Background on Case Studies - Environmental Impact Analysis: Process and Methods - page 359

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Background on Case Studies

Several case studies are used throughout this topic to illustrate speciic points,
and when cited, only aspects of the project, policy, or plan relevant to issue
under discussion are presented. This chapter gives a broader background on
the case studies used. It also addresses some aspects of case studies that are
based on experience, hindsight, and not necessarily fully addressed in the
public record.

10.1 Boston Harbor Cleanup Environmental Impact Statement

Boston Harbor has a long history of receiving discharges from human activ-
ity, beginning even before the Sons of Liberty threw East India Company
tea into the harbor to protest against British taxes on December 16, 1773.
Since then until the late 1900s, Boston Harbor and its tributaries have
served as the sanitary waste conveyance and disposal system for the Boston
metropolitan area. Prior to the late 1800s, the sanitary waste largely flowed
on or under the streets and discharged either directly to the harbor or to
one of the tributaries. Recognizing the relationship of poor sanitation (e.g.,
raw sewage on the streets) and public health, the state commissioned the
Boston Main Drainage System to collect sanitary waste and convey it to
Moon Island in Boston Harbor. At Moon Island, it was held in a series of
large granite lagoons to enable some solid removal and then discharged to
the harbor on the outgoing tide.
The Moon Island's method of waste disposal represented an advanced
approach to sanitary waste management at the time of implementation but
by the mid-20th century it was viewed as rudimentary and creating public
health and aesthetic issues. After much debate, both socially and technically,
a new sanitary system was put in place beginning in the 1950s. This sys-
tem consisted of a primary wastewater treatment plant on Nut Island, which
received the waste from the southern metropolitan area and a similar facil-
ity on Deer Island received the waste from the northern part of the system.
Primary treatment, which removed most of the solids by the physical process
of settling, was considered the standard at the time for large systems dis-
charging to open waters. The two systems also included disinfection before
discharging the treated effluent to outer Boston Harbor, adjacent to the

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