The goal of the Clean Water Act (cwa) is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters
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- NPDES wastewater discharge summary (APPENDIX E, TABLE E1)
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- Shellfish Harvesting
RecommendationsLeave tide gates open except for times during tidal flooding conditions to improve tidal flushing/circulation in Musquashcut Pond. Conduct water quality monitoring to evaluate effectiveness of generally unrestricted tidal flushing in improving water quality conditions in the pond. Implement recommendations in the DMF shellfish management plan for area MB10.1. The Gulf (Segment MA94-19) Location: Headwaters, outlet Hunters Pond, Scituate to confluence with Cohasset Cove just north of Border Street, Cohasset. Size: 0.13 square miles Classification: Class SB Land-use estimates (top 3, excluding water) for the 15.0 mi2 subwatershed (including the subwatersheds for MA94-18 and MA94-33): Forest 64% Residential 24% Wetlands 5% The Gulf is listed on the 2002 Integrated List of Waters in Category 3. This segment had insufficient information to make assessments for any of the designated uses (MassDEP 2003a). The Natural Resources Inventory of The Gulf River Estuary provides a summary of existing information for The Gulf (Lefebvre et al. 2003). Within the Gulf River subwatershed all of the properties in Scituate have on-site sewage disposal systems. In 2001 and 2002, some of the properties in Cohasset near to The Gulf were tied into the municipal sewerage system and other properties were scheduled for connection. It should also be noted that the Center for Student Coastal Research (CSCR) received a grant to conduct an assessment of non-point source pollution in The Gulf (Appendix F, Coastal Nonpoint Source Grant Program and Buckley 2005). This project is currently underway. NPDES wastewater discharge summary (APPENDIX E, TABLE E1)The Golden Rooster Restaurant in North Scituate is authorized (NPDES permit MA005797 issued in September 1999) to discharge 0.0028 MGD of treated wastewater via one outfall to The Gulf. EPA terminated the permit effective 6 August 2004 because there no longer is a surface discharge (Vergara 2004). The outfalls were cemented over and the current system (now operated as The River Club) discharges to the ground. The Title 5 system (an innovative/alternative system) is below the threshold requiring a groundwater discharge permit (Burns 2006). otherThe restoration of the Greenbush commuter railroad service is proposing to shift the tracks approximately 10 feet to the north of the existing right of way to avoid impacts with an existing sewer line. This will result in approximately 7,434 ft2 of permanent fill in the saltmarsh on the banks of Musquashcut Brook (the waterway between the pond and the Gulf) along with temporary alterations to the marsh and waterway. The wetlands variance for Cohasset requires wetland replication and enhancement at two sites bordering the Great Swamp in Cohasset (Special Conditions #30-49), erosion and sedimentation plans (Special Condition #22), and replanting all disturbed areas (Special Condition #23) (MassDEP 2004b). Use AssessmentAquatic LifeHabitat and FlowThere is a weir pool fishway at the outlet of Hunter Pond that should allow passage for anadromous fish, such as alewife and herring, access to upstream spawning areas. Occasionally heavy spring flows inundate the steps of the fishway making it extremely difficult for the anadromous fish to pass (Lefebvre et al. 2003). Smelt spawning habitat was documented below Hunters Pond dam for approximately 166 m downstream from the face of the dam and in the mill channel. Several stretches of clean gravel and cobble were found along this reach (Chase in preparation). The dam at the mouth of The Gulf (downstream from Border Street in Cohasset) is partially breached (ACOE 2004). BiologyRainbow smelt spawn in The Gulf below Hunter Pond (Reback et al. 2004). Large numbers of glass eels were seen during April in 1993 and 1994 (Chase in preparation). The observations of glass eels relative to other river systems in this study indicate that Bound Brook may be a productive river system for eel. Too limited data are available and therefore the Aquatic Life Use for The Gulf is not assessed. Shellfish HarvestingThe DMF Shellfish Status Report of July 2000 indicates that Area MB10.1 (which contains this entire segment) is prohibited (MA DFG 2000 and Appendix G, Table G3). Potential pollution sources identified by DMF include septic systems and stormwater runoff. Based on the DMF shellfish growing area status, the Shellfish Harvesting Use is assessed as impaired presumably because of elevated fecal coliform bacteria. aestheticsNo objectionable deposits, odors, or any other conditions were identified by DWM biologists in the Gulf (DeCesare 2005). The Aesthetics Use for The Gulf is assessed as support. The Gulf (MA94-19) Use Summary Table
Directory: eea -> docs -> dep -> water -> resources -> 71wqar09 dep -> Charles D. Baker Governor dep -> Charles D. Baker Governor dep -> Charles D. Baker Governor dep -> Index of Photographs dep -> Department of environmental protection one winter street, boston, ma 02108 617-292-5500 water -> Water Resource Management Planning 71wqar09 -> 2004 water quality assessment report Download 3.32 Mb. Share with your friends:
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