making the river
safe for swimming and fishing is within reach. Future improvements
will depend to a large extent on towns and cities along the Charles
incorporating the
kind of all-out effort already underway in both Boston and Cambridge.
Those two cities are spending hundreds of millions of dollars tackling
illicit sewer connections, storm water overflows and other pollution
problems that continue to beset the Charles River, especially after
rain events.
Over the last five years, communities have successfully closed
illegal discharge pipes and separated sewer lines responsible for
much of the river's pollution. More than one million gallons
a day of sewerage was removed from the river through those efforts.
But storm water overflows and illegal sewer-line hookups continue
to discharge more sewage that still must be eliminated.
For more information about EPA's Clean Charles 2005 project,
visit EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/region01/charles/index.html.
METADATA
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TITLE: EPA Orders Four Municipalities
to Remove Illicit Discharges into the Charles River
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ABSTRACT: The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency today ordered four municipalities along
the Charles River to remove illicit pipes discharging raw
sewage into the Charles River. Watertown, Brookline, Newton
and Waltham have been ordered to conduct comprehensive investigations
and to remove pipes that discharge combined sewer and storm
water into the Charles. The four communities receiving orders
have failed to provide EPA with progress reports, as required,
or to make a commitment to removing the connections by the
end of 2004.
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PURPOSE: Public Information
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ORIGINATOR: Regional Administrator's
Office
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PUBLICATION DATE: 11/09/04
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ACCESS CONSTRAINTS: N/A
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AVAILABILITY: N/A
a. Distributor:
b. Order Process:
c. Technical Prerequisites:
d. Automated Linkage:
e. Downloadable Files:
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COVERAGE: N/A
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TIME PERIOD OF COVERAGE: N/A
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POINT OF CONTACT FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION:
David Deegan
Office of the Regional Administrator
EPA New England
1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 (RAA)
Boston, MA 02114-2023
(617) 918-1017
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RESPONSIBLE PARTY:
David Deegan, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1017
Office of the Regional Administrator
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DATE OF CREATION: 11/10/04
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AGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:
N/A
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EXPIRATION DATE: 12/10/04
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