Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay
MWRA Environmental Quality Department
Monitoring for Eutrophication in Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay
In marine environments, an abundance of organic material and nutrients
can lead to a condition called eutrophication, or over-enrichment of the system. Now that effluent discharges have moved from the harbor to the bay, most remaining pollution entering the harbor comes from its tributary rivers and runoff.
Since the Boston Harbor Project, the Harbor-wide average concentrations of most of the wastewater nutrients have been significantly lower than before the wastewater discharge was moved out of Boston Harbor. More information in this technical report on Boston Harbor Water Quality.
MWRA monitors Massachusetts Bay for signs of eutrophication potentially caused by the discharge from Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant. Results show a healthy ecosystem.
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