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Monitoring Activity
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What is measured
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Goals
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MASSACHUSETTS
BAY-Outfall monitoring in Massachusetts
and Cape Cod bays as required by the NPDES discharge permit.
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Effluent,
water column, sea floor, and fish/shellfish samples are collected.
Measurements include nutrients, organic material, toxic contaminants,
pathogens, and solids.
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Assess the impacts of MWRA sewer system and treatment
plant discharges on Massachusetts and Cape Cod bays.
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BOSTON
HARBOR & TRIBUTARY RIVERS - Combined sewer overflows
(CSOs) are a source of wet weather pollution to Boston Harbor and
its tributary rivers. Harbor monitoring tracks contamination from
CSOs. CSOs can affect the water quality at Harbor Beaches.
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Nutrients, pathogens, dissolved oxygen, temperature,
& water clarity in the harbor, Quincy, Hingham, and Dorchester
Bays; Charles, Neponset, & Mystic River/Alewife Brook.
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Assess CSO impacts on affected water bodies and track
environmental effects of pollution reduction efforts.
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NPDES
discharge monitoring- Under the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permit, MWRA must monitor effluent from
the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (DITP) in Winthrop and
several CSO treatment facilities in the metropolitan Boston area.
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Nutrients,
pathogens, metals, organics, solids, pH, oil and grease and toxicity.
(For further explanation of these measures, see the Glossary.) |
As authorized by the Clean Water Act, program controls
water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants
into water bodies.
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TECHNICAL
REPORTS - Effluent, Bay, and Harbor monitoring results are
analyzed and summarized in technical reports written by MWRA staff
and consultants. Web reports on water quality are also available.
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Web reports
include Bay bacteria, treatment plant performance, and data on the
harbor and bay summarized in the online State
of Boston Harbor and Mass. Bay pages. |
Provides the latest monitoring results to the public.
(Paper copies are available on request.)
See
how we manage our water quality data
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