Letter: Town Meeting — A chance to help save our river

Posted 3/27/18

To the editor:

After years of testing and analysis, the own of Westport has finally arrived at the threshold of determining how best to address the long-term problems affecting the Westport River. …

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Letter: Town Meeting — A chance to help save our river

Posted

To the editor:

After years of testing and analysis, the own of Westport has finally arrived at the threshold of determining how best to address the long-term problems affecting the Westport River. Many years of work done by Westport River Watershed Alliance and partner groups are finally coming together to help the town identify the most effective and least costly means for improving water quality throughout the watershed.

We know that our homes, businesses and farms are the main sources of too much nitrogen. This has been confirmed by the Massachusetts Estuary Program (MEP) Report (2013), Bread and Cheese Brook Report (2014), and the Final Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Report (2017). The TMDL Report prepared by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sets targets for the maximum load of nitrogen the river can receive to restore it to a healthy and productive estuary.

The town has applied for, and the DEP has approved, funding to hire consultants to carry out a Targeted-Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (TIWMP) for the East Branch of the Westport River in the coming year that will address not only the nutrient problems but also the other water quality pollution issues (stormwater and drinking water). These three types of water pollution problems are being addressed by an integrated plan because they are connected and can better be solved with integrated solutions.

Town Meeting will be asked to approve the 2% loan of $150,000 for funding of this planning project. The goal is to select a consulting firm and start the planning process by the beginning of the summer. The plan will evaluate the most promising combination of methods for wastewater, drinking and stormwater treatment as well as other practices to reduce nitrogen loading impacts.

It will recommend which approaches will be most efficient and cost effective in achieving the reduction targets considering the type, volume and location of the sources of contamination. The components of the plan will include a needs assessment, evaluation of alternative physical and policy solutions, analysis of alternative approaches to financing and cost sharing, preliminary engineering designs for some physical structures, and a public engagement process to obtain the community’s input and participation in the design and implementation of the plan. 

This is an exceptional opportunity with a low cost loan to help the own figure out how to most efficiently restore the health of the Westport River.

Roberta Carvalho

Science director, Westport River Watershed Alliance

 

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.