Category Archives: Water Safety

Legislation to Protect the Merrimack River from Sewage Pollution

Conservation, Legislation and Regulation, Merrimack River Watershed Council, Water Safety

According to the Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) :  Last year, over 750 million gallons of CSO (raw sewage) water was released into the Merrimack — the largest amount since 2011.

The MRWC has informed us of several pieces of proposed legislation in Massachusetts to avoid future sewage releases into the Merrimack River.  Some of the proposed changes are simple and cheap, others are more expensive or time-consuming.

  • Require public notification of sewage releases during big storms
  • Require visible flags indicating water quality in public access points (like boat ramps)
  • Require backup generators at sewage treatment facilities (to prevent sewage releases due to electric power disruption)
  • Set up a commission to review the health of the Merrimack River and propose solutions

There are four sewage treatment plants in Massachusetts (Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell and Fitchburg) that would be covered by this legislation.   Two sewage treatment plants in New Hampshire (Nashua and Manchester) are also problematic.  Unfortunately, there are currently no bills in the New Hampshire legislature to address the problems in Nashua and Manchester.

We encourage all club members to contact their senators and representatives and ask their support of this legislation.

You can read details of the proposed legislation at the MRWC site.

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.

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Get Sewage Out of the Merrimack: Step 1: Require Public Notification of Sewage Release

Conservation, Merrimack River Watershed Council, Water Safety

The first step toward getting sewage out of the Merrimack is making the culprits own up when they do it. There is currently a bill (proposed law) in the Massachusetts legislature to require public notification of sewage releases. Please contact your representative asking them to pass the bill. All the information you need to identify your legislators and a sample letter to send is at this link and also reprinted below by permission of the Merrimack River Watershed Council.

A sample letter to send to your state senator, representative

Are you interested in helping pass a bill that will require wastewater treatment plants to alert the public whenever they dump sewage into the Merrimack River?

Currently there is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature that would do just that. But it’s stuck in the House Ways and Means Committee, and without a push by the public it may die there.

How can you help?

Public pressure is a time-proven way to move legislation. Letters sent to your state senator and state representative can help them gauge public support and move the bill out of the Ways and Means Committee and onto the House floor for a vote (the bill has already passed the Senate).

This link will take you to a page where you can find out the name and address of your local senator and representative.  You also may want to write or call Robert A. DeLeo, the Speaker of the House, who ultimately will have significant authority for whether this bill passes this year.  The deadline is December 31, but don’t wait till then.  Speaker DeLeo can be reached at 617.722.2500 and Robert.DeLeo@mahouse.gov.

Below is a copy of a sample letter that you can fill out and send to your legislators. Feel free to modify it — particularly if you have a personal story or anecdote. (Btw, as of this November, the bill is known at S. 2617; you may want to refer to it this way if you call or write your state legislator.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear ____,

As a resident of _________, I am very concerned about the discharge of raw sewage into the Merrimack River due to combined sewage overflows (CSOs). As the next state legislative session approaches, I am writing to urge you to support legislation that requires real-time public notification of CSO events.

As you may know, nearly 400 million gallons of raw sewage were dumped into the Merrimack during rainstorms in 2017. Based on the number of reported CSOs to date, this number is likely to be even higher in 2018. Unfortunately, since heavy rainstorms are expected to become more frequent in New England due to the changing climate, we are likely to see more CSOs in the future.

CSOs are a threat to the both environment and human health. Over 600,000 people in the Merrimack Valley get their drinking water from the Merrimack River, and many more use it for recreation, including boating, fishing, paddle-boarding and swimming. A 2015 study found a significant increase in people visiting Merrimack Valley hospital emergency rooms for gastrointestinal illnesses following CSO events. Raw sewage discharges also cause algae blooms, which deplete oxygen levels in the river and kill fish and other marine life, and can be harmful to humans as well. Despite this, wastewater treatment plants are not obligated to notify the public of CSO events.

Our larger goal should be to stop CSOs as soon as possible through coordinated federal, state and local action to fund updates to wastewater treatment facilities. In the near term, though, we need prompt notification of CSO events to safeguard human health.

Thank you for your consideration, and I hope that you will support legislation requiring timely public notice of CSOs in order to protect Merrimack Valley communities.

Sincerely,

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.

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Public forum Oct. 18 on sewage releases in the Merrimack: The problem and solutions

Conservation, Merrimack River Watershed Council, Water Safety

A notice from the Merrimack River Watershed Council (reprinted by permission.)

NEWBURYPORT — Join the Merrimack River Watershed Council on Thursday, Oct. 18 in Newburyport City Hall at 7 p.m. for an informative discussion on an environmental issue that has gained much public attention — the frequent release of sewage into the Merrimack River by municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Brown foam, scum and detritus litter a public landing in Newburyport a few days after sewage was released into the Merrimack River.

The sewage releases often occur after heavy rainstorms, fouling the river for days and causing potential health risks to humans and animals. A 2015 health study found that Merrimack Valley hospitals experience a significant increase in emergency room admissions for intestinal disorders in the days following sewage releases. The releases often lead to harmful conditions for fish such as striped bass, and dog owners in the Newburyport area have reported severe illnesses contracted by dogs after swimming in the river.

The MRWC has gathered a substantial amount of data on these sewage releases, known as Combined Sewage Overflow events or CSOs, and has also been active in an effort to require sewer plants to alert the public whenever CSO events occur. Thursday’s talk will give a detailed look at the data and trends, the status of legislation, potential solutions, and ways that the public can help bring about change.

About 400 to 600 million gallons of polluted CSO wastewater is released into the Merrimack every year by the plants that serve Haverhill, greater Lawrence, greater Lowell, Nashua and Manchester. The sewage releases had been trending downward from 2015-2017 largely due to a three-year drought, but 2018 has seen a significant increase in rainfall and CSO events.

The current trend is likely an indicator of the future. The federal Environmental Protection Agency predicts that climate change will cause heavier and more frequent rainstorms, further increasing the quantity of CSO events.

The plants are permitted by the EPA to release raw sewage into the Merrimack. However, they are also operating under enforcement agreements that require them to end their CSO events over the course of the next 20 or more years.

The event is free and open to the public. This is the first in a series of public events that the MRWC will host in the Merrimack Valley regarding the CSO issue. For more information on CSOs and the Merrimack River Watershed Council, visit www.merrimack.org.

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.

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