Section 1 Introduction (DRAFT) 1.1 Background 1.2 Purpose 1.1 Background 1.3 Integrated Planning 1.1.1 City of Fall River Approach The city of Fall River is in Bristol County, Massachusetts. As shown in Figure 1-1, the city is located along the Taunton River 1.4 Participants and Mount Hope Bay shoreline. The Quequechan River crosses 1.5 Report through the city from east to west—falling approximately 120 feet in one half mile—to Mount Hope Bay near the mouth of the Taunton River. Fall River got its name from the Quequechan River, which is believed to be a Native American word for “falling river.” Interstate 195 crosses through the city and provides access to Providence, Rhode Island to the west and Cape Cod to the east. Similarly, Route 24 provides access to the Boston area in the north. Several local routes (Routes 6, 79, 81 and 138) also pass through the city, linking it with its neighboring communities. Fall River was founded in 1803 and incorporated as a city in 1854. The city is approximately 40.2 square miles in size, with a population of over 88,000 people. It is one of the ten largest cities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Fall River played an important role in the textile industry, utilizing the Quequechan River for water power and cooling water. During the 19th century, the city experienced significant economic growth with the development of numerous textile mills. Many of these mills were located along the Quequechan River. In 1876, Fall River was the largest textile producing city in the country. City of Fall River Seal 1-1 N Freetown Swansea r e iv R n to R n O u U a T T E 9 7 2 4 E T U O R Somerset IN TE RO R UTE S 6 North TA T E Watuppa 1 95 Pond 6 E T y U a O B R e p o H t n u o M 1 8 E T U O 8 R 3 1 E T U Westport O R 4 E 2 UT South RO Watuppa Pond erton, RI Tiv Fall River) 0 4,500 9,000 City of Fall River, Massachusetts Feet Integrated Wastewater and Stormwater Master Plan Figure 1-1 Fall River Overview - Locator Map Section 1 • Introduction - DRAFT Unfortunately, the textile industry began to decline after World War I, and by the Great Depression many mills were bankrupt. Very little industry remains in the city today. While many of the original mill buildings and the infrastructure built to support them remain, the textile industry that brought economic prosperity to the City in the 19th century no longer exists today. As a result, Fall River’s economic status is markedly different today. The City’s current economic conditions are discussed further in Section 24. 1.1.2 Administrative Order (1989) In 1987, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) filed suit against the City of Fall River (Civil Action No. 87-3067-Z) to control its combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges. In 1989, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an Administrative Order requiring the City to abate its CSO discharges and bring the system into compliance with the federal Clean Water Act and the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The NPDES permit required that CSO discharges receive treatment at a level providing the best practicable technology currently available to ensure that water quality standards are not violated. A copy of the 1989 Administrative Order is attached as Appendix A. 1.1.3 Federal Court Order and Amendments As a result of the CLF’s lawsuit and the EPA’s 1989 Administrative Order, a federal court order was issued in 1992, which mandated the Fall River CSO Abatement Program. The federal court order outlined the methodology and schedule for meeting the requirements of the 1989 Administrative Order. It has been amended seven times; in 1995, 1997, 2005 and 2008, 2011 (twice), and 2013. The latest amendment, in October 2013, addressed pending CSO control strategies for the North and South Systems. A description of the combined sewer collection system is included in Section 3.3. Copies of the federal court order and its amendments are attached as Appendix B. The federal court order, as amended, has considered the City’s financial burden by providing time to “operate and evaluate” the environmental benefits of previously constructed improvements and assess the environmental need versus financial feasibility for future improvements. Implementation of the court-ordered CSO control facilities has been phased in recognition of the financial burden on the City and its ratepayers. The federal court order includes the following phases: °°° Phase I—modifications and expansion of portions of the City’s wastewater treatment facility (WWTF). This work increased the WWTF’s wet-weather treatment capacity to 106 million gallons per day (mgd). Improvements included new preliminary treatment facilities, increased capacity for primary treatment, improved disinfection capability, an intermediate pump station, a new odor control building, and improved solids handling facilities. These improvements 3-mile long, 20 -foot diameter deep rock CSO tunnel were completed in 2000. (near end of construction) 1-3 Section 1 • Introduction- DRAFT °°° Phase IIA—construction of the South/Central Tunnel including nine drop shafts and connecting tunnels, the conduit connecting the South/Central Tunnel to the WWTF and the Quequechan Surface Interceptor. These facilities store wet-weather flows and then deliver them to the existing WWTF at a manageable flow rate for treatment. These facilities were completed in 2009. °°° Phase IIB—construction of the North System CSO Controls including construction of CSO screening and disinfection facilities at the Cove Street and President Avenue outfalls and sewer separation (into separate sanitary and storm water systems) for the Alton Street and City Pier basins. The Cove Street CSO facility was completed in 2009. The President Avenue CSO facility was completed in 2015. °°° Phase III—partial separation of the combined sewer system for areas along the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay The President Avenue CSO screening and disinfection waterfront to supplement the CSO control facility is integrated within Veterans Memorial provided by the existing CSO tunnel. Bicentennial Park. The building also provides park restroom and storage facilities. Remaining work required by the federal court order includes portions of Phase IIB, sewer separation for the Alton Street and City Pier basins, and Phase III, partial sewer separation of the South System basins. These projects need to remove stormwater from, and/or make modifications to, the combined sewer system necessary to meet the Fall River CSO Abatement Program requirement of managing the 3-month storm flows. At the City’s request, this Integrated Wastewater and Stormwater Master Plan was added as a requirement in the latest amendment of the federal court order. This report is intended to provide perspective to CSO control needs, in relation to needs associated with all other Clean Water Act initiatives. The various Clean Water Act initiatives and the federal court order requirements are described in more detail in Section 2.5. 1.1.4 Administrative Order (2011) More recently, in 2011, the EPA issued another Administrative Order requiring the City to perform an assessment of its sewer system in accordance with the EPA’s Capacity, Management, Operations, and Maintenance (CMOM) initiative. This Administrative Order was issued as a result sewer system overflows, which are inconsistent with the Clean Water Act and the City’s NPDES permit requirements. Inadvertent sewer overflows from manholes and/or catch basins, and basement back-ups—whether caused by pipe blockages or excessive stormwater flows—are collectively called SSOs (sanitary sewer overflows or sewer system overflows). A copy of the 2011 Administrative Order is attached as Appendix C. 1-4 Section 1 • Introduction - DRAFT 1.2 Purpose The purpose of this report is to provide the results of integrated wastewater and stormwater planning evaluations, including a capital improvements plan (CIP), for the City of Fall River’s Department of Community Utilities. This report is required to be submitted to the federal court and CLF by December 31, 2015. It includes conclusions and recommendations for the following: °°° Wastewater treatment facilities Figure 1-2: Integrated Planning Framework °°° Wastewater pump stations °°° CSO controls °°° Sewer collection system—wet-weather °°° Sewer collection system—general °°° Stormwater system—general °°° Stormwater system—source water protection °°° Organizational and institutional 1.3 Integrated Planning Approach This integrated wastewater and stormwater master planning process was structured to generally follow the EPA’s Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework (framework) to address competing Clean Water Act (CWA) initiatives. This framework includes six elements as shown in Figure 1-2 and noted below: 1. Define water quality, public health and safety, and regulatory issues 2. Describe the existing wastewater and stormwater systems, including organization 3. Stakeholder and public outreach 4. Identify, evaluate and select projects for implementation, including implementation costs and schedule 5. Measure the performance of the recommended program, as it is implemented 6. Modify the program, as necessary, based on established goals and performance 1-5 Section 1 • Introduction- DRAFT This report includes the first four elements, and suggests possible performance criteria and/or metrics for measuring success. A copy of this EPA framework is attached as Appendix D. 1.4 Participants This Integrated Wastewater and Stormwater Master Plan was prepared by CDM Smith Inc. with assistance from numerous City departments, consultants and stakeholders. The following consultants worked directly on this project: °°° BETA Group, Inc. predominantly addressed wet-weather sewer issues, as well as some adjacent general sewer and stormwater issues. Their concurrent work with the City, related to the 2011 Administrative Order reporting requirements, provided beneficial insight into their investigations and assessments.