Concord River Pollution Costly for Massachustts Town

BOSTON, Massachusetts (ENS) - The town of Billerica, Massachusetts has agreed to pay a $250,000 penalty to settle allegations that the town discharged pollutants into the Concord River, according to federal and state legal documents filed May 31 in U.S. District Court in Boston.

Billerica is a residential community of about 40,000 people in northeastern Massachusetts.

The town discharged pollutants directly into the Concord River and into a tributary of the Concord River from its water treatment Plant without a permit, according to complaints from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, MassDEP.

The discharges contributed to degradation of water quality and impairment of the river habitat near the water treatment plant.

The town exceeded permitted effluent limits for phosphorus, fecal coliform bacteria, pH, and ammonia nitrogen. The town also failed to submit discharge monitoring reports, failed to comply with monitoring requirements, and failed to submit infiltration and inflow reporting.

Billerica`s discharges of phosphorus contribute to the excessive aquatic plant growth that characterizes the river system, the EPA said. These conditions are the result of an overabundance of nutrients, primarily phosphorus, being discharged to the river.

On top of the civil penalty of $250,000, the town will implement two supplemental environmental projects at a cost of $50,000.

First, the town will test for lead in school drinking water and take measures to address elevated lead levels, if they are detected. Exposure to elevated levels of lead can result in developmental delays, especially in infants and young children.

The second project calls for the town to evaluate whether a disinfectant byproduct - called N-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA - is present in the water supply and factors effecting its formation.

NDMA is a probable carcinogen that is not currently regulated, explains the EPA, saying that more research is underway to determine if it is forming in drinking water supplies and, if so, at what levels.

If NDMA is detected in Billerica`s water supply, the town will take measures as required by MassDEP.

MassDEP Acting Commissioner Arleen O`Donnell said, `Under this agreement, Billerica will ensure that the plant is adequately treating wastewater and the town will go further by proactively testing for lead in their schools` drinking water, and will study NDMA in order to help us better understand whether NDMA needs to be regulated.`