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.