Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis

G - Environmental Problems

There is one known hazardous waste site being studied at this time in East Bridgewater. This site is located on West Union Street at the site of the Precise Engineering Company.

The Town landfill on Bridge Street is in the process of being capped. There is a recycling center located at the Town landfill. The Town’s refuse is being handled by BFI, a private solid waste disposal company with a site on Thatcher Street. This site is expected to be filled soon, which will create a greater expense to residents for future waste disposal somewhere else. this problem has not been solved but is being worked on by a committee in the town.

The Town is abundantly graced with waterways and the topography provides meandering lazy rivers which tend to keep erosion to a minimum. Activity along the brooks, in particular, construction of developments, tends to create siltation until exposed surfaces have been established with grass. There are requirements to provide erosion and sedimentation controls on developments by both the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission. Even so, the speed of construction, the lack of proper maintenance of the controls, and a general lack of recognition of their importance results in silt laden stormwater run-off entering nearby streams. Good government anticipation has avoided chronic flooding for the most part. Development has been restricted by the Flood Plain and Wetland Protection District by-law in known problem areas.

Construction in these areas must receive a Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The development in these areas must meet specific performance standards such as mitigation of run-off and compensatory storage. In complying with these requirements, developments have prevented flooding of homes in the development and those that are downstream.

Development, even under controls established by the Planning Board and Conservation Commission, tends to impact the Town only if incrementally. Homes built on the fringe of the wetlands impact the wetlands when homeowners unwittingly expand their backyards for gardens, lawns, pools and other amenities that go with living in suburban towns.

Also, septic systems designed and built in compliance with the latest Title 5 Regulations still impact on groundwater by adding nitrate to the water. There isn’t a conventional design of a septic system that will remove nitrates. Even some of the alternative technologies being allowed by DEP can not remove all of the nitrates. They do, however, reduce the nitrates which is a help in keeping the drinking water quality within the standards required by the State and Federal Governments. Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis

G - Environmental Problems (continued)

The “green” suburban lawn is a standard that most homeowners living in new subdivisions try to achieve. In order to accomplish this standard, many contract with lawn care companies who fertilize the lawns on a regular basis. The nitrogen in the fertilizer converts to a nitrate and the part that is not taken up by the plant, washes down through the soil to the water table. Heavy watering and natural precipitation speeds the travel of the nitrates into the water table.

Incrementally, each septic system and fertilized lawn in the town is contributing to higher nitrates in the aquifer. If the levels of nitrates reach unacceptable levels (10ppm) the Water Department will have to provide a water treatment plant to remove the nitrates before allowing the water into the municipal water system.

As residential, commercial and industrial development occurs, more impervious surfaces are created. These surfaces take the form of roofs, roads and parking. In addition, the creation of lawns and other conventional landscaped areas around the development, reduces the ability of these surfaces to infiltrate water from what it was when it was covered with the natural vegetation. The net result is an increase in the volume of run-off. Even if the rate of runoff is controlled to prevent flooding as required by the Town’s current regulations, there is a loss of recharge to the groundwater. The speed at which the stormwater run-off reaches drainage systems; which discharge to the various natural water courses; which eventually leave the area by rivers; which empty into the ocean; means that less water is being recharged into the ground. Too much of this loss of recharge will dry out wetlands, streams, rivers and aquifers. The wetlands, streams and rivers alone can not make up for the loss of recharge. The land area of these water resources is less than the upland land area. Also, water in wetlands, marshes, streams and rivers flows relatively quicker than water recharges downward through the soil.

The Town must develop standards for development that will assure proper recharge of ground water when impervious surfaces are created. These steps will help to maintain goo quality of drinking water, and maintain an adequate supply of ground water which feeds the wetlands, marshes, streams and rivers.

Surface water pollution occurs at all points of discharge of old street drainage systems in East Bridgewater. The water from these systems are discharged to surface water resources by people creating ditches or channels from the edge of paved areas to allow water to drain away from road surfaces. In areas where there are catch basins, the water from them generally discharged to the surface water. On those streets where there are no formal methods of collecting stormwater, the water finds its way to the low spots in the road and runs over the edge and enters a ditch, swale, wetland or brook. Almost every road in Town has one or more of these described drainage systems. Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis

G - Environmental Problems (continued)

Stormwater from streets can contain pollutants in the form of sediments, heavy metals, trash, bacteria from animal wastes and bacteria and pathogens from septic systems. The rain can wash these items from adjacent lawns and driveways into the street. There, the water picks up pollutants dropped by passing vehicles. Even in the best case, the water contains sediments from erosion of exposed gravel surfaces adjacent to the street. In the winter, the water contains sediments and salts from sand spread to control icy conditions.

The newer developments are being designed with stormwater management regulations. These regulations require the quality of the drainage water being discharged to water resources to meet certain standards. The Town must work to identify the areas where the old systems continue to discharge directly into surface water resources and mitigate the affects as much as possible. In addition, the Town should test areas where know septic run-off and overflow pipes discharge to the street drainage system. Those systems polluting the drain water must be identified and the systems brought into compliance. In addition, inspections along most water courses will identify illegal drain pipes from commercial and residential properties. These too must be corrected.

Non-point water pollution occurs when water flows off agricultural fields and deposits animal wastes and sediments into nearby water resources. With only a few working farms in the Town, this is not a major problem. However, the impact of septic systems that are failing or not working properly in the Town are sources of non-point water pollution. Robins Pond has been identified as receiving pollution from failing septic systems. As properties are sold, many of them will be upgraded to comply with the current Title 5 regulations. Even so, to Town must require systems to be built the required distance above the seasonal high water table (including perched water) to provide for proper treatment of the septic effluent. If properly designed and constructed, the upgraded systems will mitigate the non-point pollution of Robins Pond.

While the Town can take its own steps to identify sources of pollution, regulate development, control sedimentation and prevent flooding, the fact remains that six streams that flow through the Town have their headwaters outside of Town. The pollution of the Salisbury Plain River and Matfield River is a problem difficult for East Bridgewater to control. Even so, the Town should work with the abutting towns to develop a strategy for preventing further environmental impacts on these water resources. Perhaps the Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis

G - Environmental Problems (continued) cooperation effort will prevent situations such as Brockton polluting two major rivers in East Bridgewater. With periodic monitoring, inspections and active oversight of these rivers, coalitions can be formed with neighboring communities to augment their development regulations and land use planning regulations. Stronger measures must be developed and a greater awareness of the incremental affect we all have on each other in order to protect the environment both in East Bridgewater and our neighboring towns.