BOSTON – The New England office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new regulations for the discharge of phosphorus and nitrogen into the Blackstone River within the Upper Blackstone Water Abatement District.
The area – comprising Auburn, Holden, Millbury, Rutland, West Boylston, Worcester and the Cherry Valley Sewer District, all in Massachusetts – contains the largest municipal treatment plant that discharges wastewater into the Blackstone River, according to the EPA.
The agency said in a release that the new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit is designed to reduce the amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen that are discharged into the Blackstone. Phosphorous promotes the growth of aquatic plants in freshwater, which has an effect on the wildlife that can survive in the river while making it more difficult to use for recreational purposes. Nitrogen has negative effects on eelgrass, and cuts down on the levels of dissolved oxygen in Narragansett Bay, which in turn contributes to the fish kills which have occurred recently.
Implementation of the regulations will require new technology, which will require an increase in sewer district fees of an average of $10 per month or less for households.
Additional information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s New England (Region 1) office in Boston, including details of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, is available at epa.gov/ne/npdes. For information about the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, visit www.epa.gov/region1/npdes/permits.
