Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Revisions to MWRA’s Ambient Monitoring Plan: Why Michael J. Hornbrook MWRA Chief Operating Officer Outfall Monitoring.

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Revisions to MWRA’s Ambient Monitoring Plan: Why

Michael J. HornbrookMWRA Chief Operating Officer

Outfall Monitoring Science Advisory Panel

June 29, 2009

2

Nine years of discharge ambient monitoring

• Comprehensive Ambient Monitoring planned for 5 years

• Has continued an additional 4 years on its expired permit

• Time frame for new permit still unclear

• In September will complete 9 years discharge ambient monitoring plus 8 years baseline

• All >30 monitoring questions posed by the Outfall Monitoring Task Force answered.

• Water quality standards in

Massachusetts Bay are met and generally better than planning predictions

F33

F32

F19

F18

F17F16

F15F14

F12

F10

F07

F05

N20

N10

N07

N01

F29

F28

F03

F23

F22

F13

F06

N18

N16

N04

F31

F30

F27

F26

F25

F24

F02

F01

70°15'W

70°15'W

70°30'W

70°30'W

70°45'W

70°45'W

71°0'W

71°0'W

42°30'N

42°30'N

42°15'N

42°15'N

42°0'N

42°0'N

41°45'N

41°45'N

F33

F32

F19

F18

F17F16

F15F14

F12

F10

F07

F05

N20

N10

N07

N01

F29

F28

F03

F23

F22

F13

F06

N18

N16

N04

F31

F30

F27

F26

F25

F24

F02

F01

70°15'W

70°15'W

70°30'W

70°30'W

70°45'W

70°45'W

71°0'W

71°0'W

42°30'N

42°30'N

42°15'N

42°15'N

42°0'N

42°0'N

41°45'N

41°45'N

Cape Cod Bay

BostonHarbor Massachusetts Bay

0 10 20 30 40 505Kilometers

boundary regionnorthern boundary region

offshore region

coastal region

nearfield region

MWRA stations (BWQM)

GoMOOS Buoy A

NOAA Buoy 44013

MWRA outfall diffuser

Regions

Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary

High : 0

Low : -125

3

MWRA’s purpose today

• Based on 9 years of monitoring results, scaling back is appropriate, for existing permit

• Not a template or basis for monitoring requirements in next permit

• MWRA’s position for next permit is that Ambient Monitoring or Contingency Plan permit requirement is not necessary

• Extensive effluent sampling will continue

Diffuser #2, activeDiffuser #2, active

Diffuser #44, inactiveDiffuser #44, inactive

4

Bays ecosystem is healthy

The bays continue to support a healthy ecosystem in the water and in the sediments with no adverse impacts from the outfall observed over 9 years of intensive monitoring

Dolphins playing in the wake of the R/V Aquamonitor, August 2007 photo by Bob Mandeville

5

MWRA committed to performance excellence

• Pollution prevention through stringent limits on industrial discharges.

• Investment in maintenance of treatment infrastructure.

• Treatment process achieves high quality effluent, documented by rigorous effluent testing.

• MWRA consistently meets or does better than permit limits.

6

Effluent testing will remain intensive

• 35,000 tests annually, about 95 tests/day includes

• Conventional pollutants– TSS– BOD– Bacteria

• Priority pollutants – Metals– Organics

• Toxicity• Nutrients

Process Control

7

2008 solids discharges remained low <20 tons/day

Solids in MWRA Treatment Plant Discharges 1990-2008

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

To

ns

per

day

Deer Island Nut Island Sludge

8

2008 metals discharges about 100 pounds/day

Metals in MWRA Treatment Plant Discharges 1991-2008

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

Year

Ave

rag

e p

ou

nd

s p

er d

ay d

isch

arg

ed

Silver

Nickel

Chromium

Lead

Copper

Zinc

9

Actual pollutant loadings below original planning projections

#Conservative value, all samples were non-detect

NA

NA

NA

10

Significant Investment in Ambient Monitoring

• $53 million in external monitoring, modeling and cooperative research projects for monitoring outfall effects

• Including MWRA laboratory and technical staff costs brings total to more than $60 million.

• With changes reviewed today, ambient monitoring expenses remain substantial: >$2 million for FY10.

11

Results are in

• Investment yielded high-quality science done by acknowledged experts from major universities and research institutions.

• Hundreds of technical reports, reports at symposia, and peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals.

• Bottom line: Boston Harbor recovering and no adverse impact on Massachusetts or Cape Cod Bays.