Conservation Law Foundation &
The Nature Conservancy
Recommend Sustainable Options for
Managing Seacoast Region's Wastewater
Read the full report:
"Toward a Healthy Great Bay Estuary and a Sustainable Seacoast:
A New Framework for Sewage Wastewater Management and Planning in New Hampshire's Coastal Watershed."
Executive Summary
March 20, 2006 — Protecting the Great Bay estuary and the seacoast, and promoting sustainable development should be the aim of a regional wastewater treatment system, according to a report issued by the Conservation Law Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.
The organizations prepared the report to help guide a project underway to plan wastewater management options for the rapidly growing Seacoast Region.
Using criteria that consider the region's ecological, economic and cultural values, the organizations' paper recommends that use of existing wastewater treatment facilities – with necessary upgrades to protect water quality, and in conjunction with planning that promotes smart growth as opposed to sprawl – be part of the ongoing study. It also recommends further study of decentralized wastewater management approaches. Based on those criteria, the organizations recommend against further study of options that involve regional ocean outfall discharges of treated sewage.
“The outcome of this study will forever affect the future health of the Great Bay estuary, the Gulf of Maine, and our communities throughout the Seacoast, so it’s critical that the Study pursue truly sustainable approaches,” said Tom Irwin, a CLF attorney. “A ‘big-pipe’ ocean outfall is the wrong way to go and will just create new problems; we need to invest in more creative solutions that protect our valuable natural and community resources.”
The region's wastewater planning project was set into motion by the Legislature's passage of Senate Bill 70 in 2003. The study is being conducted by Metcalf & Eddy, in coordination with the Great Bay Estuary Commission. As part of the Study, Metcalf & Eddy recently identified 10 wastewater management alternatives based on engineering considerations.
Four of those options include collecting wastewater from throughout the region and discharging the treated water into the Gulf of Maine. Metcalf & Eddy's alternatives also include using existing wastewater treatment plants and discharge locations, as well as various groundwater infiltration strategies.
On Saturday, March 25, Metcalf & Eddy will hold a day-long "charrette" in Stratham to present its 10 alternatives and hear public input to ultimately determine what wastewater management options will be the subject of further, detailed evaluation.
In their report, the Conservation Law Foundation and The Nature Conservancy say that Metcalf & Eddy's study could be "a critical, determining factor in the long-term health of the Great Bay estuary and New Hampshire’s Seacoast region. In short, the study has the potential to result in a wastewater management solution that protects valuable estuarine and ocean resources while putting the Seacoast Region on a clear path to sustainable development. Alternatively, it has the potential to result in a costly apparently 'simple fix' that jeopardizes valuable freshwater, estuarine and ocean resources while fueling land- and water-consuming, water-polluting, sprawl."
The organizations urge the regional wastewater planning process to expand considerations beyond simply an engineering perspective. The process, they say, should also consider the "significant ecological, economic and cultural values of the Great Bay estuary, the Gulf of Maine, and the numerous fish and other species that depend on them, as well as significant growth pressures in the Seacoast Region and the sprawling development patterns that have taken root."
The planning process should include three essential criteria: (1) protection and enhancement of the Great Bay estuary through the protection of water quality and natural hydrology; (2) protection of the Gulf of Maine; and (3) promotion of sustainable development within the watershed rather than low-density, water-polluting sprawl.
When measured against those three essential criteria, the organizations conclude that:
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The two alternatives involving continued use of existing wastewater treatment facilities would likely satisfy the three essential criteria (if modified to include treatment system upgrades, and if done in conjunction with community planning that fosters smart growth development patterns) and should be the subject of further, detailed study;
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The four alternatives involving regional ocean-outfall discharges fail to meet the essential criteria and should be rejected from further consideration; one of the four regional land-application discharges may satisfy the essential criteria (provided concerns pertaining to hydrology and sprawl can be addressed) and should be subject to further study; and
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Decentralized wastewater treatment approaches could serve an important role in addressing future wastewater needs, and should be an integral part of the study.
Jay Odell, marine ecologist for The Nature Conservancy, said the issue is complex, but can be compared to an enormous re-plumbing job for the region. "Seacoast communities have an opportunity to choose between investing in huge engineering projects with new plumbing that takes freshwater from our rivers and sends it directly to the Gulf of Maine, or, on the other hand, upgrading existing infrastructure to create a sustainable future that includes protection of groundwater for people, rivers that run strong with fish, and a cleaned up Great Bay."
The organizations' report is entitled, "Toward a Healthy Great Bay Estuary and a Sustainable Seacoast: A New Framework for Sewage Wastewater Management and Planning in New Hampshire's Coastal Watershed." It can be viewed at nature.org/newhampshire.
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Conservation Law Foundation is New England’s leading environmental advocacy organization. Since 1966, CLF has worked to protect New England's people, natural resources and communities. CLF has four program areas: Clean Energy & Climate Change, Clean Water & Healthy Forests, Healthy Oceans and Smart Growth. CLF works to promote renewable energy and fight air and water pollution; build healthy fishing communities and protect marine habitat; fight sprawl, promote public transit and defend public health. Conservation Law Foundation is a nonprofit, member-supported organization with offices in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. For more information, visit www.clf.org.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Since 1987 The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has helped protect more than 121,000 acres of ecologically significant land and currently owns and manages 30 preserves across the state. For more information, visit www.nature.org/newhampshire.
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