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Two local legislators have filed bills that would create a commission to study and recommend funding options for South Coast wastewater projects.
State Sen. Mark Montigny and state Rep. Chris Markey said the goal of the commission would be to help local municipalities find financing to make necessary improvements to septic systems and aging wastewater treatment systems, without putting excessive costs on communities and ratepayers.
The Buzzards Bay Coalition has estimated that more than $2 billion is needed to combat wastewater pollution that adversely affects the health of the Bay. The state’s clean water revolving loan fund does not meet the region’s current needs.
Wastewater improvements would reduce the nitrogen pollution entering Buzzards Bay. According to the coalition, excessive nitrogen loads are the biggest long-term threat to the Bay’s health. They cause the water to become murky and smelly, harm habitat for fish and shellfish, and depress property values and recreational activity.
“Wastewater challenges continue to negatively impact the health and resiliency of Buzzards Bay,” Montigny said in a press release. “It is imperative that we explore creative solutions to ensure that hardworking taxpayers are able to afford to keep their water clean.”
The proposed commission would consist of 23 members, including representatives from 14 South Coast communities. Co-chairs of the joint committee on environment and natural resources would govern the group.
Priorities would include looking into the costs of efforts like expanding sewer infrastructure, connecting more septic systems to sewer, and upgrading treatment processes at existing wastewater facilities.
The commission would also study new potential revenue sources, including new fees or taxes for funding wastewater infrastructure improvements. It would study the finances of cities and towns, and recommend improvements to policies and procedures to help them pay for these projects.
The proposed laws say there would be a focus on identifying “fair and equitable means of financing wastewater infrastructure improvements to address nitrogen pollution.”
To meet these goals, the group will work with outside experts in the fields of tax and revenue, nutrient pollution, water quality, and wastewater infrastructure. They will also host at least two meetings on the South Coast to get public input.
The commission would prepare a written report detailing identified funding sources and its recommendations no later than one year after the law is passed.
The Buzzards Bay Coalition is “extremely grateful” that these lawmakers are advancing this legislation, its president Mark Rasmussen said.
“I have never met anyone who doesn’t want a clean and healthy Bay. But I have met a lot of people struggling to pay their bills and town officials struggling to make town budgets balance,” he said.
“Fixing our region’s wastewater infrastructure is simply a funding problem, and we need new sources if we are going to succeed at restoring our region’s beaches, shellfish beds, rivers and drinking water.”
Email environmental reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@newbedfordlight.org.
I am looking forward to the public meetings. A group of concerned residents in Wareham have begun meeting to discuss the cost-saving practices of urine diversion and nutrient recycling that can dramatically reduce the amount of nitrogen in wastewater, save 4,000 gallons of drinking water per person, per year, and create a natural, safe fertilizer product. This could be a win for the bay and an entrepreneurial opportunity for others!
Complete waste of tax money.
We need to invest in LEOs to keep us safe.
New Bedford Light
Our Legislators and community officials should be thanked for their efforts to address wastewater and nitrogen pollution into Buzzards Bay and tributary waters and find funding for pollution remediation. Community and private nitrogen pollution are issues that affects our drinking water, shellfish, fisheries, and recreation. For many in the area, this is an education and should be used by each town to highlight the need and the solutions to remediate nitrogen pollution in the rivers, bay and sound. One potential solution that has not been addressed is neighborhood and village solutions that use bioremediation as a regionalized solution, where monolithic systems are not applicable. Workable smaller scale solutions have a history of success with John Todd’s New Alchemy that use natural processes within greenhouse settings to reduce nitrogen and improve water quality. I recall visiting their Ecological Wastewater Treatment plants and was impressed with their utility and success. More can be learned at John Todd Ecological Design: https://www.toddecological.com/about
Ecological wastewater treatment companies have since expanded locally:
https://www.buildinggreen.com/feature/ecological-wastewater-treatment
Ecological design has been in use in Europe for decades with great success, with a gentler impact upon the land and sea. These systems are great alternatives for villages, rural locations, and communities with septic systems. With climate change, the impacts of excessive rains and flooding and sea level rise may prompt a rethinking of how our sewerage is handled. It is important that we understand the issues and plan ahead.
The New Bedford Waste Water Sewerage Treatment plant was built and started up on August 22, 1996. Now almost 20 years later it’s due for major modifications and everyone knows each day that this is not addressed, it only further damages Buzzards Bay, area waterways, beaches, and our air quality. But sure let’s spend money talking about a problem, then fixing it.