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$1.2 billion.
That’s how much the Buzzards Bay Coalition says the federal government should spend to clean up New Bedford’s combined sewer system, after rains from summer storms caused its pipes to repeatedly overflow and spill raw sewage into the harbor.
These events, known as combined sewer overflows, can shut down shellfish beds and swimming at public beaches, given the public health risks that raw sewage-contaminated waters present. They also led the Coalition to cancel the 31st Buzzards Bay Swim.
On the night of June 21, rain flowed into the city’s sewer pipes, causing roughly 7 million gallons of raw sewage and stormwater to spill over into the New Bedford harbor and Clarks Cove. Roughly 2 million gallons were discharged from discharge valves near the event’s starting line, and near the city’s swimming beaches.
Those overflows did not shut down swimming at city beaches, nor did they exceed state public health thresholds. Still, the coalition determined that they posed enough of a health risk to cancel its popular summer fundraiser. It was scheduled for the morning of June 22. The Buzzards Bay Swim from Cisco Brewers Kitchen & Bar to Fort Phoenix attracts hundreds of open-water swimmers every year.
“We are reaching out to you to do much more to help the City of New Bedford fix this problem once and for all,” wrote Buzzards Bay Coalition President Mark Rasmussen in a Monday letter to U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating.
Addressing the problems of New Bedford’s roughly 300-mile combined sewer system has been a slow, challenging, and expensive process.
Much of the sewer system was built in the 19th century, and was designed to handle sewage and stormwater in the same pipes. It features a series of relief valves that discharge untreated sewage and stormwater into local waters when the pipes exceed capacity during rains.
These overflows protect New Bedford’s wastewater treatment plant from getting overwhelmed during storms. They also keep sewage from backing up into homes and businesses. But the untreated sewage in New Bedford’s overflows can pollute Buzzards Bay waters with viruses and bacteria.
Being exposed to raw sewage-contaminated water can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, liver disease and respiratory illnesses.
New Bedford has been spending to address the problems from its combined sewer system, under Environmental Protection Agency oversight.
The city invested roughly $430 million to improve its sewer and stormwater systems between 1990 and 2017. It has since been working on several more improvements at an estimated cost of roughly $140 million, as part of a 2017 Long Term CSO Control and Integrated Capital Improvements Plan. In all, it has spent more than $460 million on wastewater infrastructure upgrades since the 1990s.
As a result, New Bedford has reduced its combined sewer overflow volumes by more than 90%, eliminated 11 combined sewer overflow discharge valves, and separated combined sewer lines for hundreds of acres of service area.
Still, the city’s sewer system has 27 combined sewer overflow discharge valves remaining, and there are many more miles of sewer to separate. The Northeast has been getting wetter, which may lead to more frequent and larger combined sewer overflows in New Bedford.
After all of the projects in the current 20-year combined sewer remediation and capital improvement plan are complete, the city will still be seeking roughly $1 billion for upgrades to stop combined sewer overflows from occurring.
Major wastewater projects in Massachusetts are largely funded by low-interest loans, which must be paid off by sewer users. Yet New Bedford residents already face high sewer rates, Rasmussen said. So the region needs the federal government to provide money for addressing the issue, he said.
In 2017, New Bedford officials estimated that fully modernizing the city’s sewer system to meet public health and environmental goals will cost at least $1.2 billion.
The local congressional delegation has secured more than $1 billion in grant funding for a project replacing the Cape Cod bridges, Rasmussen said. This project, he argued, carries similar regional importance.
“We all benefit from clean water in southeastern MA, not just swimmers,” Rasmussen wrote.
“Our region’s aquaculture and wild shellfish industry, tourism base, and New Bedford’s continued economic development demand it.”
Email reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@newbedfordlight.org.
In presenting the case, I believe one of the speakers stated that the South coast cities and towns should present themselves as a “big pie”, for references of the pollution problem. Using a similar theme, perhaps the South coast should consider consuming a smaller fixed portion of that “big pie”, and control development and expansions till we have the situation under control! Throwing Federal Money at the problem, as a catch-up, will only lead to further overdevelopment and system failure! Fix the problem, not the level of controls! And we haven’t even talked about our potable water supply. There are areas of New England currently under moderate drought controls! The South coast suffered controls for a few recent years. What about our future? Shouldn’t we plan to not fail?
Nimbyism is a curse.
Sewerage overflow storm drainage and subsequent nitrogen pollution has been a problem for New Bedford and the South Coast towns surrounding Buzzards Bay for decades..while the terrific Water Treatment Plant at FT Taber and miles of sewer pipe separation have helped to reduce overflow..there is much to be done.As all roads led to Rome..all water overflow leads to Buzzard Bay..toxic nitrogen pollutes the Bay our shellfish and impacts our quality of life.With the Bipartisan endorsed Infrastructure bill y both Parties..the government has been awarding communities especially older ones like New Bedford whose infrastructure needs were put on the back burner for,decades!’The infrastructure remedial needs of Phoenix Arizona or Las Vegas relatively new cities are nit the same,as older cities of the,Northeast or Midwest.Finally if they can approve billions $ to replace the,Sagamore bridge they can improve sewerage pollution which affects all of our daily lives…and is a billion dollar $$ bridge rather than expanded rail to the Cape really a solution which our tax dollars, should go to? Let the people vote on this?
There’s no such thing as overdevelopment. People live in the city and cannot live on the sidewalk; people live in homes. Ergo the sewer system needs repair and upgrades etc. Infrastructure in the city needs to be brought up to date.
When the multi-community ‘Town Hall” event was held to discuss the regional wastewater issues affecting our rivers, streams, bays, and sound, I asked myself, where is New Bedford? The Buzzards Bay Coalition not only asked, but took action to address New Bedford’s sewerage overflows that affect the entire South Coast region. The overflows are a health risk for recreation, as well as for the marine ecosystems including the eelgrass beds, salt marshes, shellfish beds, and the anadromous and pelagic fisheries. This has environmental and economic impacts greater than New Bedford, whose expense should be assisted by the state of Massachusetts and United States government agencies. With snowless winters, and warmer and wetter days, flooding events will become more frequent and severe as will sewerage overflows further degrading the water quality. We must plan for the future, today not tomorrow.
Why should the federal government be paying to process New Bedford poop.