The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has received the Gold Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) for its Deer Island Wastewater Treatment. The award recognizes facilities that have achieved 100% compliance with federal discharge limits for 2008.

The Deer Island facility has a 1.27 billion gallon per day capacity and is the second largest in the country. MWRA transports wastewater from 43 communities to Deer Island for treatment with the plant's treated effluent sent through a deep rock tunnel 9.5 miles out to deeper waters for discharge in Massachusetts Bay. MWRA conducts extensive water quality monitoring in the bay and harbor. The plant's sludge is converted into EPA Class A fertilizer pellets at a facility in Quincy.

The $3.8 billion invested in the treatment facilities at Deer Island have proven to be a great success and the harbor clean-up is widely recognized as one of the nation’s greatest environmental achievements.

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Updated July 31, 2009