A coastal New England city's $150 million settlement of violations at a water-treatment facility that discharged undertreated effluent will lead to a cleaner Massachusetts Bay, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) official said in a news release.
“This settlement is the result of many years of work between E.P.A. and our state and local partners to address sewage pollution from this community entering Massachusetts Bay," E.P.A. New England Regional Administrator David Cash said in a March 6 announcement that the E.P.A. has entered a consent decree with the City of Gloucester, Mass. to settle Clean Water Act violations at the city's water-pollution control facility. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are parties to the consent decree with Gloucester.
In the consent decree, Gloucester agreed to add secondary treatment to its existing water pollution control facility.
"Sewage can carry harmful pollutants, posing potential harm to human health and aquatic organisms," Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance said the agency's news release. "By reducing discharges into Massachusetts Bay, this settlement will result in cleaner, safer water, benefiting both local communities and the environment."
Gloucester is a coastal city on Cape Ann between the Ipswich and Massachusetts bays. Massachusetts Bay is a large inlet that extends about Cape Ann, including Gloucester's harbor, south to Cape Cod.
The secondary treatment facility that Gloucester has agreed to build is expected to combine physical and biological processes to break down harmful elements usually found in municipal sewage. Gloucester has operated its treatment plant without secondary controls under a permit waiver issued in 2001.
E.P.A. and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) have since found upgrading the Gloucester's treatment plant will address water pollution issues in Massachusetts Bay and the city has agreed to proceed with remedial upgrades. Gloucester already has "provided an aggressive schedule" for design and construction of the secondary treatment facility, with bidding on the project expected by the end of next year.
The secondary treatment facility's construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2027 and all permit limits are expected to be in compliance by March 30, 2028.
"The work required under the proposed settlement will help result in cleaner and healthier water for overburdened communities, and a better-protected environment in nearby areas," Cash said in the announcement.
"Notably, this means Gloucester will be the final major city in the eastern U.S. to install secondary treatment at their wastewater treatment facilities," Cash said. "The timing of this is fortunate, as it is a great time to make investments in water treatment infrastructure thanks to funding assistance available in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that may help defray costs borne by local ratepayers."
