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The MWRA outfall monitoring program. What we measure and what we have observed so far. Part 1. What we are monitoring. Objectives:. test for compliance with the Permit test for exceedance of contingency plan thresholds test whether environmental changes are greater than expected. Effluent. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The MWRA outfall monitoring program.
What we measure and what we have observed so far.
Part 1. What we are monitoring.
Objectives:• test for compliance with
the Permit
• test for exceedance of contingency plan thresholds
• test whether environmental changes are greater than expected
Effluent• pathogen
indicators
• residual chlorine
• total suspended solids
• biochemical oxygen demand
• toxicity testing
• PCBs
• flow
• pH
• nitrogen loading
• numerous organic
and inorganic contaminants
Water column
• nutrients• chlorophyll• dissolved oxygen• temperature, salinity • light, water clarity• solids• phytoplankton• nuisance and noxious
algae • zooplankton • photosynthesis,
respiration• remote sensing, moored
instruments • marine mammal
observations• bacterial indicators,
viruses• diffuser mixing
21 nearfield sites (in a grid near outfall site)
28 farfield sites (distant from the outfall site)
17 nearfield, 6 farfield surveys each year
#
#
#
#
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#
#
####
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
M
U
R
U
M
M
M,UH
U
U
H
M
U
U
R
H
U
R
l# Humpback Whale# Minke Whale# Right Whale# Unidentified Whale
Nearfield
H
M
R
U42°0
0'
42°00'
42°1
5'
42°15'
42°3
0'
42°30'
71°00'
71°00'
70°45'
70°45'
70°30'
70°30'
70°15'
70°15'
N
LEGEND
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Outfall Diffuser
0 5 10 15 Kilometers
Whale Sightings - 1998
1998
Whale sightingsduring MWRAsurveys
ll
l
l
l
ll
lll
l
l
l
ll
l
l
ll
l
ll
ll
l
l
l
lF
U
U
U
R
U
M
UF
(F,M)
(H,U)
H
R
U
M
UU
FH
(H,F)
U
H
UU
U
# Humpback Whale# Minke Whale# Right Whale# Unidentified Whale
Nearfield
H
M
R
U42°0
0'
42°00'
42°1
5'
42°15'
42°3
0'
42°30'
71°00'
71°00'
70°45'
70°45'
70°30'
70°30'
70°15'
70°15'
N
LEGEND
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Outfall Diffuser
0 5 10 15 Kilometers
Whale Sightings - 1999
F Finback Whale#
1999
l
lll
l
l
l
ll
ll
ll ll
ll lllll
l
l
U
M
U
HU
MH
(H,F)
UHH
H
H
H
U
UF
UU
U
U
U
U
M
# Humpback Whale# Minke Whale# Unidentified Whale
Nearfield
H
M
U42°0
0'
42°00'
42°1
5'
42°15'
42°3
0'
42°30'
71°00'
71°00'
70°45'
70°45'
70°30'
70°30'
70°15'
70°15'
N
LEGEND
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Outfall Diffuser
0 5 10 15 Kilometers
Whale Sightings - 2000
F Finback Whale#
2000
Sediments• soft bottom community structure• rock cobble communities• sediment oxygen• toxic metal and organic chemicals• sediment bulk characteristics• chemistry, tracers• nutrient and oxygen flux
Sample locations for soft-bottom communities
FF10
FF12
FF13
NF02
NF04
NF05
NF07
NF08NF09
NF10NF12 NF13
NF14NF15
NF16NF17
NF18
NF19NF20
NF21
NF22
NF23
NF24
0 1 2 3 Kilometers
NF02 Sampling Location Name
Depth (meters):
LEGEND
N Farfield Nearfield
152025
303540
Outfall Diffuser
42°1
8'
42°18'
42°1
9'
42°19'
42°2
0'
42°20'
42°2
1'
42°21'
42°2
2'
42°22'
42°2
3'
42°23'
42°2
4'
42°24'
42°2
5'
42°25'
42°2
6'
42°26'
42°2
7'
42°27'
70°57'
70°57'
70°56'
70°56'
70°55'
70°55'
70°54'
70°54'
70°53'
70°53'
70°52'
70°52'
70°51'
70°51'
70°50'
70°50'
70°49'
70°49'
70°48'
70°48'
70°47'
70°47'
Fish and Shellfish• metals and organic
chemicals, including pesticides and PCBs in flounder and lobster
• bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals in transplanted mussels
• liver disease in flounder
Mussels:
collection and deployment locations
l
l
Cape Cod Bay
Mass Bay outfall
Dear Island Light
Sandwich
Gloucester
Boston Inner Harbor
42°0
0'
42°00'
42°1
5'
42°15'
42°3
0'
42°30'
71°00'
71°00'
70°45'
70°45'
70°30'
70°30'
70°15'
70°15'
l Collection Locations
0 5 10 15 Kilometers
Outfall Diffuser
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
LEGEND
N
Deployment Locations
Part 2.
What we have seen since the outfall was relocated.
MWRA response to exceedances.
In summer, the effluent discharged at the Massachusetts Bay outfall is trapped beneath the
thermocline
October 1999
Ammonium concentration (NH4+ uM)Boston nearfield Cape Ann
October 2000
0 10 20 30 40 50
Distance (km)
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0D
epth
(m
)F23 F24 N 20 N 21 N 16 F19 F27
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 30
Param eter: Am m oniumLast Survey D ay: 10/8/99Sam pling Event: W F99EBoston-N earfie ld T ransectC ontour In terva l =2 µM
0 10 20 30 40 50
Distance (km)
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
Dep
th (
m)
F23 F24 N 20 N 21 N 16 F19 F27
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 30
Param eter: Am m oniumLast Survey D ay: 10/12/00Sam pling Event: W F00EBoston-N earfie ld T ransectC ontour In terva l =2 µM
Ongoing MonitoringData reported to MWRA
Threshold Exceeded?NO YES
Annual Monitoring
ReportNov 15
Notify: DITP
Regulatory agenciesOMSAP
Public (web and libraries)5 days
Threshold Level
Caution
Warning
•Adjust operations if needed•Review supporting data•Collect additional data if needed
< 90 days
•Evaluate MWRA contribution w OMSAP andregulators
•Plan/schedule to address MWRA impacts•Report every 30 days to regulators, public on evaluations, action andfollow-up
Adverse impact?YES
NO
Quarterly Wastewater Performance ReportsEvaluations, actions
and follow-up
Contingency Plan threshold exceedances for 2000
• Chlorine too high in treatment plant on 12/15/00.Control equipment installed.
• pH too low in treatment plant on 12/7/00. Artifact of sampling procedure.
• High chlorophyll in autumn 2000. A regional event.
• Low DO saturation in bottom waters in October 2000.Recognition of natural phenomena in revising the threshold.
Chlorophyll threshold exceedance autumn 2000
0
250
500
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
CapeCodBay
0
250
500
CapeAnn
0
250
500
nearfield
0
250
500
Boston Harbor
Areal Chlorophyll (mg per square meter)
September 6 2000
Satellite images of chlorophyll, averaged by month
J. Yoder1, J.O’Reilly2, S.Schollaert1, T. Ducas2
1URI,GSO, 2NOAA, NMFS
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Oct
ober
Sep
tem
ber
Harmful algal blooms in Massachusetts Bay
• Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) Alexandrium• Noxious blooms (aesthetics) Phaeocystis• Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) Pseudo-nitzschia
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0
5
10
15
20
0
50
100
150
200
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alexandrium (cells/L)
Phaeocystis (million cells/L)
Pseudo-nitzschia (million cells/L)
60708090
100110120
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
4
6
8
10
12
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Dissolved oxygen in bottom waters of the nearfield
DO concentration (mg/L)
DO saturation (percent)
90-second animation of the rocky-bottom video surveyin July 2001 in the nearfield
The region surrounding the Massachusetts Bay Outfall site consists of a series of ridges and valleys.
B o sto n
M assach u se tts B ayO u tfa ll
Vertical Exaggeration 12X