           Home > News > News Item |
||||||
 |
News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
RHODE ISLAND AND MASSACHUSETTS AGENCIES TO HOST OCTOBER 9 INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON RESTORING WATER QUALITY IN MOUNT HOPE BAY AND THE KICKEMUIT RIVER PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) will host a public meeting in Tiverton on Thursday, October 9 to discuss water quality assessment and restoration studies being conducted in Mount Hope Bay and the Kickemuit River estuary. Staff from the City of Fall River will also present information at the meeting regarding the progress of the Fall River combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement project.Portions of Mount Hope Bay, including the Kickemuit, Lee, Coles and Taunton Rivers exhibit elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria, particularly after rain events. Elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria impair recreational uses in the Bay and cause frequent closures of shellfishing beds. Both the Rhode Island and Massachusetts portions of the Bay also receive excessive amounts of the nutrient nitrogen and exhibit symptoms of eutrophication, or over-enrichment. This can lead to loss of eelgrass beds - critical habitats for fish and other marine life, algae blooms and undesirable growth of macro algae, and periodic extreme decreases in dissolved oxygen concentrations that threaten aquatic life. Both states continue to monitor the water quality in order to determine the nature and extent of these problems. As part of its water quality restoration program DEM, with assistance from Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, conducted two wet-weather water quality studies in Mount Hope Bay. The goal of these studies was to investigate elevated fecal coliform bacteria levels that have been impacting safe swimming and shellfish harvesting in Mount Hope Bay and the Kickemuit River. Analysis of the data from these studies has shown that the most significant contributors of pathogens to Mount Hope Bay and the Kickemuit River are CSOs from the City of Fall River, and stormwater runoff from urban and rural areas across the watershed. Other sources such as septic systems, illicit marine vessel discharges, and illicit connections to storm sewers may contribute to sporadic elevated bacteria levels locally. At the meeting, staff from MADEP will discuss their efforts to improve water quality in Mount Hope Bay. MADEP is currently developing water quality restoration plans for both bacteria and nitrogen that will involve additional data collection and analysis. The major components of MADEP's nitrogen studies will include three years of chemical, physical, and biological studies within Mount Hope Bay. Also included is the use of a dynamic water quality model that links the watersheds and embayments to determine the present sources of nitrogen and the loading rates from each, nitrogen concentrations in each embayment, nitrogen concentrations that will result in the restoration and protection of the Bay, and the target nitrogen loading rates that will achieve those protective concentrations. Both states will use the information gathered from these studies, combined with previously collected data, to develop pollutant specific water quality restoration studies, known as Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies. TMDLs are mandated by the Federal Clean Water Act for waters identified as not meeting applicable water quality standards and establish the maximum pollutant load that a waterbody can assimilate and still meet water quality standards. Historically, 19 CSO outfalls discharged approximately 1.3-billion gallons of rainwater and sewage from the City of Fall River to the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay each year. As part of the CSO abatement plan required by a federal court order, the City has expanded the regional wastewater treatment plant's primary treatment capacity to 106 million gallons per day, and is in the process of constructing an 85 million gallon rock tunnel with surface piping and partial sewer separation of selected CSO areas along the waterfront. Significant improvements in water quality are expected with the completion of the CSO abatement plan. At the October 9th meeting, staff from the City of Fall River will present information regarding the progress of this important project. The public informational meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the 'Great Room' of the Villages on Mount Hope Bay, located at 120 Schooner Drive in Tiverton. Directions may be found at the following website: http://www.thevillagesonmounthopebay.com/directions.html. For more information concerning the meeting or water quality issues in Mount Hope Bay, contact Brian Zalewsky in DEM's Office of Water Resources at (401) 222-4700 ext. 7145 or via email at brian.zalewsky@dem.ri.gov. -30- |
|||||
For General Information 222-6800 • After Hours Emergencies 222-3070 • Disclaimer