Water Quality improvements

Wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island are major sources of nutrient pollution to Narragansett Bay.

In addition to nutrients such as nitrogen, WWTFs can become major sources of pathogens and other contaminants when heavy rains overwhelm plant operational capacity and the resulting flows bypass treatment, discharging directly into receiving waters. The untreated or partially treated discharges are responsible for shellfish and beach closures, and also add nutrients, toxics, and sediments to the mix of those from nonpoint sources and stormwater. Together these inputs are responsible for the failure of many parts of Narragansett Bay and its rivers to meet the threshold of “fishable, swimmable” waters demanded by the Clean Water Act. Failing septic systems and cesspools also contribute bacteria and nitrogen contamination.

Progress in addressing these problems can be measured by tracking treatment plant upgrades, combined sewer overflow (CSO) capture systems, and elimination of other sources of pathogens and nutrients such as cesspools, poorly performing septic systems, and sewage discharges from vessels, all of which will enable measurement of reductions in nutrient and pathogen loadings and volume of CSOs captured and treated.

Because the positive impacts of management decisions can take decades to show up in the environment, we often turn to metrics such as permits issued or reductions in pollutant loadings to serve as interim measures of success.

In addition to their help in assessing condition, management responses are also important in their own right; properly implemented, they tell us how well our knowledge of the ecosystem aligns with our management of it; and they point the way to more effective decision-making.

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