Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
sewage and storm water) approached capacity with just sanitary flows. Also,
the lack of adequate maintenance resulted in a “leaky” collection system,
and thousands of cubic meters of groundwater infiltrated into the sewers
every day. With the sewers flowing near capacity, the introduction of storm
water generated even during a moderate storm created an overflow and the
combined raw sanitary sewage and storm water was discharged untreated
directly to Boston Harbor and its tributaries.
The Boston wastewater system not only had a significant adverse environ-
mental impact on the marine ecosystem, but it also created a serious pub-
lic health threat and was in violation of numerous laws and environmental
regulations. The regulations implementing the U.S. Clean Water Act neces-
sitated a minimum of secondary treatment (i.e., physical and biological treat-
ment that result in 90% removal of solids) and prohibited the discharge of
sewage sludge into the waters of the United States. Similar regulations pro-
hibited the discharge of storm water in sanitary sewage systems and the dis-
charge of untreated sanitary waste. The system had been underperforming
for two decades and in violation of the Clean Water Act for over five years.
A major factor in the inability to resolve the wastewater management disas-
ter and bring the system into compliance with the laws and regulations was
the complexity of the situation. The problems of inadequate treatment, over-
capacity collection system, and management of wastewater residuals were
all linked, and the vast range and number of permutations of all possible
solutions were paralyzing to the agency charged with operating the waste-
water system. There were just too many major decisions to make at once, and
with each potential solution alienating at least one group of stakeholders, a
comprehensive single solution would have generated so much opposition
that implementation would have been impossible.
Finally, stakeholders affected most directly by the pollution of Boston
Harbor, including environmental groups, communities with beaches on
Boston Harbor, and the U.S. EPA, could not take it any longer and filed a
suit in federal court under the Clean Water Act to force action. Not surpris-
ingly, with multiple and clear violations of the Clean Water Act, federal
“Sludge Judge” Garrity ruled in favor of the stakeholders. The resolution
of the suit resulted in a negotiated settlement, including a substantial fine
(which was used for environmental enhancement) and two mandates critical
to the ultimate resolution of the problem. The first mandate was an agree-
ment by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to form a separate agency to
address metropolitan Boston area wastewater management. This agency, the
Massachusetts Water Resource Agency (MWRA), replaced the Metropolitan
District Commission (MDC), which had managed the water resources for
decades but had other responsibilities including multiple parks, major high-
ways, recreational facilities, water supply, and even their own police force.
In comparison to wastewater management, all of these services had more
visibility, public support, and influential stakeholder groups. These other
responsibilities took precedence over wastewater because they were used in
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