Want To Know when Sewage Discharges Occur in MA Waterbodies?

New regulations will now require public notification of sewage discharges into waterbodies in Massachusetts. Wait... that's not already a thing? -- Huh.

The administration of Governor Charlie Baker today announced final regulations that establish rules and procedures requiring permittees to notify the public of untreated or partially treated wastewater, including discharges caused by weather events, into the Commonwealth’s surface waters.

These discharges can cause health issues...

According to MassDEP discharges of this nature can have negative health impacts and these new rules will ensure that the public has the most up-to-date information on water quality.

Importantly, Massachusetts residents will now know in a timely fashion when water quality is impacted and potentially unsafe to use, providing the Commonwealth with an important tool to protect public health. ~ Gov. Charlie Baker

Armastas

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The New regulations in short...

Notifications must be issued within two hours of the discovery of the discharge to specific local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as to any individual who has subscribed to receive such notifications. The regulations also require notifications to be sent to the two largest news organizations that report on local news in nearby communities and be published on permittees’ websites. Follow-up reporting to MassDEP will be required monthly.

You can read the full explanation of the regulations, HERE.

You can also get more information about the Massachusetts sewer discharge regulations, please visit MassDEP’s website, HERE.

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