CLF Says No Discharge Zone Right Step Forward For Boston Harbor Health Group Cautions Stormwater Runoff into Tributaries Still a Pollution Threat

Contact:
Colin Durrant
CLF Communications Director
(617) 850-1722

Boston, MA (August 6, 2007) Recreational and commercial boats will be barred from dumping raw sewage, treated sewage and grey water into the Boston Harbor under a long-awaited announcement by state and federal officials today. Boston is one of the last major urban areas in New England to develop a ‘no discharge’ program.

“This decision is a positive step for ward for the restor ation of Boston Harbor ” said Peter Shelley , vice president with the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), the environmental group that helped spur the cleanup of the Harbor in a 1983 lawsuit. “Untreated sewage and wastewater has no place in what has become a regional attraction and recreational jewel.”

But CLF, while praising the proposal, also cautioned that the job of harbor restor ation is far from done because of the millions of gallons of untreated stormwater pollution that continue to flow directly into the harbor’s tributaries during heavy rainstorms.

“Contaminated runoff during storms remains a majorpollution problem forthe Boston Harbor and its tributaries,” said Shelley. “The no discharge zone is a certainly a big step in the right direction but all sources of untreated pollution must be reduced if our hopes are going to be realized.”

Billions of federal, state, local and ratepayers’ dollars have been spent cleaning up the harbor, most notably through investments in sewage treatment and the construction of the Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant. Despite that progress, polluted stormwater from major rain storms continues to flow untreated into the Neponset, Mystic and Charles Rivers, which feed into the Boston Harbor. The stormwater adds excess nutrients to the water, affecting the growth of plants and other river life by spurring the growth of blue-green algae and depleting the amount of oxygen in the water.

CLF noted that it looks for ward to an aggressive public education and enforcement program to ensure that the new no discharge zone is supported and implemented by the boating community.

The Conservation Law Foundation works to solve the most significant environmental challenges facing New England. CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to create innovate strategies to conserve natural resources, protect public health and promote vital communities in our region. Founded, in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization with offices in Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island and Vermont . Visit us on the web at: www.clf.org.