Toward A Cleaner Ten Mile River A Public Report - September 1985 RUMFORD RIVER LABORATORIES Foxboro, Massachusetts 'f?oj e d-- # '8 5 - ;).I . FIie.Gey Toward A Cleaner Ten Mile River This report was developed for the Division of Water Pollution Control of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering by Rumford River Laboratories of Foxboro, Massachusetts, under Contract Number 329305455JOBI of March 1985. A Public Report - September 1985 RUMFORD RIVER LABO RA TORIES Foxboro, Massachusetts Summary Based on two decades of experience with of the impoundments, eliminating normal bottom control of water pollution in America, environ­ organisms. The adverse impacts of these metals mentalists are emphasizing protection of normal were seen at all levels in the aquatic food chain in biological communities in natural waterbodies as 1984, limiting the numbers and species of algae, the fundamental criteria for developing pollution small aquatic organisms and fish. Copper and control programs. This high regard for aquatic life nickel in the river system came from industrial is a concept being applied throughout Massachu­ discharges, while lead came from industries, road­ setts and nationally. Thus river surveys are being ways and other sources. There were also problems conducted with much more attention to biological with ammonia, ef cess chlorine, and other chemi­ aspects. One of the first such surveys was con­ cals lethal to aquatic life, from some of the waste­ ducted in 1984 on the Ten Mile River System in water treatment plants. Given the recent history of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Analysis of the cooperative action for control of water pollution by results indicated that the overall condition of the local industries and governments in the Ten Mile river had improved markedly in the last decade River Basin, and given the complexity of the due to better treatment of industrial and municipal measures required for a complete restoration of wastewaters. However problems remained with the river, it appears that these problems could be two major aspects: metal contamination by copper, . corrected by a joint effort in the near future. This lead and nickei and over-fertilization of aquatic would require that all involved regard the river as a vegetation by phosphate nutrients. There were living entity, a biological community to be protect­ abnormally high concentrations of metals in the ed. To quote a local industrial publication,"Only river and large residuals of metals in the sediments this ... can make The River live again." Toward A Cleaner Ten Mile River page 1 Historical Background page 5 Wastewater Discharges In 1984 page 8 Condition Of The River In 1984 page 15 Analysis & Recommendations page 17 Perspective page 18 Acknowledgments page 19 Bibliography COVER PHOTO· RESTORED MILL AT HEBAONVILLE Historical Background The Ten Mile River and its two main tributaries, portions coming from the municipal treatment plants of the Seven Mile and Bungay Rivers, drain 50 square Attleboro and North Attleborough (Figure 3). During miles in southeastern Massachusetts and discharge to low flow conditions the river discharges about 10 million the estuaries of the Seekonk River and Providence gallons per day into the Seekonk River estuary, and River in Rhode Island, eventually flowing into Narra­ over 8 million of these gallons are from wastewater gansett Bay (Figure 1). Towns in Massachusetts in the discharges, 5.7 million coming from the Attleboro sewage Ten Mile River Basin include Plainville, North Attlebor­ treatment plant With only about 15% of the river ough, Attleboro and Seekonk. being clean water available for diluting the wastewaters, The river system was formed about 12,000 years extremely high degrees of wastewater treatment are ago as the continental glacier receded, yielding slow­ needed for this system to approach normal purity. flowing streams of glacial purity, with only a slight slope Additional problems have been caused by settling toward the ocean, creating many natural habitats for of the organic and metallic materials from the various stream and wetland animals and vegetation After discharges into the impoundments created by the many almost 100 centuries of sparse human habitation by small dams along the river. Not only have the sediments hunting bands, settlements began along the river slightly produced obnoxious conditions in the ponds and downstream of what is now the center of Attleboro, eliminated the flood storage capacity of these reservoirs according to archaeological evidence. From temporary but they have also locally raised the general river level campsites established by hunters, this favored location and water table, causing increased infiltration into became the home of agricultural settlers, at the time of sanitary sewers which parallel the river course. This the early Middle Ages in Europe (Figure 2). Most of increased infiltration caused operational difficulties in the banks of the Ten Mile River contain evidence of the municipal treatment plants during rainy periods, campsites and agricultural activity occurring before and also resulted in loss of useful flow capacity in the the 17th century. sewer systems. Flooding occurred quite frequently in After colonization of the region by immigrants the Attleboro area, probably increased by the dams and from Europe and elsewhere, the river was dammed siltation (Figure 2). to provide reliable sources of power, and the valley ln the 1960'sa broad program for control of water eventually became the home of jewelry and metal pollution was initiated in Massachusetts, and high plating industries which used the river for process priority was given to the Ten Mile River because of the water and waste discharges. This activity destroyed severe nature of the metal and organic contamination. the natural environment in the river, and was the Reduction in contamination then occurred relatively forerunner of severe problems with floods and envi­ rapidly in this river system because of a generally ronmental contamination. cooperative and progressive attitude of many local During the early twentieth century the industrial industries. Over the ensuing two decades the Ten Mile discharges created highly acid conditions in the river. In River showed significant improvement in water quality combination with high concentrations of metals and and in health of aquatic biota, especially since the 1970's excess organic pollution, this eliminated most forms of when improved treatment of industrial wastewaters aquatic life from the river during the early twentieth began (Figure 2). The concentrations of hannful metals century. H environmental quality of the river were to be were significantly reduced by controlling and treating the rated from 1 to 10, the rating for the river during this industrial wastes, thus creating conditions in which some period should be 1, the lowest possible value (Figure 2). small aquatic animals were able to survive. In contras~ the rating would probably have been 10 for Due to decreased organic pollution since 1980 the preceding 12,000 years. when the municipalities of North Attleborough and The major population centers of North Attlebor­ Attleboro both began operating advanced systems for ough and Attleboro developed sanitary sewer systems treatment of domestic wastewaters, oxygen levels came and began discharge of partially treated domestic back to norma] concentrations in many areas, and fish wastewaters soon after the Second World War. Lack of could return. Although the general appearance and adequate treatment of these wastes added to the vegetation of the river impoundments remained unat­ problems in the river, especially because of the low tractive due to over-fertilization, this problem was flow in the river system during the summer and fall reduced to more manageable proportions by the instal­ when critical conditions occur for aquatic life. During lation of nutrient removal systems in these new treatment the hot summer months almost all flow in the river is facilities. from these wastewater discharges, with the largest page 1 Figure 1 Orientation Map Of Ten Mile River Basin In Massachusetts and Rhode Island page 2 DamsOn River, Industrial Contamination r--of River7 Ice Age: I I I r Formationof I Woodland r TenMile RiverI StoneAge: Hunters I by GlacierMelt I HerdHunte rs I Hunters,Fishers and Gatherers andFarmers I 10 -t- --- ---.--- ---.- ---- - ---- ~----- I )( 9 I ~ 8 "O 7 ai-= ~.: ro~ 6 ,, I :== 5 I «l & 4 ::, 3 0 2 1 -+----.------.----, - ---.----.----,----.----,------,----.---.---.-- 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 Centuries BC AD I 111 I l Constructionof Dams MajorFloods n Atllliro I 1 1700 1800 1900 2000 Years Figure 2 Graphic Timeline For Drainage Basin Of Ten Mile River From Ice Age To Present page 3 0 5 10 Flow In River In Million Gallons Per Day en Q) Whitin & Davis e H ilsi ng,.,,e"---~:=I 20 River Miles IV s::. 0 Handy .;.,;.;.;;;.;.~~ en i5 BQ.J.L~L.:....ll.C!L-.::!!!!91~ i :§ C: ::I 15 - ~ od Balfour• Attleboro (II ·;:: Robbins Speedway Brook ti :J, "O C: 10 O River Miles· Seekonk River Estuary Flow In River In Million Gallons Per Day Figure 3 Proportional Flow Diagram Showing Major Discharges To River During Low Flow Conditions page 4 Wastewater Discharges In 1984 During 1984 an inspection of the river indicated in the industrial discharges were over 10 times the 21 separate discharges of potentially hazardous waste-­ allowable limits for the river, based on chronic toxicity waters, and 15 impoundments along