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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RecommendationsThe location of sampling station ER-2 (upstream from Forge and Howland ponds and closer to the Pinehills development) appears to make this site most susceptible to anthropogenic impacts and is therefore the best choice for future benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring. Documentation of habitat quality and instream sampling conditions (i.e., habitat assessment field sheets) is also a necessary component of benthic macroinvertebrate community monitoring and should be included as a requirement of the Pinehills groundwater discharge permit (0-680). Guidance to the consultant should be provided to improve reporting of water quality data generated as part of the Pinehills groundwater discharge permit including quality assurance/control as well as documentation of data validation process. Implementation of this guidance is necessary to meet the stated goal of the permit (document changes associated with development) and to utilize data for 305(b)/303(d) reporting purposes. Data validation for the Plymouth WWTP upgrade project data also needs to be implemented. Future benthic macroinvertebrate community assessments should include the use of an appropriate reference station, a more standardized subsampling method, and RBP III multimetric analysis to better evaluate the status of the Aquatic Life Use. Investigate potential nonpoint source inputs of bacteria and nutrients from horse farms and waterfowl particularly between Forge and Howland ponds. Recommend BMPs (e.g., establishing a riparian buffer zone, outreach and education) to protect instream water and habitat quality as deemed appropriate. Continue to perform fisheries assessments to monitor the bridle shiner population and document any changes to the fish community. Plymouth Harbor (Segment MA94-16) Location: The waters south of a line drawn from the tip of Plymouth Beach to High Cliff, Plymouth. S 
egment Length: 2.53 square miles Classification: Class SA Land-use estimates (top 3, excluding water) for the 27.8 mi2 subwatershed (map inset, gray shaded area): Forest 57% Residential 17% Open Land 11% Plymouth Harbor is listed on the 2002 Integrated List of Waters in Category 5. This segment is impaired due to pathogens and a TMDL is required (MassDEP 2003a). The Town of Plymouth manages a concrete boat ramp for general access and a boat pump out station at Town Pier on Water Street. The boat ramp has three launching lanes and parking for 102 trailers and 15 vehicles (MA DFG 2003). The pump-out facility has two self-service pump-out stations with unrestricted hours and a pump-out boat that operates on weekends from 10 am thru 3 pm. The pump-out facility was funded by the Clean Vessel Act to provide free pump-outs for the recreational and commercial boating fleet (MA DMF 2003). Pilgrim Memorial State Park, also located in downtown Plymouth, provides shoreline pedestrian access (MA DCR 2003c). Brewer’s Plymouth Marine, located on Union Street just north of Water Street, also has a pump-out facility that was funded by the Clean Vessel Act to provide free pump-out services (MA DMF 2003, Callaghan 2003, Brewers Marine 2003). Plymouth Harbor was included in the Nonpoint Source Pollution Assessment of Plymouth, Kingston and Pembroke, 2001-2002, prepared by GeoSyntec Consultants with MWI funding (Project #01-07/MWI). The consultant performed an inventory of each water body for possible sources of pollution based on field inspections and compilation of existing information. There were 34 outfall pipes identified during the April 2001 field inspection from local streets that drain directly into the harbor, including 15 that had observed flow. There was no evidence of shoreline erosion or trash along the shoreline. Potential non-point sources identified in the report include runoff from impervious surfaces, possible illicit discharges into the storm drains and boat waste (GeoSyntec 2002). The Division of Marine Fisheries performed a Sanitary Survey in October 2000 that identified 13 pipes with dry weather flows. These pipes were sampled for fecal coliform bacteria with the following results: 2 stations at Stephens Field and Howes Lane had bacterial concentrations too numerous to count (>1000 cfu/100 ml); the remaining 11 stations had results ranging from 20 – 160 cfu/100 ml (Churchill 2000b). The Town of Plymouth has a comprehensive program to address bacterial pollution in Plymouth Harbor that utilizes funds from the MassDEP/EPA 319 and SRF Programs, the CZM Coastal Pollution Remediation Program and other sources. Early efforts addressed bacterial pollution from wastewater (upgrades of the WWTP) and boats (pump-out facilities). In 2001 a Stormwater Working Group comprised of town and state agency representatives was formed, prioritized sites from the DMF Sanitary Survey based on the water quality impact and potential for successful mitigation and has received funding to address the top four priority sites. The Town was awarded a 319 grant in 2002 (Project 02-09/319) to install infiltration stormwater treatment devices at Stephens Field, Howes Lane and Lincoln Street. A CPR grant was awarded in 2003 for the fourth priority site (Samoset Street) that will assess the drainage area and design the most appropriate stormwater BMP (Town of Plymouth 2002). A 319 Grant (04-09/319) was awarded in 2005 for the purpose of implementing the designs for the Samoset Street site (Town of Plymouth 2003). There will be water quality monitoring performed in accordance with an approved QAPP before and after installation of the 319 funded BMPs to measure project success. For more information on these grant awards see Appendix F. 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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