Water Quality Standards
MA Steward Andrea Donlon worked on the draft NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permit for the City of Holyoke’s wastewater treatment plant and its combined sewers (CSOs) during the summer of 2007. CRWC also succeeded in convening a public forum with regional EPA officials where citizens and staff could argue for more oversight and enforcement on these critical issues.
MA Water Withdrawal Registrations: Every 10 years, Mass DEP renews all water withdrawal registrations in the state. Andrea, together with one of Jamie Colburn’s student interns at the Western New England College’s School of Law, reviewed several registrations in the watershed. CRWC provided comments to the DEP asking that downstream releases be considered as part of the registrations for the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission and the MWRA. Two communities in the watershed, Sunderland and Monson, appealed their DEP water withdrawal registrations, objecting to water conservation standards. CRWC is currently deliberating whether to intervene in the Sunderland appeal.
Russell Biomass and protecting the Westfield River: The Watershed Council prepared comments on the draft WWA permit for the Russell Biomass project on the Westfield River. None of the comments and concerns voiced by CRWC and over a dozen environmental groups were adopted into the new permit issued by DEP. The Watershed Council is appealing DEP’s permit decision on the grounds that it does not provide adequate protections for the Westfield River.
Water Quality Protection in Vermont: River Steward David Deen has been working to protect water quality standards at proposed small hydro sites. The industry wanted the drought flow of 7Q10 to be the standards in all by-pass reaches--in all rivers, all the time, at small hydro sites. David provided the leadership that fought this attempt back in the Vermont legislature.
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Photo credits (above): ©2007 Ben McLeod
Image Credits at Right - Illustrations: Bill Singleton; Photos: ©Al Braden www.albradenphoto.com, CRWC Staff.
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