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Region 1: EPA New England

Taking Care of Coastal Water Quality Through the Year

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

ME | MA | NH

By Robert W. Varney
October 17, 2007

As we ease into the cooler weather of Autumn, next year's beach season seems a whole winter away while this past summer is a blissful memory. Even as we reminisce about those recent carefree beach days, neither Massachusetts residents nor EPA have forgotten the importance of clean beaches, and the need to keep our focus throughout the year on improving coastal water quality.

This week we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. All New Englanders can take a lot of pride in our accomplishments and ongoing work to protect our precious rivers, lakes, coasts and groundwater. Indeed, this week we also mark World Water Monitoring Day, when volunteers collect data on the health of waters in their communities.

To celebrate our peerless coastal resources, Massachusetts citizens are participating in a weeks-long celebration called "National Coastweek," hosting a statewide Coastsweep, giving residents a great chance to help protect our state's priceless 1,700 miles of coastline. Between mid-September and late October, volunteers are meeting at cleanup sites throughout the state to pick up trash and record their data - helping experts better pinpoint the sources of trash and debris. At this point, the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston, coordinator of the Coastsweep events, reports that over 80 cleanups are scheduled with participation from over 3,500 volunteers. Before the month's end, they expect more than 100 events will be completed.

Coastal Cleanups such as this also took place in the five other New England coastal states as a celebration of National Coastweek, and each one made a distinct impact on coastal waters. Beach trash and debris can be as problematic as it is ugly. In the water, this waste can harm boats, threaten marine mammals, and compromise water quality.

Here at EPA we've been working hard to protect water quality for New England beachgoers as well by working with local and state governments to expand beach monitoring and reduce beach closures due to bacteria. Our goal is to eliminate chronic beach closures across New England, and we are actively working to develop and implement aggressive efforts to remove sources of contamination, and to build public support to fund necessary improvements to sewer systems.

Since 2001, EPA has awarded over $1.5 million to Massachusetts to monitor water quality at beaches, notify the public about health risks and to assess the sources of contamination that may cause these risks. Increased monitoring and reporting have provided important data to key officials. Since 2001, state and local agencies have overseen monitoring at over 600 coastal beaches.

Sewers, septic systems, and stormwater are not the only source of bacteria for many beach communities. In large boating communities wastewater discharges from boats can contribute to bacteria contamination accumulating in swimming waters. To eliminate this source of pollution, EPA is working to designate nearly the entire New England coastline a "No Discharge Area" by 2010. In a No Discharge Area boaters are prohibited from discharging toilet waste into coastal waters up to three miles from shore.

No Discharge Areas give bays and harbors additional protection from pollution and protect, maintain, and improve water quality. No Discharge Areas work by providing adequate pumpout stations at convenient locations throughout the designated area to serve all boaters. Designating a harbor or a bay reduces sewage from boats, meaning fewer pathogens, solids and nutrients enter the water.

In Massachusetts, 650 miles of the state's 1,700 mile coastline are currently designated no discharge, covering about 37 percent of the state's waters. Already designated areas include Buzzard's Bay, Nantucket, Plymouth, Duxbury, and Kingston Harbors, and several smaller harbors on Cape Cod.

EPA is actively working with Massachusetts to designate all of Cape Cod Bay, Salem Sound, Boston Harbor, Cohasset, Scituate and Marshfield. Further, planning efforts are underway for several other Massachusetts areas. This work will complete the entire Mass. coastline, extending New England's no discharge area from the Connecticut/New York border all the way up to the New Hampshire/Maine border.

We New Englanders are lucky to live near some of the most beautiful coastal areas found anywhere. We are also fortunate that we live in a region where so many people care about having a clean and healthy environment. If you are wondering how you can help keep the Massachusetts coastline clean and trash free, here are a few simple suggestions:

  • Make sure septic systems are properly maintained;
  • Report illicit discharges or sewer connections to health or environmental officials;
  • Don't throw your pet's waste into storm drains;
  • If you are a boater, use a pump out facility;
  • When you're at the beach, always pick up your trash.

Working together, we can keep Massachusetts' coastline healthy and safe and enjoy a carefree days at the beach and on the water.

More information:

Robert W. Varney is regional administrator of EPA's New England Office in Boston.

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