Massachusetts Integrated List of Waters for the Clean Water Act 2018/2020 Reporting Cycle -- Draft for Public Comment CN 505.0 Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen A. Theoharides, Secretary Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Martin Suuberg, Commissioner Bureau of Water Resources Kathleen Baskin, Assistant Commissioner NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY This report is available at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) website: https://www.mass.gov/total-maximum-daily-loads-tmdls. Massachusetts Integrated List of Waters for the Clean Water Act 2018/2020 Reporting Cycle -- Draft for Public Comment Prepared by: Massachusetts Division of Watershed Management Watershed Planning Program CN: 505.0 April 2021 Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Division of Watershed Management Watershed Planning Program 8 New Bond Street Worcester, Massachusetts 01606 (This page intentionally left blank) Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures ....................................................................................................................................................... iii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................iv INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 MASSACHUSETTS SURFACE WATER ATLAS ................................................................................................................... 2 COSTS AND BENEFITS OF CLEAN WATER ....................................................................................................................... 5 THE MASSACHUSETTS WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAM .............................................................................. 6 Surface Water Quality Standards ....................................................................................................................................... 6 TMDL Program and Long-term Vision Framework ............................................................................................................. 7 Surface Water Discharge Permitting and Stormwater Programs ....................................................................................... 8 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program ....................................................................................................................... 8 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) .......................................................................................................................... 9 SURFACE WATER MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................... 10 Surface Water Monitoring Program .................................................................................................................................. 10 Assessment and Listing of Massachusetts’ Waters ......................................................................................................... 11 PRIORITIZING WATERS FOR TMDL OR ALTERNATIVE RESTORATION PLANS .......................................................... 14 MassDEP Vision ............................................................................................................................................................... 14 Bacteria TMDLs ................................................................................................................................................................ 15 The Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) ................................................................................................................... 16 Mystic River Eutrophication Study and Alternative Restoration Plan ............................................................................... 16 LITERATURE CITED ............................................................................................................................................................ 17 INTEGRATED LIST CATEGORIES ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Category 1 waters - “Waters attaining all designated uses” ................................................................................................. 21 Category 2 waters - "Attaining some uses; other uses not assessed" ................................................................................. 22 Category 3 waters - "No uses assessed" .............................................................................................................................. 58 Category 4a waters - "TMDL is completed" .......................................................................................................................... 79 Category 4b waters - "Impairment controlled by alternative pollution control requirements" ............................................. 102 Category 4c waters - "Impairment not caused by a pollutant – TMDL not required" .......................................................... 103 Category 5 waters – The 303(d) List – “Waters requiring a TMDL” .................................................................................... 117 APPENDICES 1. List of “Actions” (TMDLs and Alternative Restoration Plans) approved by the EPA for Massachusetts waters 2. Assessment units and integrated list categories presented alphabetically by major watershed 3. Impairments added to the 2018/2020 integrated list 4. Impairments removed from the 2018/2020 integrated list 5. Impairments changed from the prior reporting cycle Massachusetts Integrated List of Waters for the Clean Water Act 2018/2020 Reporting Cycle – Draft for Public Comment April 2021 (2) CN 505.0 i 6. Blackstone River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 7. Boston Harbor (Proper) Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 8. Boston Harbor: Mystic River Watershed and Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 9. Boston Harbor: Neponset River Watershed and Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 10. Boston Harbor: Weymouth & Weir River Watershed and Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 11. Cape Cod Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 12. Charles River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 13. Chicopee River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 14. Concord River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 15. Connecticut River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 16. Housatonic River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 17. Merrimack River Watershed and Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 18. Mount Hope Bay (Shore) Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 19. Nashua River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 20. North Shore Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 21. Parker River Watershed and Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 22. Quinebaug River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 23. South Shore Coastal Drainage Area Assessment and Listing Decision Summary 24. Taunton River Watershed Assessment and Listing Decision Summary Massachusetts Integrated List of Waters for the Clean Water Act 2018/2020 Reporting Cycle – Draft for Public Comment April 2021 (2) CN 505.0 ii List of Tables and Figures Table No. Title Page 1 Surface Water Atlas for Massachusetts. 3 2 Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) scheduled by the MassDEP for 15 development through State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2022. Figure No. Title Page 1 Major drainage systems, river basins (i.e., watersheds) and coastal 4 drainage areas of Massachusetts with their unique Stream and River Inventory System (SARIS) code numbers, as assigned by Halliwell et al. 1982. These river basins and coastal drainage areas serve as the fundamental planning units of MassDEP’s surface water monitoring, assessment and management programs. 2 MassDEP Seven-Year Basin Rotation for Water Resource Monitoring 11 3 Watersheds for which the aquatic life use support status of selected waters 12 was assessed by the MassDEP for the 2016 and 2018/2020 Clean Water Act Sections 305(b)/303(d) reporting cycles. The 2016 integrated report (IR) included new assessments of the aquatic life use attainment status of selected waterbodies in 15 watersheds and coastal drainages, and statewide assessments of the fish consumption, shellfish harvesting, primary and secondary contact recreation and aesthetic uses. For the 2018/2020 IR, MassDEP’s new assessments were limited to the aquatic life use support status of waterbodies in the watersheds and coastal drainages that were not assessed for this use in the 2016 IR. Other designated uses were not assessed. Individual watersheds and drainage areas are identified in Figure 1. 4 MassDEP and External Partner Data (2006-2019) Used for 2018/2020 IR 14 Massachusetts Integrated List of Waters for the Clean Water Act 2018/2020 Reporting Cycle – Draft for Public Comment April 2021 (2) CN 505.0 iii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations AU Assessment Unit ATTAINS Assessment and TMDL Tracking and Implementation System BMPs Best Management Practices CALM Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology CSO Combined Sewer Overflows