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Worcester to Develop Plan To Address Sewage Overflows

Release Date: 09/20/2000
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the City of Worcester will develop a plan for reducing the impacts of discharges from a sewer overflow treatment plant into the Blackstone River.

In a consent order signed this week by EPA New England and the City of Worcester, the city agreed to conduct studies designed to reduce the impact of pollution from the city's combined sewer overflow (CSO) treatment plant on Quinsigamond Avenue. Under the terms of the agreement, Worcester also will identify other projects that will improve the quality of the Blackstone River and other local waterways.

"The Blackstone River and other waterways in Worcester are impacted not just from combined sewer overflows, but also from pollution in storm water and discharges from the Upper Blackstone Wastewater Plant," said Mindy S. Lubber, Regional Administrator for EPA New England. "Worcester should be congratulated for its willingness to build on prior CSO control efforts, as well as to evaluate other possible water quality improvement projects in the Blackstone River basin."

Most of the sewer system in Worcester is considered to be "separated." Separated sewer systems consist of separate sanitary sewers that carry sewage from households, businesses and institutional users to the Upper Blackstone Wastewater Treatment plant, where the waste is treated before it is discharged to the Blackstone River. Areas served by a separate sewer system also have a second pipe system made up of storm drains which carry storm water runoff to receiving streams and lakes.

Downtown Worcester, however, is served by a combined sewer system. Combined sewer pipes carry both sewage flows and storm water runoff. In Worcester, overflows from the combined systems to the Blackstone River can occur when rain or melting snow exceeds the capacity of the sewer system to pump the wastewater to the Upper Blackstone plant. To prevent and minimize overflows of untreated wastes, a portion of the combined sewage is stored in the combined sewer system for later treatment at the Upper Blackstone plant. Flows that exceed the available storage capacity of the system, are sent to the city's Quinsigamond Avenue combined sewer overflow treatment facility.

The Quinsigamond Avenue facility overflows about 20 to 25 times per year. In addition, although the discharge is treated, the wastes on occasion exceed permit limits for fecal coliform and residual chlorine resulting in a violation of Massachusetts Water Quality Standards. The city will evaluate alternatives to reduce pollution from the Quinsigamond Avenue treatment facility as part of the new studies.