Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Update on MWRA’s Fort Point Channel CSO Project

Frederick A. Laskey Executive Director

August 6, 2003 The Boston Harbor Project: An Environmental Success Story

• In 2002, the 15-year, $3.8 billion Boston Harbor Project was completed

• About 380 million gallons of wastewater is treated at the new Deer Island Treatment plant every day

• Treated wastewater is discharged 9.5 miles out into the deeper waters of Massachusetts Bay

• Sludge is transported to Quincy where it is recycled into fertilizer

2 The Harbor Is Recovering

• Water quality in Boston Harbor has improved dramatically

– Sewage solids discharged from Deer Island have been reduced by 85%

– Toxic pollutants have been reduced by 90%

– Water is twice as clear

3 Solids And Metals Discharges Have Been Reduced

4 Dramatic Improvements In Bacterial Water Quality

1987-1998 (Before Secondary Treatment 1998-2000 (Before New Outfall) and South System transfer) Elevated bacteria around outfalls, rivers, Inner Most of Harbor well within swimming criteria, Harbor, shoreline most remaining problems in rivers

Average Enterococcus counts in Boston Harbor

5 What Is A CSO?

• Some older sewer systems, like Boston's, have "combined" sewers that carry both stormwater and sewage flows together

• During heavy rains, when flows sometimes double and even triple, these systems become overloaded

• CSOs are designed to act as relief points by discharging excess flows upstream of sewage treatment plants, into the nearest body of water preventing sewage backups into homes and onto area streets

6 How CSOs Work: Dry Weather

Headworks

To Deer Island

CSO Outfall

7 How CSOs Work: During Heavy Rains

Headworks

To Deer Island

8 How Sewer Separation Works

9 MWRA’s CSO Communities

• Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea and Somerville have combined sewer systems that connect to MWRA's sewer system

• Boston Harbor, the Charles, the Mystic and the Neponset Rivers are subject to overflows of combined stormwater and sewage during heavy rains

10 The CSO Problem

• In 1985, the service area had:

– 84 combined sewer outfalls

– Thousands of overflows per year

– Over 3 billion gallons of CSO discharges

11 CSO Project Status

Project Completed In Construction In Design Reassessment Neponset River Sewer Separation ü Constitution Beach Sewer Separation ü Somerville Baffle Manhole Separation ü CAM 005 Hydraulic Relief ü BOS 017 Hydraulic Relief ü Chelsea Trunk Sewer Relief ü Chelsea Branch Sewer Relief ü CHE 008 Outfall Repair ü Cottage Farm CSO Facility Upgrade ü Prison Point CSO Facility Upgrade ü Somerville Marginal CSO Facility Upgrade ü Commercial Point CSO Facility Upgrade ü Fox Point CSO Facility Upgrade ü MWRA Floatables /Outfall Closings ü South Dorchester Sewer Separation ü Stony Brook Sewer Separation ü Cambridge/Alewife Sewer Separation ü Community Floatables Control ü East Boston Branch Sewer - Contract 1 ü Union Park Treatment Facility ü Charlestown Storage Conduit ü Fort Point Channel Sewer Separation ü North Dorchester Bay CSO Conduit ü Reserved Channel CSO Conduit ü Reserved Channel CSO Facility ü Cambridge/Alewife Sewer Separation ü East Boston Branch Sewer ü 12 Annual CSO Volume Has Been Reduced Dramatically

• Annual CSO volumes have already been reduced by 2 billion gallons

• By 2008, 95% of the remaining CSO flows will be treated

3.5

3

2.5

2

Billions of Gallons 1.5

1

0.5

0 1988 1992 2002 2008

Untreated Treated

13 CSO Project Costs

$1,000

$900 $879.9M

$800 Risk of cost increases - $261.1M $700 $618.8M $600 Court-approved $500 plan $440.7M Millions $370.8M $400

$300

$200

$100

$0 Conceptual Plan (Dec 1994) Facilities Plan/EIR (Aug Current Estimated Cost (Aug Current Estimate with Risks 1997) 2002) (Aug 2002)

Does not include overall system improvements (Deer Island, etc.)

14 Status Of CSO Control Nation-Wide

• 772 CSO communities

• 32% have submitted documentation on Nine Minimum Controls ü MWRA

• 19% have approved long-term control plans ü MWRA

• 17% have initiated implementation of long-term control plans or other CSO facility plans ü MWRA

15 The Charles River: A National Model For CSO Control

• The MWRA has already achieved significant reduction of CSO related impacts to the Charles River:

– Sewer separation and hydraulic relief projects have dramatically reduced combined sewer overflows

– Much more flow is sent to MWRA’s new Deer Island Treatment Plant

– Upgrades to Cottage Farm and Prison Point facilities have improved disinfection

16 Water Quality Improvements At Charles River

• CSO-related impacts to the Charles River have been reduced:

– EPA rated Charles River “B” for 2002 Thursday, May 2, 2002 – Up from “D” in 1995 Love that cleaner water: Charles River OK for Report Card 2002 Swimming 1995 D by Jules Crittendon 1996 C- 1997 C 1998 B- The federal Environmental Protection 1999 B Agency is giving the Charles River a “B” 2000 B grade in a report card due to be released 2001 B today, indicating that it is acceptable for 2002 B swimming and boating most of the year.

17 Water Quality Improvements At Charles River

• MWRA has greatly reduced CSO discharges to river

• Boston and Cambridge sewer separation projects have increased natural stormwater flows to river

• Municipalities have implement Best Management Practices to improve stormwater quality

• Charles River water quality continues to improve

18 The Fort Point Channel

• The Fort Point Channel in the Inner Harbor is a narrow, artificial embayment with granite walls

• Historically, the heavily industrialized Channel has been subjected to pollution from a number of sources, both CSO and non-CSO

19 The Fort Point Channel

• The Fort Point Channel is undergoing a dramatic transformation into the city's next great parkland

20 Tributary Areas To The Fort Point Channel

21 Union Park CSO Facility

• The new, $40 million Union Park CSO Facility will detain and treat wet weather flows from the South End

• It features 2.2 million gallons of underground storage, screening, disinfection and dechlorination facilities

22 Union Park CSO Facility

• Flows from the existing Union Park Pump Station account for 88% of all untreated CSO discharges to the Fort Point Channel

• This project will eliminate 20 out of 26 discharges will be eliminated by the increased detention capacity

• 100% of the remaining flows will be treated by screening, disinfection and dechlorination

23 MWRA CSO Projects For Fort Point Channel

• At $43 million, these projects represent the largest public improvement investment for the Fort Point Channel

Union Park Treatment Facility

24 MWRA’s 1997 Plan For Outfalls BOS027 And BOS073

• BOS072 and BOS073 account for 2% of CSO discharges to the Fort Point Channel

• MWRA’s 1997 Plan for the Fort Point Channel recommended a 10-foot diameter, 1,500-foot long conduit along A Street in South Boston

• The 1997 Plan would capture and store CSO flows from outfalls BOS072 and BOS073 for all but the two largest storms in a typical year

• The 1997 would have reduced CSO flows by 80% at a cost of $13 million

25 Fort Point Channel Reassessment

• In July 2002, preliminary design began for the Fort Point Channel storage conduit and baseline flow conditions were updated

• The analysis showed improved system performance and a potential for changes in system flows due to planned development

• Given the large reduction in the combined sewer area tributary to outfalls BOS072 and BOS073, sewer separation was reexamined

1997 Conditions 2003 Conditions 144 acres tributary 55 acres tributary 7 million gallons/year CSO 3 million gallons/year CSO 15 overflows/year 9 overflows/year

26 Reassessment Findings

• The Reassessment found that sewer separation in the BOS073 tributary area and optimization at the BOS072 outfall will

– Meet the 1997 goals for the project

– Result in greater CSO elimination - 87% - than the 1997 Plan at a cost of $3 million

– Result in a slight increase - 2.5% - in stormwater volume

27 Annual CSO Flows From Outfalls BOS027 And BOS073

• Sewer separation will result in less CSO volume to the Fort Point Channel than expected under the 1997 Plan

• The Revised Plan increases CSO reductions from 80% to 87%

Annual CSO Volumes

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 (Million Gallons) 1 0 1997 Plan Revised Plan

Before After

28 CSOs VS. Stormwater

• CSOs are far more concentrated pollutants than stormwater

Untreated CSOs vs. Stormwater 18 x Stormwater Fecal Coliform Counts

600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 - Counts 10(9)/100 ml Untreated CSOs Stormwater

29 Major Water Quality Improvements In Fort Point Channel: Fecal Coliform Bacteria

• Fecal Coliform Bacteria

– Total loadings to Fort Point Channel reduced by 77%

– Loadings decreases from CSOs outweigh slight stormwater- related increases 217 to 1

Fecal Coliform Loadings to Fort Point Channel Before and After MWRA Projects 3,500,000 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000,000 counts x 10(9) 500,000 - CSOs Stormwater Total

30 Summary

• The Revised Plan is better than the original 1997 Plan

– More pollutants removal

– No additional permanent wastewater facilities adjacent to the Fort Point Channel

– Less cost with better results

31