WATER
NATIONAL ESTUARINE POLLUTION STUDY
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
PUBLIC MEETING HELD AT
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
OCTOBER 8,1968
and
WRITTEN STATEMENTS CONCERNING
TIDAL WATERS OF MASSACHUSETTS
FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION • U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTER
NORTHEAST REGION BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS
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NATIONAL ESTUARINE POLLUTION STUDY
Proceedings of the
Public Meeting held at
Boston, Massachusetts
October 8, 1968
and
Written Statements Concerning
Tidal Waters of Massachusetts
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
U. S. Department of the Interior
Northeast Region j. F. Kennedy Bldg. Boston, Massachusetts 02203
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I - ORAL STATEMENTS PRESENTED AT THE CHARTER ROOM, 225 CLARENDON STREET,
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, OCTOBER 8, 1968.
PAGE
Call to Order, Remarks, Introduction of Panel Members by
Chairman Lester M. Klashman 1
Speakers:
James King (representing Senator Edward M. Kennedy) 3
Representative Ralph E. Sirianni 9
Senator William L. Saltonstall 11
Representative Joseph C. Di Carlo 17
Mrs. Nelson R. Saphir (representing Mayor James R. Mclntyre - City
of Quincy 26
(Senator Edward W. Brooke) 31
(Congressman William H. Bates) 32
(Senator Maurice A. Donahue) 34
Dean F. Bumpus (Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution) 34
David Mofenson (Democratic Candidate - State Representative
13th Middlesex District) 39
Irwin M. Alperin (Assistant Director, Massachusetts Division of
Marine Fisheries) 42
(Henry D. Russell, Marine Biologist, PhD.) 46
Allen H. Morgan (Executive Vice President, Massachusetts Audubon
Society) 47
Mrs. Roger Walke (representing Mrs. Bates of League of Women
Voters) 53
Johnes K. Moore (Assistant Professor, Salem State College) 56
Donald R. Harleman (Professor of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology) 58
Paul K. La Roque (Communications Director, New North River Ass'n.). . 61
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PART I (Cont'd.) PAGE
Gerald P. O'Leary (Boston City Council) 64
John W. Lebourveau (Environmental Engineer, New England Electric
System) 65
Henry Lyman (Publisher, Salt Water Sportsman) 70
Dr. Charles F. Cole (Assoc. Professor Fishery Biology, University
of Massachusetts) 81
Melbourne R. Carriker (Director, Systematics - Ecology Program,
Marine Biological Laboratory) 85
Frank Backoff (Massachusetts Marine Fishery Advisory Committee and
Izaak Walton League) 86
Mrs. Sherman L. Smith (representing neighborhood residents,
Weymouth, Massachusetts) 92
Roger Marshall (Chairman - Eastern New England Group, The Sierra
Club) 92
Warren W. Blandin (Waterfowl Biologist, Massachusetts Division of
Fisheries & Game) 96
Alfred C. Conrod (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Experimental
Astronomy Laboratory) 97
Miss Stella Trafford (League of Women Voters) 98
Dr. John T. Conover (Biological Oceanographer, Educator at Large). . 98
Benjamin W. Nason (Executive Director, Massachusetts Forest &
Park Association) 103
Oscar Tenenbaum (Meteorologist in Charge, Department of Commerce,
Weather Bureau) 106
Richard N. Loring (Vice President, Aquacultural Research Corp.). . . 106
Adjournment 107
PART II - WRITTEN STATEMENTS
Charles H. W. Foster
Charles River, Needham, Mass. 02192 109
K. C. Black
Scientific Analysis Corporation, 33 Sudbury Rd., Concord, Mass.
01742 115
ii
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PART II - (Cont'd.) PAGE
William E. Harbour
Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Planning District,
123 North Main Street, Fall River, Mass. 02720 117
Dr. John H. Ryther
Dept. of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Woods Hole, Mass. 02543 119
Dr. Donald R. P. Harleman
Dept. of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Mass. 02139 122
Howard Whitmore, Jr., Commissioner
Metropolitan District Commission, Boston, Mass 124
C. Francis Belcher, Executive Director
Mrs. Abigail D. Avery, Chairman, Conservation Committee
Appalachian Mountain Club, 5 Joy Street, Boston, Mass. 02108. . . 127
Robert G. Davidson, Executive Director
Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 44 School Street,
Boston, Mass. 02108 130
Francis L. Archibald, Environmental Engineer
Boston Edison Co., 800 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 02199 . . . 134
E. Fletcher Davis, Executive Director
Cape Cod Planning & Economic Development Commission, Box 23,
Hyannis, Mass. 02601 135
Alfred C. Conrod
Dept. of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. 02139 154
Dr. B. M. Fabuss, Technical Director
Environmental Pollution Division
Lowell Technological Institute Research Foundation
450 Aiken Street, Lowell, Mass., 01854 160
Dr. William Vinal, Natural Resources Consultant
Massasoit Community College, North Abington, Mass. 02351 161
Seconset Island Residents
Mashpee, Mass., 02649 164
James H. Ottaway, Jr., Publisher
The Standard-Times, New Bedford, Mass. 02742 166
Ted Vincent, Editor
The Standard-Times, New Bedford, Mass. 02742 167
iii
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APPENDICES Page
List of Participants at Boston, Massachusetts
Public Meeting, October 8, 1968 191
List of Other Attendees at Boston, Massachusetts
Public Meeting, October 8, 1968 193
INDEX (by Speaker, Author, and Organization) 199
IV
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PROCEEDINGS^
(The public meeting for the National Estuarine Pollution Study was called to
order in The Charter Room, 225 Clarendon Street, Boston, Massachusetts, on
Tuesday, October 8, 1968, at 9:30 o'clock A.M., Lester M. Klashman presiding.)
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our
meeting.
My name is Lester M. Klashman and I am Regional Director for the
Northeast Region of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration.
We are all here because we feel our coastal and estuarine waters are among
our most precious resources.
The purpose of this public meeting is to have your views on the tidal
waters of Massachusetts.
What do you think are the values of an estuary (aesthetic, recrea-
tional, dollar)?
Have estuaries been damaged by pollution - where + how much?
What should future of coastal zone be?
What are the best uses?
What system of management will best provide for development of
our coastal resources?
This public meeting is the last of five in the Northeast Region.
These meetings are being held in accordance with the Clean Water Restora-
tion Act of 1966. The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration is
charged by the Congress of the United States to prepare a comprehensive
report of the status of water pollution in the Nation's coastal waters.
The report will identify the actions needed to assure wise use of the total
resources of our coastal zones so that not only will degradation of our
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valuable coastal waters be avoided, but also the quality of our waters may
be enhanced. This effort is known as the National Estuarine Pollution
Study. The report is scheduled for completion and submittal to the Congress
on November 1, 1969. It will provide the Congress with the information it
needs to draft legislation bearing on prevention and abatement of pollution
in the Nation's coastal waters.
Because they feel our estuarine and coastal waters are so important,
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, The New England River Basins Commission
and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission have
joined the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration in co-sponsoring
this public meeting.
The Governor has designated Mr. Robert Yasi of the Department of
Natural Resources as liaison man for this National Estuarine Pollution
Study. He is represented today by Mr. Albert Zabriskie. These men are
channeling information from the various agencies in their State directly
to the FWPCA's Office of Estuarine Studies, whose Acting Chief is Mr. Louis
De Camp. This is also true for other Federal Agencies; for The New England
River Basin Commission; and for The New England Interstate Water Pollution
Control Commission, here represented by Mr. Alfred Peloquin.
We sent over 500 invitations to all organizations which we thought
had an interest. However, be assured that this is a public meeting, and
statements from all are welcome.
Those of you wishing to speak should have so indicated on the regis-
tration cards you made out when you entered. You will be asked to come to
the rostrum in turn. The panel members may wish to ask clarifying ques-
tions, but we are not prepared to entertain questions from the floor. Our
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purpose is to collect information, and not to provide a forum for debate.
If you decide to make a statement, and have not yet so indicated on your
registration card, please inform the secretary at the registration table
outside in the hall.
Those of you wishing to submit written statements either now or in
the next few weeks are welcome to do so. The secretary will take them or
tell you where to mail them.
We have a 35mm slide projector and an overhead projector. Please
inform the secretary in advance if you wish to use these or your own pro-
jection equipment.
These proceedings are being taken by a recorder and will be published
and sent to you. This is why we need your address on the registration
cards. The written submissions will be included in the record. If you
are planning to speak and have a written copy or outline, it would greatly
aid the recorder if you let our secretary make a xerox copy of it in
advance.
Thank you for your interest in these coastal waters which are among
our most precious resources. Your thoughtful participation in this meet-
ing will be helpful in providing for their protection and development.
Our first speaker today is Mr. James King, representing Senator
Edward Kennedy.
MR. JAMES KING: The Director of the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wild-
life said in 1965 that:
The needs for public conservation education are tremen-
dous, while fulfillment of these needs still is sadly
lacking. Many conservation organizations must place
emphasis — now — on the values of coastal wetlands
and estuaries. An informed public is absolutely essen-
tial to the solution of this problem.
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One declared purpose of this hearing today is fulfillment of this plea
for public education -- education which is essential if the quickening
interest in both restoring and conserving our natural resources is ever to
be satisfied. This is why I am so pleased to have the opportunity to ex-
press my own views about the importance of cleaning up our estuaries, and
my appreciation to all those who are making an effort to do so.
For many years in this country, the battle for preservation of our
natural resources has been carried by small but dedicated groups of con-
cerned citizens. In recent years, fortunately, both the size of these
groups and their successes have grown markedly. In part, this growth is
attributable to the sharpening clash between the public interest and pri-
vate interests — the public interest on the one hand in conserving our
resources, and the rising pressure from the private interests, on the other
hand, for commercial development or other use of these resources.
This clash grows sharper, I think, as the public education efforts of
conservation groups gain strength. And these efforts succeed as laws and
public agencies respond to the appeals of the concerned legislators. The
agencies jointly conducting this hearing, for example, represent a mix of
Federal, state and regional responsibilities, and this mix is at once a
recognition both of the multiple responsibilities for getting our waters
cleaned up, and the need for vigilance at every level of government.
Estuaries are important to the people of Massachusetts, for recrea-
tion and for livelihood alike. Thousands of people boat and swim in our
coastal estuaries, while many more thousands fish in them. Twenty-two
varieties of fish native to this area are dependent upon estuaries in one
or another parts of their life cycles, and these fish are among the most
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important sport and commercial varieties we have. They include fiounaei,
striped bass, porgy, bluefish, tautog, mackerel, shad and menhaden.
Without the estuaries, these fish will disappear. And without the
estuaries, the recreational opportunities available to the growing number
of people who look to the sea for sport will actually decrease.
Concern for our estuaries prompted me to introduce a bill in the
Senate last year to require the Secretary of the Interior to identify the
nation's most important estuarine areas, and to establish a system of
National Estuarine Areas which would be forever preserved in their natural
state. That bill passed the Congress this year, but in a form revised to
reflect the austerity of the budget during the Vietnam War. As that law
now stands as signed by the President, it requires the Secretary of the
Interior to survey the estuaries of the United States, and to identify
those appropriate for inclusion in a National System of Estuarine Areas.
The actual creation of such a system would have to be authorized by Congress
after the Secretary completes his report and presents it to the Congress in
1970.
We are fortunate in Massachusetts that this delay will not automatical-
ly defer the preservation of our estuaries. The Massachusetts General
Court has passed two complementary bills, one in 1963 and the other in 1965,
which set a goal of protecting from 50,000 to 60,000 acres of estuary lands,
protecting them through the Commonwealth's zoning powers. Under the 1965
Act, the Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources can zone tidal
marshlands against development, thus effectively preserving them. This is
an effective and inexpensive solution to Massachusetts' overriding need to
act now in preserving estuaries — but it does not solve the problem in our
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neighboring states, whose estuaries are almost equally important in terms
of producing the fish and other wildlife which abound in our waters. Nor
does it identify those estuaries of significant national interest. For
these reasons, I intend to follow the progress of the Interior Department
study closely, and to urge those making it to examine the successes of the
Massachusetts estuary preservation efforts.
An important aspect of estuaries preservation is both preventing and
eliminating pollution. Clearly, estuaries can be preserved from filling
and dredging, with determined action -- but if they are polluted, they
will not breed fish and shellfish; nor will they be recreation resources.
Thus, the National Estuarine Pollution Study of which this hearing is a
part must be considered a critical aspect of the whole problem.
One of the most important estuarine areas in the entire Commonwealth
of Massachusetts is Boston Harbor. Early this year, I asked the Federal
Water Pollution Control Administration to make a survey of pollution in
Boston Harbor and its attendant estuaries. The preliminary results of this
survey, elicited in the May 1968 Conference, are, quite literally, shock-
ing. They indicate that we have let pollution make the waters of some
areas of Boston Harbor a real health hazard; that we are doing little to
eliminate this pollution; and that matters are getting steadily worse.
When this survey I requested is completed, I intend to work with the Water
Pollution Control Administration in seeking appropriate action to clean up
Boston Harbor.
Let me cite a few examples, from this preliminary report, of what
pollution has done to Boston Harbor's estuarine waters:
There are about 4,500 acres of available shellfish beds in Boston;
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today, only 500 acres are sufficiently free from pollution to permit unre-
stricted shellfishing. And these 500 acres are deemed only marginal.
This amounts to an annual retail loss in Boston of about $750,000 a year;
The beaches in Winthrop have been closed to swimmers since 1962, and
other beaches in Boston Harbor have been repeatedly threatened with
closing;
The very high amounts of sewage discharged into Boston Harbor have
greatly stimulated the growth of a seaweed, sea lettuce. At low tides,
the sea lettuce is exposed to sunlight and air, and decomposes. As it
decomposes, sea lettuce produces hydrogen sulfide odors — the smell of
rotten eggs. At times, these odors have been strong enough to drive
residents of Winthrop from their homes. In addition, the hydrogen sulfide
has discolored homes in Winthrop; and
Much of the bottom of Boston Harbor is covered with deposits of sludge,
in places greater than three feet deep. This sludge is both oily residue
and decaying organic matter discharged from sewage treatment plants.
These are only isolated examples of the effects of pollution in
Boston Harbor developed by the preliminary study of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Agency; but they indicate how serious the matter has
become.
The methods and procedures for cleaning up the Harbor may well be
determined by the recommendations to be submitted to the Congress in
November 1969, as the result of the study for which this hearing is pro-
ducing important information. The 1966 Clean Water Restoration Act directs
the Interior Department to study the extent and nature of pollution in all
our nation's estuaries, and then to recommend action to clean them up.
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While we presently know the basics of what we must do to eliminate pollu-
tion in our estuaries, our progress is complicated by the multi-jurisdic-
tional nature of estuarine waters. This jurisdictional complication played
a large role in Congressional debate this year on the bill I introduced.
Which department of the Federal government; whether the Federal as well as
state governments had primary responsibility; what role should be singled
out for each — all these problems were thoroughly considered. Thus,
recommendations of this estuarine pollution study can be most helpful in
unraveling this problem of jurisdiction — consequently leading us closer
to our goal of clean waters.
In sum, let me express my own satisfaction that the pendulum seems at
last to be swinging towards a balance between the needs for conservation
and the pressures of commercial development. The interest and work of con-
cerned citizens all across the country have caused the pendulum to begin
its swing toward a balance — but only through continuing efforts of this
sort in public education can we be sure that it will not swing back, as
our population and its affluence grows.
The late Rachel Carson was an articulate advocate of the view that
this is a land which belongs not only to us, but to our children and their
children. If in our temporal impatience we destroy the land, then we also
destroy something in us. In one of her books devoted to the richness of
life along our seashores, she described an estuary in these terms:
(The island) lay across a quiet sound from which the banks
shouldered away the South Atlantic rollers. To the north
the island was separated from the mainland by a deep gutter
where the ebbing tides raced strongly; on the south side the
beach sloped gently, so that at slack water the fishermen
could wade out half a mile before the water came above their
armpits as they raked scallops or hauled their long seines.
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In these shallows young fishes swarmed, feeding on the small
game of the waters, and shrimp swam with backward flipping
of their tails. The rich life of the shallows brought the
skimmers nightly from their nesting grounds on the banks, to
take their food from the water as they moved with winnowing
flight above it.
About sunset the tide had been out. Now it was rising,
covering the afternoon resting places of the skimmers, mov-
ing through the inlet, and flowing up into the marshes.
Through most of the night the skimmers would feed, gliding on
slender wings above the water in search of the small fishes
that had moved in with the tide to the shelter of grassy
shallows.
This is how jur estuaries can and should be — and not as reposi-
tories for trash, sewage, and sludge. But they will be as she described
them only if we each care enough to act determinedly to preserve and
restore them.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Representative
Sirianni of the 20th Suffolk District.
REPRESENTATIVE SIRIANNI: Mr. Chairman, let me thank you at the outset for
allowing me to make my presentation before anybody else. As I indicated to
you, I have a public health council meeting at 9:30 this morning and I find
it very difficult to be in two places at one time, but this is so important
to all of us here in Massachusetts.
I know that many well qualified experts in the field of pollution from
state and Federal agencies as well as industry will speak before this meet-
ing today.
I am sure my views as a legislator will probably differ from those who
are experts in the science and technology end of this pollution problem.
Only five short months ago I made a presentation to the Federal and
state conference held in Faneuil Hall on May 20th.
In my presentation I was critical of the Federal Government from
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approaching this problem from the back door because, "The inability to
market shellfish or shellfish products was the reason for the conference
being called." My answer to that was "I surely will not minimize the
necessity to investigate the economic injury resulting in the inability to
market shellfish or shellfish products. However, it would appear to me
that the health and well-being of the people living near these grossly
polluted rivers, streams, lakes, and ocean shore lines, who are being
subjected to inhale foul odors, whose homes have been damaged as a result
of hydrogen sulfide gases emanating from grossly polluted mud flats,
citizens who are denied the right to use recreational facilities as the
result of infectious fecal material on beaches. It seems to me this would
be the primary factor and motivating force to eliminate pollution."
Your letter of invitation dated August 27th suggested I make my views
clearly known regarding present and potential problems faced in maintaining
the quality of our coastal waters as related to land and water uses.
Therefore I make the following suggestions:
1. Let's not waste anymore valuable time and money in studies. The
already recognized serious pollution problem has been studied to death.
More Federal money should be allocated toward subsidizing not only
the building of new sewage treatment facilities, but the remodeling, reno-
vating and repairs of older systems.
2. More stringent Federal laws and the enforcement of same to prevent
individuals, industry, and yes, even state agencies such as M.D.C. from
contaminating rivers, oceans, etc.
3. Stiffer penalties and fines to be imposed on violations of ships
and boats who are responsible for oil spillage or pumping of bilges,
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creating a very serious problem.
I am sure that many more suggestions will be made here today, all of
which will be evaluated and considered when submitting your final report.
So in closing I would like to quote Secretary of Interior, Stewart
Udall, "We have enhanced the future of everything-except the overall
future of the human race."
With these words of wisdom in preparing the final report let's keep
in mind business, industry, and the economics which are so important. But
also let's keep in mind the human element the human factor, in other words
the ordinary citizens, the people who are being jeopardized and penalized
because of the pollution problem.
CHAIBMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Representative Sirianni. I would like
to clarify again why the Federal Enforcement Conference directed its efforts
towards the shellfish injury. The reason is that our law does not permit
us to do otherwise and so we had no jurisdiction to come into the situation
in any other way. Do you have any questions?
I would now like to ask, are there any other elected representatives
in the room who would like to make a statement?
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: Do you want me to go ahead, Mr. Klashman? I am Senator
William Saltonstall of the Third Essex District, the area which includes
towns of Essex, Ipswich, Rockport and Rowley as well. It goes as far north
as the Merrimack River and as far south as the Danvers River. Massachusetts
has tried very hard to take a lead in solving the problems of our coastal
estuary and wetland areas. Massachusetts has, as you've heard in Senator
Kennedy's statement, passed two bills which will protect our coastal wet-
lands. The first one was principally established to protect the shellfish
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biological areas. The second, actually went further to include those areas
which could be distinguished as coastal wetlands on a biological basis from
the botany and the way they have been largely described is with aerial
photographs. The first major area in Ipswich (there being a smaller one in
the North River at Scituate previously) the first major area in Ipswich was
set aside last summer in a hearing where only three people spoke against the
setting aside of over a thousand acres of land and the meeting overwhelm-
ingly supported it. At last report, not a single major objection had been
made to setting aside that land, something, I think of which we in Massa-
chusetts, particularly in Essex County, can be very proud. Massachusetts
also, as you well know, but if perhaps some of the people here have not
been familiar with, has been carrying on very significant hearings of
estuarine studies, the biology and the problems of our major estuaries up
and down the coast. This is being done by a laboratory on Plum Island, by
the staff and they go up and down the coast to make these studies. Finally,
we are very proud this last summer in passing a major landmark oil pollu-
tion, an oil slick prevention act. This was sponsored by the Attorney
General, (I was proud to join in co-sponsoring it), which gives the state
the power to go out and clean up the slicks before their origin is identi-
fied and sue the guilty parties later on if they can be identified. At
least we can get rid of the slicks. Now, this is the leadership in Massa-
chusetts. There are problems. We've moved slowly. I have, for instance,
been appointed a member of two commissions to study pollution, to study
cleaning up rivers. One on the North River in Salem, the other on the
Merrimack. Neither of these commissions has as yet met, to my great
disappointment, because I think these are problems we should be working
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on in the legislature and as a state.
Another problem can be illustrated by a town in my area where four
times a sewage treatment plant has been on the ballot (it takes a 2/3 vote
in that town for a bond issue) four times it has been on the ballot and
four times regrettably it lost. Unfortunately, just to use an example, the
engineering department in that town says that the economic place to put the
sewage treatment plant is bounded by the harbor on one side, by a church,
the Masonic Temple, the American Legion and the Post Office. These are the
four bounding properties of the proposed sewage treatment plant. Regret-
tably, it has lost. On the other hand, in a city in the other end of my
area, a plant which was built and which failed to work well for a number of
years, but is now working so well that the Mayor has invited everybody down
for a picnic on the sewage treatment plant grounds. We are all hoping to
go. He held an exhibition there just the other day. But the reason this
plant, and this goes on to some of our problems, the reason this plant has
worked for a number of years and the reason the plants in Boston Harbor have
caused so much trouble is the lack of qualified personnel. I hope that this
is something that your body, Mr. Klashman, can work on in providing properly
trained personnel to operate these plants. It is very hard to get them.
This is an area, it's a business which doesn't have the glamour which some
others do and where, I think, the Federal Government can by proper sponsor-
ship be of great assistance. We finally, Mr. Chairman, have the problems
of our industrial areas. Many of Massachusetts' industries are operating on
a marginal basis. They are under strong competition from the South and we
hope that as regulations are applied against these industries which will
have to clean up their rivers, that they can be equally applied against all
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parts of the country. The water classifications, which were done last year,
I think, are a major start towards this. But, if one industry has to clean
up its water in one part of the country—a paper mill, an oil refinery or
some other industry, be what it may, or even a city where major industry is
carried on has to go to the added expense of cleaning up its water—this
places that city in a competitive disadvantage" with a similar city or
similar industry in some other part of the country. Federal contribution
has been a major source of equalization between the various parts of the
country and the various industries. We hope very much that Federal funds
can continue to come out for this purpose. The Vietnam War and budgetary
constringencies have held us back but this is something that must move
forward. Finally, I will just add that coastal pollution has been caused
in part by private and fishing vessels. This is something in which I have
corresponded with our own director of Natural Resources and I hope, that as
time comes, when the economic time comes when we must put on restrictions
on boats in crowded harbors, that this can be done without too much diffi-
culty. As a yacht owner, I know that the cost of this is considerable. I
also know that I like to swim over the side of my boat and I know many
others do too. The problems in the inner-harbor, in Boston Harbor, are one
thing but the problems in the delightful outer harbors are growing as
marinas become more and more prevalent. So these are our problems that
we are working on solving. I think that Massachusetts can be very proud
of the leadership that has been taken here both by our Federal officials
and by our State. We hope very much that it can be kept going.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Senator Saltonstall, could you wait just one moment. I
think that there are questions.
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MR. PELOQUIN: Could I comment briefly and advise further on the program in which
the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission has on the way
now for training of waste treatment plant operators. We recognize the
problem here and we did initiate a training program in March of this year—
three one-week sessions for operators now in the industry. We have another
session starting next Monday for two weeks and we have another contemplated
for March 1969. Hopefully also, we will be able to establish a long-range
training program to provide trained operators for these new plants which
are now coming along on line and also to help fill the vacancies in exist-
ing plants.
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: That is very encouraging. How many students actually take
part in each of the courses?
MR. PELOQUIN: We put through 94 students in March of this year. For the two
courses we have scheduled now, we have 64 students registered and we aver-
age about 33 students per session.
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: Very encouraging. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Senator Saltonstall, you mentioned the fact that there is a
need for trained operators. We find that one of the problems of attracting
people to this field is that the salary level is such that it is just not
attracting the people that we want. Do you have any thoughts about any-
thing that should be done at the Federal level to solve this problem?
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: Are you suggesting Federal subsidies have operations so
that the salaries can be arranged. Very generous! But I am not sure that
Congress would go along with that.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: I am not suggesting that at all. Some thought has been
given to Federal requirements for operative qualifications. In other words,
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there was introduced into the Congress a part of the bill which provided
that, when a plant receives Federal aid, the plant would have to provide
qualified operators and the operators would have to meet certain qualifi-
cations, and hopefully, this would upgrade the salary level.
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: Well, this is the sort of thing which we try in many areas
of state government here. We do find, however, that if you establish a
flat minimum qualification before the people are available that sometimes
you find an establishment standing idle because the fully qualified person
isn't available and perhaps the partially qualified person is available.
This is sort of a hen and egg proposition. Naturally, nobody is going to
go into the business until the jobs are there. So, we try, I think, or we
can best succeed by bringing the two along together by getting the best
qualified people we can, but not freezing the growth until the people are
available, because then the people don't tend to go in the business until
they know the jobs are there. So a Federal qualification might be reason-
able but it should be sufficiently flexible in the first few years so that,
if we have a plant but can't find the fellow to run it in a fully qualified
manner, we can at least get it going. I think this has been illustrated in
several of our areas in other industries. Say, for instance, in the areas
of mental health, we have highly qualified people but we are actually also
using retarded people to help even more retarded people in some cases and
this is the sort of flexibility that I would suggest to your programs as
well.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: If we could get the support that the mental health programs
have in Massachusetts, we'd be very happy.
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: I suggest you talk to the Commissioner about his budget.
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He is still working on it.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Do I understand correctly that in some cases the State
legislature actually sets the salary levels that can be paid to the opera-
tors at some plants. Isn't that true?
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: You have me there. I know that we have set some salaries
in various professions. There is substantial resistance to it because what
is a good salary in Boston, or a salary that will attract people in Boston,
may be a very high salary in some of our other towns. This is the reason
for resistance to legislative minimums.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: I would suggest, however, that it might be of value to the
legislature to recognize that, for example in New York City, which I don't
think we can compare exactly to Boston, but the minimum salary paid to any
man working in the plant is $8,000 a year. Until we are approaching this,
I don't mean necessarily the $8,000, but until we get up to a level, what-
ever that is in this area, we are going to have problems.
SENATOR SALTONSTALL: Naturally, you have to attract the people. I'll just say
there is an old English expression that came during the Industrial Revolu-
tion "Where there's muck - there's money" and this meant that where there's
air pollution and water pollution somebody is making a lot of money. Now
we might say "muck costs money."
CHAIRMAN KLASW1AN: Thank you very much, Senator. I would now like to call on
Senator Di Carlo.
SENATOR DI CARLO: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I am Representative
Joseph C. Di Carlo of the First Suffolk District and Senator-Elect from
the First Suffolk District which takes in the City of Revere, the Town of
Winthrop and the Town of Saugus, three vital areas which you are concerned
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with, Mr. Chairman, in relation to water pollution in the Greater Boston
Harbor area. Mr. Chairman, before I present my prepared text I would like
to make a few comments or statements on some of the questions that were
asked of Senator Saltonstall. I had either the good fortune or the mis-
fortune of serving for the past nine months as Chairman of the legislative
committee which investigated the Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant in an
attempt to bring about what we considered solutions to the problem at the
time. In regard to some of the comments that were made, I would like to
state the one gentleman made the statement that, I believe, it was the
Federal government or some agency which was setting forth a program of
three one-week sessions in order to prepare certain people as operators of
sewage treatment plants. I might say to you quite candidly and quite
frankly, that you could have thirty one-week sessions and I don't think it
is going to be sufficient. We find that the Deer Island Sewage Treatment
Plant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which is located off the town of
Winthrop, which has now cost this Commonwealth approximately $64 million.
It. is a most sophisticated plant; a very technical plant, and the main
problem that exists there is the fact that we have not been able to acquire
personnel to operate it. And the reason being, number one, that it appears
that the cart was put before the horse and the fact that it is approximately
eight years that plant has been under construction, is not fully operative
at this date right now and one of the problems we have is personnel, and
it is salaries. We find, Mr. Chairman, that number one, the MDC in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which had full jurisdiction over the MDC
plant, in stipulating or in setting some of the pre-requisites for job
qualifications for a plant of this magnitude, the policy or the pre-
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requisites established were much too rigid for people to apply for these
jobs without the proper qualifications. It was only approximately two
months ago that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through its Department
of Administration and Finance and Personnel, established at a cost of
$200,000 a program whereby we were taking men and sending them to Neosho,
Missouri in an attempt to train them for thirty-day periods to come back
as diesel plant operators or electricians or whatever the case may be.
When they went to Missouri to be trained and we took them back to the Deer
Island Sewage Treatment Plant, we find that this plant is operating on a
cycle of twenty-four hours a day. And we are not going to get trained,
technical, skilled personnel to go out and to work in a plant at salaries
that are far below private industry. There is absolutely no doubt about
that. And whether or not it's going to require a subsidy from the Federal
Government or from the State itself in an attempt to attract and to draw
qualified personnel from Deer Island, it is still a question that is un-
answered. And I might say, Mr. Chairman, that already the turnover since
the plant has been in full operation in the last six months, the turnover
is just fantastic. We find that we cannot draw or attract young men to
make a career out of it. The best that we have been able to do is to
attract or to acquire people who are retired. Retired from some phase of
work similar to the operation out at Deer Island, who are drawing salary
on a pension or retirement basis and then to go out and work at Deer Island
as a trained technician for a salary that is so substandard in relation to
what we consider private industry that it is absolutely unbelievable. Mr.
Chairman, I might state that perhaps the greatest experience I've had in
the last four years in serving in public office is my affiliation with the
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investigation of the Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant. Because its im-
pact on recreational facilities, its economic impact on shellfish areas in
the Greater Boston Harbor area has just been tremendous and I might say now,
that although the plant is in operation and it is chlorinated, that the
problem that we have before us is one that sometimes appears to be insur-
mountable, and whether or not a solution is goin.g to come about within the
near future, I am still perplexed and it is still a mystery. Mr. Chairman,
I might state that the shellfish areas of Boston Harbor are classified into
three major categories - approved, restricted and closed. Of these three,
there are approximately 4,500 acres of shellfish area in Boston Harbor,
and of these, approximately 50% presently are closed. They have been
closed by the Massachusetts Public Health Council or Agency, 38% are
restricted which means that the shellfish harvesting that is done within
that 38% area is not to be accepted as edible and 12% of the 4,500 acres
actually remain open. Many of the shellfish areas in Boston Harbor are
subject to sewage pollution from various sources. The major source of
pollution stems from the numerous shoreside combined sewer overflows which
number approximately 90 in the Greater Boston Harbor area. These sources
of pollution have been in existence for many years and will continue to
exist in spite of recent advances and progress made in the treatment of
raw sewage from the Deer Island outfall. Mr. Chairman, presently the Deer
Island Sewage Treatment Plant is pumping a little better than 300,000,000
gallons of sewage per day. Of that 300,000,000 gallons of sewage per day,
I would estimate that now because this plant is operating at perhaps 50%
maximum capacity that we are dumping raw sewage into the Boston Harbor
area which is affecting the entire Boston Harbor area. Action to eliminate
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or to control pollution from the combined sewer overflow must be taken in
order to protect our bathing beaches and to prevent our shellfish from
becoming so contaminated that they can no longer be used for food purposes.
In recent years, Mr. Chairman, since 1960, bathing beaches in Winthrop
Harbor have been closed to bathing because of sewage pollution stemming
from local sources and also from the discharge of raw sewage at Deer
Island. I might say, Mr. Chairman, that in the summer of 1968, the Public
Health Council or the State Public Health Agency came very close to closing
the Revere Beach area itself as a recreational facility and I might say
that on a good weekend, there are as many as a half to one million people
who use that recreational facility. I sometimes think that the Public
Health Council didn't close it but for sheer panic in the minds of people.
This year the Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant was put into operation
and I might say but partial operation. And sewage into the Boston Harbor
has been receiving primary treatment and chlorination. Joint studies con-
ducted by the Town of Winth.rop Health Department and the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health during the 1968 bathing season showed the
bacterial levels in all but two of the Winthrop beaches were somewhat
within the acceptable standards for bathing waters. Consequently, the
beaches were reopened for the first time since 1960. This is a tribute to
the sewage treatment plant and hopefully progress will be made at other
areas, as it must, if man is to continue to use, appreciate and enjoy to
the fullest, the great natural resource of the Boston Harbor estuaries.
Mr. Chairman, I might interject that the edification of this hearing and
f°r a fact that when we consider the Revere Beach area, the Point of Pines
River and the Saugus River, which are tributaries into the Point of Pines
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Harbor, we find that the City of Lynn at the present time, in conjunction
with General Electric, (which abuts the Revere Beach area in the Point of
Pines area) at the present time is pumping raw sewage into that area. I
have spoken with the Mayor of that great city on numerous occasions and
have asked him what is being done about it. I was advised at the time that
it was the Federal government who set about some mandate that by the year
1970 (whether this is fact or not, I don't know), by the year 1970, the
City of Lynn was mandated to submit a report. Yes, a progress report in an
evaluation as to whether or not they were going to be prevented or restric-
ted or prohibited from dumping raw sewage into the Boston Harbor area as
they have been doing for many years. I would only hope again, that I offer
this to you in an attempt that in your study with the result that might
come about that this may be taken as a word of fact and something might be
done with many of the cities and towns, especially a big one or a large one
such as the City of Lynn, in an attempt to prevent them from dumping raw
sewage into our harbors. The problem of sewage pollution is not restricted
to Boston Harbor alone. There are similar problems throughout the numerous
estuaries of the Commonwealth. To name a few, we might mention the Merri-
mack River, Ipswich River, Salem Harbor, the tributaries, Lynn Harbor, the
tributaries, Plymouth Harbor, Great Harbor, the tributaries in Falmouth,
Mount Hope Bay and many others. In these estuaries there are untold
numbers of shellfish which are presently being sacrificed because of direct
sewage pollution and a large number of people are deprived of a valuable
protein source and food supplement, not to mention the numbers of people
who are being deprived of making a livelihood in the shellfish industry.
There is no price that one can put on the aesthetic and recreational value
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of these estuaries. All natural resources which have been despoiled by the
activities of man must be rehabilitated and restored to a condition where
they will once again be beneficial to all and not to a select few only.
Massachusetts must move in this direction and be counted among many other
states which are progressing in the area of water pollution control. It
has been roughly estimated that the value of .a good shellfish-producing
area may be placed at about $25,000 per square acre per year. Using this
figure, the entire Boston Harbor shellfish area would be valued in the
millions of dollars. Presently, the value of shellfish resources in Massa-
chusetts is estimated at somewhere under one million dollars. This will
give us an idea of the economical impact which pollution has made on
shellfish gaming in the Massachusetts area. Let us remember that as impor-
tant as shellfish are in the estuarine environment there are numerous other
forms of life which depend on this resource for existence. The young of
most coastal fish species live in the marshes and very shallow waters along
the edges of bays and tidal rivers, where they find protection and food.
Scarcity of fish in certain areas has been attributed to pollution and the
general disruption of coastal areas. In consideration of the many facets
involved in the ecology of an estuary, management practices to best provide
for the development and protection of our resources must originate at all
levels of government, including Federal, state and local. Mr. Chairman,
I would only hope that perhaps my presence or humble offering of some fact
or experience that I have had in the last nine months in direct relation
to this, I would only hope that for the sake of the many people who are
appearing here this morning, that with all due credit to you and your
department in the Federal government, that this does not become but another
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study that will land somewhere on a shelf and at the conclusion o£ it that
you or some Public Health agency may say, "We've added further facts to
the problem at hand but now what is going to be done about it?" I think
by the mere fact that this hearing is in existence this morning by your
presence here that we now at both Federal, State, and I would hope in local
government, recognize this problem and in the very near future bring about
some type of solution for all of the facts that have been presented here
which are detrimental. As I said both economically, recreationally and in
every other phase that it affects. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you, Senator Di Carlo. I'd like to clarify the pur-
pose of this hearing, which is to collect information which the Congress
of the United States can use in developing legislation for the protection
of our estuaries. Do you have any questions?
(there were none.)
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: I would like to introduce Mr. Zabriskie who is representing
Mr. Yasi from the Department of Natural Resources and Mr. Al Peloquin from
the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. Senator
Di Carlo, I'd like to just make an observation and perhaps a question to
you. You mentioned that the salary levels were inadequate to attract
proper people and that possibly a State or Federal subsidy is necessary
for the MDC plant. Why can't the MDC plant provide funds from user
charges to pay whatever salaries they need. Why must they be subsidized?
SENATOR DI CARLO: I might say, Mr. Chairman, that perhaps the basic problem
that exists here is the fact that all of the job titles and positions at
the MDC sewage plant now are under Civil Service. Perhaps we might say
that this is a subject in itself for total reorganization of salary upgrad-
-------
ing of Civil Service. But we find, for example, that a diesel operator at
the Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant who must meet the prerequisites or,
that which has been written by the MDC for job qualifications, starts at
a salary, 40 hours, at approximately $97 to $111 per week. We find that an
electrician starts at a salary under Civil Service, and one who must again
meet the prerequisite so established, of from approximately $111 to $122 a
week. Now I think that any person today could draw the conclusion very
easily that a trained technician, a diesel operator or an electrician who
has this kind of skill is not going to go to work under Civil Service
whether it be security, fringe benefits or whatever else may go for it for
a salary of this nature. Especially where he may be working on a rotating
shift of eight hours days, an eight hour midnight shift and an eight hour
graveyard shift, and especially, at a plant where again, perhaps the cart
was put before the horse, at a plant whose location has no public means of
transportation.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Do you mean that the Civil Service system in Massachusetts
is so inflexible that it is impossible to accommodate this type of situa-
tion? I know that, for example, in the Federal government, when there is
a situation of the sort you mentioned, it is possible for the Civil Service
Commission to reevaluate the salary schedule and to adjust it so that it
is competitive. Isn't that possible?
1ENATOR DI CARK): No. It couldn't be done under the Civil Service form. The
only system we established that could be considered flexible was the fact
that certain people were employed on what we consider a provisional basis.
Provisional, therefore, you might say, bypassing the Civil Service require-
ments. But this provisional basis states that a man would go to work for
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perhaps 90 days or for six months and then at the end of that six months,
if, for example, that job qualification were not there or a grade salary
was not made appetizing to him and at the end of six months he could be
removed or displaced from the job. Therefore no security. This was about
the only means that we have.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Do you mean that the State Legislature is unable to do any-
thing about straightening this out? I mean they have the power, don't
they?
SENATOR DI CARLO: We have the power to do that, Sir, but it would take a revis-
ing of the entire program. Under our present Civil Service form if a
certain job qualification states that he would be hired under a Grade 9 in
one department, then he cannot be hired at a higher salary to fill a job
rated as Grade 9 at the Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Has there been any thought about the need or the possibility
of a separate personnel system for the MDC plant?
SENATOR DI CARLO: This is precisely, Mr. Chairman, what is being considered by
the Commissioner of Administration and Finance and the Commissioner of the
MDC. We would hope that this might be possible.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: You mean that they would propose this to the legislature?
SENATOR DI CARLO: That we would propose that in the ensuing legislative year.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: That is very hopeful. Thank you very much.
SENATOR DI CARLO: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: I would now like to call on Mrs. Nelson R. Saphir represent-
ing James R. Mclntyre, the Mayor of Quincy. Am I pronouncing your name
properly?
MRS. SAPHIR: It's close. It's spelled S-a-p-h-i-r, but pronounced like
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sapphire.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you, Mrs. Saphir.
MRS. NELSON R. SAPHIR: The City of Quincy, Massachusetts is extremely proud of
its historical past, its outstanding contribution to the shipbuilding in-
dustry and fortunately we have become aware of our vast contribution to
future generations through our valuable natural asset, the estuarine areas.
We once thought the ocean regime seemed to halt at our shores, but
within the past few years we have become aware of a vital process, without
the aid of man, which continues until it reaches the fresh water. Quincy
is rich in these areas.
The City of Quincy is located south of the City of Boston and shore-
ward of the Boston Harbor Islands. Four years ago this city with its 26
miles of uneven shoreline had over 500 acres of live unspoiled salt marsh
supplying nutrients to the estuaries so beneficial to marine life in the
ocean. Three rivers, three bays, many brooks and creeks drain the inlands
from the Charles River via the Neponset River to Dorchester Bay. The Fore
and Town Rivers drain the vast Blue Hill Reservation. If the pollution can
be cleaned these estuarines will return to their full productive capacity
being twenty times more productive than inland farmland.
It is my opinion, that everyone in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
should become greatly concerned about the protection of these natural
resources if a balance of nature and the process of growth are to continue.
Enclosed is a detailed report of the estuarines surrounding the City
of Quincy which I hope will be of assistance in your study of this area.
There are approximately 75,000 acres of watershed in the Neponset
River basin which is located north of the city and drains Mother Brook,
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the East Canton Branch River, many creeks and salt marshes including Mont-
clair Marshes, the Charles and Neponset Rivers and empties into Dorchester
Bay.
Pollution comes from four sources:
1. Industrial wastes located above the Town of Milton.
2. Sewage overflow from over-used and outdated leaching beds
in Foxboro at the State Hospital.
3. Indiscriminating fill placed by thoughtless residents or
industry.
4. Residue from oil products.
A dam located in Milton however screens some of this silt and the pollution
disappears drastically.
Recommendations for this area should include:
1. Industrial waste controls
2. Sewage correction
3. Education to all concerned
4. Proper regular inspection and maintenance of the entire
river.
The watershed basin of the Neponset River abutting salt marshes and
estuaries, has immense value for recreation, it is a flood plain district
and has tremendous proven value to marine life in Dorchester Bay by a
study recently completed by marine biologists. (Jerome, 1968).
Town River located south of Broad Meadows is the drainage basin for
elevations in South Quincy quarries abutting the Blue Hills and empties
into the Town River Bay.
This river is not polluted from upstream however, oil residue from
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nearby oil farms on the shoreline is a tremendous problem at times.
The Fore River is the southerly boundary of the city into which the
Town River empties.
Pollution comes from three sources:
1. Oil spillage from tankers docking with occasional accidents
to hoses.
2. Carelessness of owners of pleasure craft depositing sewage
overboard.
3. Indiscriminate filling by residents.
Dorchester Bay lies shoreward of the Boston Harbor. The pollution,
as far as this city is involved would come from the Neponset River.
Quincy Bay lies between the drumlin of Squantum and Nut Island. It
drains many creeks in the salt marshes and also the West Quincy Hills via
the unpolluted Furnace Brook and Black's Creek. The pollution of Quincy
Bay does not come from inland sources but is contaminated by some sewage
systems and inadequate facilities, and due to change in water currents.
Very little oil problem in this bay.
Town River Bay drains into the Fore River. Pollution does not come
from inland drainage but is contaminated by tankers at the oil farms,
improper disposal of pleasure craft refuse and sewage.
Numerous estuaries are located within the 26 miles of uneven shoreline
of Quincy which contribute to the value of the foreshores containing much
shellfish with varying degrees of contamination but nevertheless having
much greater potential value economically if the pollution was stopped.
In 1965 it was reported, a potential of $550,000 annually from shellfish
in the Dorchester Bay area and in 1966 it was reported a potential of
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$100,000 in the Quincy Bay area. Of course both of these areas are now
worth much more due to the loss of many acres of marshland for development-
Value of the estuary: Aesthetically: One must remember that there
are 26 states in the country with the uniqueness of salt marshes and estu-
aries. This priceless heritage should be cherished, enjoyed and apprecia-
ted- It is more valuable than the Grand Canyon or the Taj Mahal for it is
a living biological complex which can supply future generations with food.
The value of an estuary for recreation and for teaching is priceless be-
cause of its multiple use, i.e., swimming, fishing and shellfish popula-
tion.
The best use of our estuaries would be to leave them alone without
the aid of man, allow this valuable natural resource to accomplish its
reason for being there, to supply food for the food chain.
It is my opinion that such a valuable natural non-renewable resource
should have state and Federal protection as any other non-renewable re-
source with laws strictly enforced to insure the proper management of
the tidal system.
Recommendat ions:
1. A program of education. At once.
2. State and Federal acquisition or protection at once.
3. Proper regular inspection and maintenance of rivers and
estuaries.
4. More strict regulations on oil spillage with higher penalties
for accidents. Instigate a research program for clean up of
oil spillage (thickening agent such as a gelatin to remove
oil in solid form).
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5. Inspection and investigation of sewage disposal facilities
of the cities and towns.
a. Education and enforcement of present laws of yachtsmen
and small boat owners.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Are there any other representatives or elected officials?
If not, I would like to very quickly before the group read some telegrams
and letters that we've received. We have written statements which have
been promised or are already in our hands. Copies of these, I hope, will
be made available to you sometime in the future if you have registered.
From the Conservation Foundation, Mr. C. W. Foster, who was formerly
Commissioner of Natural Resources in Massachusetts, and the New Bedford
Standard Times. I have a telegram here from Senator Brooke which I would
like to read to you very quickly.
SENATOR EDWARD W. BROOKE: Gentlemen: Although I am unable to be present at
this vital meeting on estuarine preservation, let me assure you that I am
deeply concerned over the results of the study now being conducted by the
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration.
You are all no doubt aware of the significance of our threatened
estuaries. I am increasingly distressed to hear of more and more destruc-
tion of these wetlands by the introduction of sewage, pesticides, and
indiscriminate dredging. The blame for this full-scale pollution rests
equally on Federal agencies, private industry, State and municipal govern-
ments, and real estate promoters.
The estuarine resources of Massachusetts yield the Commonwealth over
$2,000,000 worth of shellfish each year and also provide an essential stage
in the life cycle of many commercially valued fish. In addition, these
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areas add to the enjoyment of an estimated 35,000 people who shellfish each
year in the Bay State.
We cannot stand by while these valuable resources are destroyed for
no other reason than to satisfy man's immediate needs. We must plan for
the future now.
My best wishes for a productive meeting which I hope will yield many
positive solutions to this threatening problem. I look forward to receiv-
ing a transcript of your proceedings. Sincerely, Edward W. Brooke.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: We have a letter from Congressman Bates which Mr. Pahren
will read. Congressman Bates also sent us a telegram alerting us to the
fact that he was sending this to us.
(Letter read by Mr. Pahren)
CONGRESSMAN BATES: Dear Mr. Klashman: At the suggestion of the Office of
Estuarine Studies, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, I am
addressing this letter to you in the hope that it will be received in time
for inclusion in the record of the public meeting to be held on Tuesday,
October 8, 1968, in the Charter Room of the New England Life Building,
Boston, concerning estuarine preservation and development problems as part
of the National Estuarine Pollution Study. I understand that you are pre-
siding at this meeting.
First of all, I would like to endorse strongly the inclusion of the
Merrimack River Estuary in this study. The pollution problems posed by the
Merrimack are well known, and the effects of this pollution in the river's
estuary are vitally important and merit all possible attention as part of
the overall efforts to solve these problems.
Possibly less familiar to you and your associates is a second estuary
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pollution problem of long standing in my Congressional District. The North
River in Salem and Peabody has posed a pollution and odor problem for over
50 years, and it is hoped that plans now being pressed by the South Essex
Sewerage District, serving Salem, Peabody, Beverly and Danvers, will ulti-
mately resolve a major portion of this problem. These plans call for a new
interceptor sewer from Peabody into Salem and a new sewage treatment plant
at Salem, with financial assistance by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration.
However, it has recently been pointed out to me by Mr. Thomas C.
McMahon, Director of the Division of Water Pollution Control, Massachusetts
Department of Natural Resources, as follows:
"Unfortunately for the residents in the area who are aggrieved by the
odors, even after the North River Interceptor has been installed the odors
could continue to persist. While the flooding of that portion of the Har-
bor might alleviate the situation, there still exists the possibility of
sulphide gases bubbling up through the water causing obnoxious odors. This
has occurred in the Mystic Lakes and in the Charles River Basin. It is
possible that the only long-term solution may be the dredging of the area
and the installation of a dam. Before any large sums of money are expended,
there should be a complete evaluation of the cause and means of permanently
eliminating the problem."
The area to which Mr. McMahon refers is primarily the flats at the
mouth of the North River where it joins the Danvers River at Beverly Harbor.
The condition exists throughout the North River estuary, and particularly
the Salem shore of Beverly Harbor, when the tide is out. Swimming is
banned and boating is impaired by this condition, and the odor from the
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polluted flats of the river and its estuary is extremely obnoxious to
residents over a wide area. Resolution of this problem potentially has
broad economic as well as health and aesthetic values.
It is my hope, therefore, that the National Estuarine Pollution Study
may include the estuarine zone of the North River with a view toward aiding
in achieving the permanent solution to the pollution and odor problems which
local, state and federal sources are so desirous of effecting.
Thanking you for your consideration of these matters, and with best
wishes for success in our region's portion of the National Estuarine
Pollution Study, I am Sincerely yours, William H. Bates.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: A telegram now from Maurice A. Donahue, President of the
Massachusetts Senate.
(Telegram read by Mr. Klashman)
SENATOR DONAHUE: Many thanks for your thoughtful invitation to attend your very
worthwhile meeting. However, campaign commitments in western Massachusetts
prevent my being with you in person. Certainly the impact of pollution on
coastal and estuarine waters deserves our continuing attention and effective
action. Be assured of my keen interest in this subject and my availability
to be of assistance when possible. Again, many thanks for inviting me to
be with you. Sincerely, Maurice A. Donahue President of the Massachusetts
Senate.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: I would now like to call on Dr. Dean Bumpus of the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution. How long is your statement?
DR. BUMPUS: Very short, Sir.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Would you please come up, then.
DR. BUMPUS: Mr. Chairman, I have three points. Speaking of pollution I would
-------
like to say a few points about it. It is not all bad. The addition of
nutrient chemicals certainly is beneficial to the growth of shellfish and
other marine animals. On the other hand, manufactured wastes are seldom
if ever beneficial. However, prior to the release of red acid, iron acid
wastes off New York Harbor—there was a great hue and cry that this would
be terrible for the sport fishing. Now if the National Lead Company stops
emptying lead acid wastes a few miles off Sandy Hook, there would be an-
other hue and cry because the acid ground is one of the best fishing areas
off the eastern coast of the United States. Certainly the nutrient chem-
icals have been most beneficial. Nutrients, that is, from the human
wastes, or at least from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, are said to be
beneficial for oyster production. Frankly, I like the oysters from Cotuit
rather than Chesapeake Bay, but each to his own choice.
We are currently being faced with the problems of thermal pollution.
These big power plants are said to be going to introduce an increase in
the temperature. How much, those who made the calculation know better than
I. How much of this is really pollution? How much temperature can lob-
sters, shellfish and other plants and animals tolerate? We really don't
know. We know that lobsters with suitable aeration can grow at much high-
er temperatures than the 70 degrees which seems to be the usual temperature,
that certainly fishermen who have been bringing up lobsters from the deep
bottom of the ocean up to the surface from beyond the 100 fathom line have
had difficulty in transplanting lobsters in the summer time. But George
Vandenberg down at Great South Bay and the people down at Vineyard Haven,
in their lobster hatchery there, have found the lobsters tolerate much
higher temperatures than 70 degrees. I certainly would like to state that
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we need more careful evaluation as to the good and bad effects of pollution.
My second point might be to paraphrase the remark about the moon and
the deep ocean, and that is, we know a lot more about the deep ocean than
we do about our coastal waters. Our coastal waters have maximum tempera-
ture ranges, maximum ranges in salinity, in oxygen, in nutrients; and the
characteristics vary largely from place to place. There certainly needs
to be a lot more research into the physical and chemical characteristics
of our estuarine waters. I would think that the Commission certainly
should commence some means of indexing what is already known to see that
this is on file in some common source such as the National Oceanographic
Data Center, or whereever the need for this information is available, be-
cause those people who are faced with the problems of thermal pollution
need to know in detail what is the annual cycle of temperature at a given
location. We really don't know in adequate detail enough to really evalu-
ate what the effect the power plant is going to be. There is a big indus-
try for Irish Moss right down here where there is going to be a new power
plant. What kind of a temperature range can Irish Moss tolerate? Is
this power plant going to ruin any industry or isn't it? I think this is
the kind of thing that we can find out very quickly.
My third point, Sir, is that the Massachusetts Association for Marine
Science, which is a group of New England colleges, Massachusetts colleges,
are beginning to file courses in oceanography into their curriculum.
Oceanography doesn't have to be an expensive science. I am sure that at
the next meeting of this group which will occur early next month, we are
going to be able to show the leaders in these colleges and universities
how they can go to work to help you solve some of your problems in Boston
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Whalers with students and the usual laboratory techniques. I think there is
hope, very definite hope, that you can get some assistance for these people
and also include the educational aspects of this program which is recognized
as well. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Dr. Bumpus, is that Dean Bumpus?
DR. BUMPUS: That is my first name.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Do you have any questions, gentlemen? I would just like to
ask you a question relating to this statement of yours that the dumping of
the acid waste in the New York Bight is beneficial to the fishery there?
We took testimony from a number of people and we had conflicting evidence.
I have fished there myself so I am aware of the fact that there are fish
and very good fishing, but there was some indication the fish were tainted.
The problem that you speak of, of course, is much greater than just the
acid mine dumping. Do you have any thoughts about the idea of dumping
industrial and organic wastes in the sea? Is it safe in your opinion to
dump them ten miles off the coast?
DR. BUMPUS: Moran Towboat called me a couple of months ago and were hoping to
contract with a city near New York to carry several thousand tons of domes-
tic and all kinds of rubbish out to sea every week or so. How far should
they go? They suggested they might go as far as Hudson Canyon. And I said,
"If your skipper can bring back a fathometer record that he has been to
100 fathoms each trip, it's probably not a bad idea. But six miles off
shore...how the people on the coast of New Jersey can swim, I don't know.
I think you can dump some things into the sea. Yes.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: But the problem that I raise to you again, if we indiscrim-
inately continue to dump, with our growing population on the earth, isn't
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there a danger that we are going to start destroying some of the fishery
areas?
DR. BUMPUS: It depends on where you dump, how much and what you dump. You
certainly can't dump indiscriminately, I agree.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Well, how do you determine? What is happening now is that
Moran says to you can they dump ten miles off shore?
DR. BUMPUS: No, not ten miles off shore. The head of the Hudson Canyon. I
said if he can go to 100 fathoms, and that's nearer 80 miles off shore,
near the Texas Towers. That would not be in an area that is presently
fished. It is not an area where we know of any potential fish source.
There are lobsters both north and south of this. But it is going to be
expensive.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Would it be unreasonable to require people to go off the
shelf with toxic material?
DR. BUMPUS: Not at all. I would think it would be most hazardous to dump toxic
materials on the continental shelf.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Now how do you tie this into your...off the shelf you mean?
DR. BUMPUS: Yes, Sir. No, it would be most hazardous to dump toxic materials
on the shelf.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Yes, I said it should go off the shelf.
DR. BUMPUS: Correct.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: How do you tie this with your thoughts that the acid lead
dumping is...
DR. BUMPUS: Well, before they did it, I certainly thought that this was not
a palatable thing to do, and certainly the sports fishermen along the
New York-New Jersey coast were very vociferous about this. I understand
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today, that they are just about as vociferous in favor of it. I think
again, this could use more evaluation. This is the first time I heard of
fish being tainted.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: This was about ten years ago that we had a hearing on this,
and as a result of this we have been taking a very careful look at any
request.
DR. BUMPUS: Frankly, I think its a little close.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, sir. Before I call on the next speaker,
I would like to introduce Mayor Francis Collins from Salem. Is he here?
I am glad you're here with us, Mayor Collins. Is there someone representing
Senator Moakley here? We just wanted to recognize that the Senator was
represented. I would now like to call on Mr. David Mofenson, who is the
Democratic nominee from the Thirteenth Middlesex District. Mr. Mofenson,
do you have a prepared statement?
MR. DAVID MOFENSON: Yes, I do.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: You'll be able to leave a copy with us?
MR. MOFENSON: Well, I suppose I could.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you.
MR. MOFENSON: I am David Mofenson, Democratic candidate for State Representa-
tive from the Thirteenth Middlesex District, Newton.
I thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak here this morn-
ing.
We in Newton recognize the historical importance of the Charles River.
Like it does to many other cities and towns, it cuts through the heart of
our city, and has given to us much of its rich legacy. One of our main
streets, Quinebequin Road, is named after the Indian name of the Charles
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River. It means "winding river." Where quiet residential areas are today,
Indians hunted and roamed through the woods. From the banks of the Charles,
they caught their fish. In every way, the river was part of their lives.
They asked much of the river, and it gave much. The river was their sus-
tenance, but take from it as they did, the river was passed on to us,
unspoiled. We are all mindful, today, of how that rich legacy has been
dissipated, how the present has betrayed a great and transquil past. Into
the Charles, stretched as it does through 307 square miles which make up
the watershed, we have dumped our junk, spread our debris, spewed out our
wastes. It is somewhat akin to dumping rubbish in the streets—only we
dump it into the river. Today, in many areas along the Charles, picnickers
can no longer eat by its beautiful banks. Swimmers can no longer swim and
wildlife is not as plentiful as it was. Here where there is unparalleled
opportunity for vision, we have tolerated blindness. Here where there is
potential for undreamed of grandeur, the grandeur of old has been de-
spoiled. This river can enhance everything it touches. To do so, it needs
the respect that it is owed. The river has great recreational potential.
It can be a haven for boating, for picnicking, swimming, fishing, wildlife,
hiking. It can be landscaped, its beauty can be enhanced, its banks made
more accessible. It has been said by the Charles River Valley Group
League of Women Voters that "....quite apart from active recreation, the
Charles River can increase its value to people as a place to work, to
study and to live." This river can be an asset to real estate values but
it can be more than that. It can improve the quality of our lives. It
is truly one of our most important continuing responsibilities. I urge
that necessary treatment works be installed as quickly as possible. I
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urge coordinated and concentrated action be taken now. I urge better con-
trol of land use, better and more waste disposal and treatment plants. I
urge more inter-town cooperation. I urge that our dedication to this task
be renewed now. Only in this way can this river be restored to its former
greatness. Only in this way can we remain true to our heritage. Thank you
very much.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much. Did you say you had a prepared state-
ment?
MR. MOFENSON: I will prepare one.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you. Do you have any questions?
I am now going to call on Mr. Irwin Alperin and following him we are
going to hear from Mr. Morgan of the Audubon Society and then from Mrs.
Bates from the League of Women Voters. While Mr. Alperin is coming up,
Mr. Zabriskie, do you have three of your division chiefs here? Would you
mind introducing them?
MR. ZABRISKIE: Mr. Chairman, members of the panel, on behalf of the Department
of Natural Resources, Commissioner Yasi, His Excellency the Governor, we
are pleased to participate in this program. It's very vital and necessary
and it's a continuing thing. This morning representing the Department -
Mr. Alperin, who is an Assistant Director of the Division of Marine Fish-
eries, Director and Chief Engineer, Charles Kennedy from the Division of
Water Resources is present; and Thomas McMahon, Director of Water Pollution
Control has his representative present here this morning. They are to my
right. Mr. Kennedy and the representative from the Water Pollution Control,
will you stand and be recognized.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much. Do you have a prepared statement?
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MR. IRWIN M. ALPERIN: Yes I do, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: May we have it when you are through?
MR. ALPERIN: It's a brief statement. I may preface this by saying that the
publications that I have reference to here have been made available to the
Water Pollution Control Administration and to the public and other agencies
that are interested in this type of work.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much.
MR. ALPERIN: The Division of Marine Fisheries of the Department of Natural
Resources has an almost proprietary interest in the estuaries and estuarine
areas of the Commonwealth. In January 1963 a preliminary report on the
coastal wetlands was published, Senate #635, a report of the Department of
Natural Resources relative to the coastal wetlands of the Commonwealth and
certain shellfish grants. The report pointed out in general terms the value
and importance of these areas and the need to protect them. A year later,
in January 1964, the Division of Marine Fisheries produced a more definitive
report, Senate #855, reported to the Department of Natural Resources rela-
tive to the coastal wetlands in the Commonwealth. The report documented
key values of the coastal wetlands, denoted priority of marginal areas and
suggested a number of ways of safeguarding estuarine areas, including the
need for pollution abatement.
In June 1963 the Division began an estuarine research program to study
and evaluate the marine resources of selected estuaries and coastal bays of
the Commonwealth. To date, fourteen such areas have been investigated.
Within each area, the status of the past and present fisheries has been
delineated and an evaluation of the physical, chemical and biotic character-
istics of the ecosystem has been made. The areas in which this Division
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has worked, and the status of each report, is listed below.
There are five published reports: The Study of the Marine Resources
of the Merrimack River Estuary, The Study of the Marine Resources of the
North River, The Study of the Marine Resources of putney Bay, The Study of
the Marine Resources of Beverly-Salem Harbor, and The Study of the Marine
Resources of Pleasant Bay.
We have, in addition, two reports in press: The Study of the Marine
Resources of the Westport River, and The Study of the Marine Resources of
the Parker River-Plum Island Sound Estuary.
In addition, two manuscripts are in the process of being written:
The Study of the Marine Resources of Waquoit Bay, and The Study of the
Marine Resources of Annisquam River-Gloucester Harbor Coastal System.
The field work has been completed and preliminary reports prepared on two
additional areas: The Study of the Marine Resources of the Wareham River
Estuary, and The Study of the Marine Resources of the Plymouth-Kingston-
Duxbury Harbor.
Field work has been completed on an additional area in preparation
for The Study on the Marine Resources of Dorchester Bay.
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In addition to that, our estuary teams are now out doing field work in
two different areas for a Study of the Marine Resources of Welfleet Harbor
and finally The Study of the Marine Resources of Lynn Harbor.
Each of these reports touches on pollution and its effects, both
direct and indirect, on marine resources within the described area.
Recommendations frequently include measures for pollution abatement.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, sir. Are there any questions?
MR. PAHREN: I have a question, Mr. Alperin. Based on your studies of the
estuaries of Massachusetts, do you have any views on what system of manage-
ment might be best to protect estuaries for the future?
MR. ALPERIN: Well, we have been working, actually in Massachusetts, at a system
that enlists local aid, we have state jurisdiction in some areas, we have
within the framework of the law under which the Division works, the estuary
protection acts. I think that our general opinion would be that it has to
be a combination. That no agency does it alone. It has to be state,
federal and local participation. I think that our studies at this point,
really, have the most definitive collection of information that any state
has on its estuaries, perhaps there may be one or two individual places in
the United States that have been studied in more detail, because we have
so many estuaries that we wanted to gather some information about, we have
undertaken this inventory by spending only a year in each area. Actually,
those people who are familiar with it know that the estuaries are so com-
plex they probably could spend ten years in a place and not have the total
information, but we feel that this input can then be used by other agencies,
other agencies in our own department and by the Federal agencies in coming
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up with comprehensive management practices for individual estuaries.
MR. PAHREN: Do you believe that the system of zoning or some other arrangement
is necessary?
MR. ALPERIN: I don't think we have come to this conclusion yet. But I should
envision that this is a possible way of approaching it. I think what is
more important though, is those estuaries that are relatively unspoiled
and have a minimum of pollution or other interferences in their natural
systems, must be protected in their entirety right now. Because I think
that they represent things that will not exist much longer, particularly
in the industrialized area.
MR. ZABRISKIE: Mr. Chairman, if I may. We have many acts in the Commonwealth
within the past six to eight years that makes Massachusetts a leader in
conservation. We have the so called Chapter 13027A, the so called Jones
Act, that makes it mandatory that developers along our coastal estuaries,
along our shores, that is, land in the tidal waters of the Commonwealth
apply through the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Public
Works and the local towns on any alteration of these lands. This is going
on now. We also have Chapter 768 of the Acts of 1965 which provides that
the Department of Natural Resources go along the coastline of the Common-
wealth and set down, if you will, zoning restrictions. This is to restrict
the use of the land mass along the coastal area of the Commonwealth. At
Castle Point, town of Ipswich, the Department of Natural Resources held a
public hearing and restricted the use of 3,700 acres of estuaries or coast-
al wetlands. This is a matter of fact. It's recorded with the Salem
Registry of Deeds. We have in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, again
Mr. Chairman, at my last count, 274 conservation commissions. And to say
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that we have a pipeline from the local communities to the Department of
Natural Resources and other State departments would be putting it mildly.
Very vocal, very active - and the results of all this is that the Executive
Department, through his Excellency the Governor, the legislative body in
Massachusetts are kept informed. These are non-partisan issues and the
proof is in the pudding. Also the law enforcement takes its part. At the
present time, the Attorney General makes at least three and sometimes ten
of his assistant attorneys general available to the Department of Natural
Resources, almost on a daily basis. So the laws are there, and they are
being put in effect. However, in carrying out the programs, it's the wise
use and the wise delivery of these programs that are so important. If a
city or town on the coastal areas of the Commonwealth does not move in this
respect, the Commonwealth has the right, in fact, has a mandate of the Leg-
islature to proceed. We are doing just that now. In fact in acquiring
land in these estuaries, last year there was an amount appropriated by the
General Court of $700,000 and every dime of that $700,000 was spent and
spent wisely. The General Court in the last session in Massachusetts
appropriated $1 million for the next twelve-month period and spelled out
legislation culminating in new state programs. In keeping with the U. S.
Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, we have very active
and vital programs. Also on the Federal level, the Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
will expend $2,200,000 within the next ten months. Again, the criteria
from the Federal government is that 2/3 of these funds be spent for land
acquisition, 1/3 in development and the standards, or the priorities by
our plan. As far as recreation (or state wide plan of recreation), water
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oriented recreation has top priority. So Mr. Chairman, rather than spell
off some notes that I have here, I think it would be much better for me
just to sit and receive and hopefully interject a thought once in a while.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much. I would now like to call on Mr. Mor-
gan. Mr. Morgan is the Vice President-Treasurer of the Massachusetts
Audubon Society. As you know, we are limiting the statements to ten min-
utes. Mr. Morgan, however, is also going to speak for the Massachusetts
Conservation League, is that correct?
MR. ALLEN H. MORGAN: The Council, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Morgan.
MR. MORGAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I hope I won't take all of the
time that is allotted to me. I have a series of slides. It has been sug-
gested that it might be well to set the tone with some actual photographs
of these areas in Massachusetts. Do you want to see those now?
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Yes, we would like to. We could run through them. While
he is getting ready, I have a letter from a Henry D. Russell which I would
like to read to you.
MR. HENRY D. RUSSELL: As a marine biologist, I consider that the value of our
estuaries is almost inestimable and begins with the marshes along its
banks. These produce the rich nutrients that initiate the food chains
from protozoans and diatoms to Crustacea that feed on them to small, and
later, larger fish forming our coastal and offshore fisheries. They are
also extremely valuable as:
1. Brood areas for larval forms of fin fish and shellfish
in the broad sense.
2. For growing areas for these young forms until they join
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the adult populations.
3. As resting, feeding, and brood-rearing areas for shore birds
and waterfowl while migrating or not.
4. As human outdoor recreational areas for boating, swimming,
water-skiing, etc.
5. As aesthetically beautiful, spirit-refreshing sources and
artistic inspiration.
6. As coastal protection from storms for shipping and yachting.
For these reasons, I feel that our coastal estuaries are a priceless
heritage that should be carefully guarded and passed on as natural a form
as possible to future generations for their use and enjoyment. Respect-
fully submitted, Henry D. Russell, PhD-
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Go ahead, Mr. Morgan.
MR. MORGAN: Thank you very much. We can have the lights out. It might be
well, although most of us I am sure are very well familiar with the coast
of Massachusetts. I thought I would run through quickly a series of color
slides showing some representative areas of Massachusetts coastline. The
coast of Massachusetts is a popular place through every season of the year.
(Mr. Morgan shows slides).
To invite a Massachusetts naturalist to comment upon the values and
abuses of Massachusetts estuaries lays one open to a potentially endless
harangue. There are whole books written upon the subject and skeins of
salt marsh'and estuary use and abuse thread through thousands of histories
and novels dealing with early Massachusetts. It is not our intention at
this time to create another lengthy tome. We would, however, call the
hearing officers' attention to a few fragmentary highlights of the
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Commonwealth's estuarine record.
An anthropologist skilled at removing the romanticized history that
overlays our Pilgrims and Puritans would correctly classify those early
settlers as "estuarine peoples" and identify their early modes of survival
as "an estuarine culture." They settled where rivers join the sea. They
harvested salt grass for scores of uses, ranging from roofing for their
homes to bedding for their cattle. Like the Indians whose estuarine culture
they were replacing, the early settlers depended heavily upon the finfish
and shellfish they found both plentiful and easily-reachable in the estuary.
As Francis Higginson, who sailed from England in 1629 to become Salem's
first pastor, commented in his "New-England Plantation": "The abundance of
seafish are almost beyond believing, and sure I should scarce have believed
it except I had seen it with my own eyes abundance of lobsters and the
least boy in the plantation may both catch and eat what he will of them.
For my own part I was soon cloyed with them, they were so great and fat
and luscious...Also here is abundance of herring, turbot, sturgeon, cusks,
haddock, mullets, eels, crabs, mussels and oysters."
Thomas Morton in his "New England Canaan" of 1634 gave a lengthy
account of innumerable finfish that abounded near Mount Wollaston, now
part of the Quincy Bay shore, and said of shellfish: "There are great
store of the oysters in the entrances of all rivers....Clams is a shall-
fish....These our swine feed upon and of them there is no want..."
To speak of ancient and sketchy records may seem irrelevant to a
hearing in 1968. These fragments from the past do, however, establish the
potential of estuaries. They offer assurance to this hearing that those
who would restore some degree of health to the estuaries are dealing not
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with fantasy but with material things that have existed. It offers a
measurement of how far we have traveled from home base.
One can find in Massachusetts far more recent records of shellfish
abundance in the estuaries. For instance, in 1903 some 125 men were em-
ployed the year-round in Newburyport digging and shucking clams. A report
in a Newburyport newspaper of January 31, 1903, stated that an average of
725 gallons of shucked clams were shipped each day from Newburyport to
Boston. At that period the American Express Company had four teams and
drivers picking up the daily clam harvest at Newburyport and another team
serving the nearby Salisbury flats.
Within the memory of living men a sizable steam fleet harvested
oysters off the southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island estuaries.
It is not our purpose to condone over-exploitation of shellfish. We
mention these examples merely to illustrate what the potential has been,
and continued to be, until recent years.
Today, 90 per cent of the shellfish beds from Boston north to the New
Hampshire line are contaminated by human sewage and industrial waste—much
of it disgustingly so. In fact, we often have suggested publicly that a
few of these tidal cesspools may be an open menace to human health.
Today, oysters in Massachusetts exist mainly in fond memory. The
production of oysters along Cape Cod has declined 82 per cent in the past
fifty years'.
Agencies concerned with estuarine pollution will find available in
Massachusetts several excellent and recent documents that have resulted
from extensive research carried out by the State Division of Marine
Resources. We recommend that extracts be made for the record from "A Study
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of the Marine Resources of the Merrlmack River Estuary" (Massachusetts
Department of Natural Resources Monograph No. 1: June, 1965); "A Study of
the Marine Resources of Quincy Bay" (Massachusetts Department of Natural
Resources Monograph No. 2: March, 1966), and "A Study of the Marine
Resources of the North River" (Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources
Monograph No. 3: May, 1966).
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has passed laws curtailing the
physical destruction of salt marshes by dredging and filling. These laws
will have little more reality than poetry unless strong measures are taken
to halt sewage, industrial and chemical pollution that unquestionably are
killing the estuaries that the marshes border. Where the river meets the
sea, all the abuses of the river become stacked. The old idea that instant
dilution occurred in the estuary has become a myth that one's own nose can
dispel in many estuaries.
The introduction of chemical poisons into estuarine areas has cut
levels of productivity. Research has shown that a concentration of .007
parts per million of DDT will reduce the growth rate of oysters to one-half
normal in ninety-six hours. Endrin at .0006 parts per million will cause
death or paralysis of fifty per cent of a shrimp population exposed for
twenty-four hours.
These are just two examples of the catastrophic potential inherent in
the accumulation of commercial poisons—and all evidence points to the fact
that pesticide levels are reaching critical thresholds in many Massachusetts
coastal areas. Pesticides, like solid wastes, are injected into the
coastal environment both directly and indirectly. Persistent chemicals
applied to a roadside or a farm field are often carried to estuarine areas
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by runoff, wind drift, or in the bodies of living things that utilize
coastal waters in their life-cycles. These same chemicals are often used
in salt marsh mosquito control operations and so-called "weed-control"
programs in coastal wetlands.
In the matter of hard pesticides, Massachusetts has made recent
progress. Most mosquito-control operations in this state today avoid hard
pesticides. It would be wise to ban hard pesticides in estuaries as a
federal policy. A dramatic example of recovery, or apparent recovery from
hard pesticides, is the Westport River of southeastern Massachusetts, a
tidal river that has such a limited watershed that it might be classified
as an estuary rather than a river. Three summers ago, Massachusetts
banned the use of hard pesticides in the Westport watershed because the
once-large osprey population along the river was near extirpation. This
/
summer for the first time, the ospreys have shown signs of recovery. From
48 eggs, 30 ospreys hatched and 22 survived to fledging. In 1965, 40 eggs
hatched into nine young, only five of which were known survivors. In 1966,
52 eggs hatched nine young, five of which were known to survive. In 1967,
30 eggs produced eight young, six of which survived. So, it would appear
that the astonishing hatch of 30 young and 22 survivors in the past summer
indicates a dramatic reversal—a reversal which may be attributed to saner
pesticide policy in the watershed.
The case against hard pesticides has been well presented and we
needn't utilize this forum for its enumeration. Let it suffice to say that
persistent pesticides are polluting our estuarine areas significantly.
It is logical to assume that further research must be undertaken to
seek a better understanding of our estuaries. But we have learned enough
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already to know that these areas are vitally significant. Of immediate need
are more comprehensive legal means to halt degradation. This is not an easy
task. There are many who would stand in the way. But we have always felt
that a long-term consideration such as the future productivity of our New
England coast, holds precedence over the short-term interests of a few
individuals who would hasten the destruction of our estuaries for personal
gain.
The National Estuarine System concept has merit if it will guarantee
absolute protection for the areas of concern. We have seen protective
legislation in the past which crumbled to dust under a burden of "excep-
tions" and "allowances." This type of legislation does more harm than
good.
A sound system on a national level could be the most effective guard-
ian against needless filling, dredging and depletion of estuarine areas.
But what of pollution? Certainly, any comprehensive program would
have to protect estuaries from dumping and direct sewage input. We feel
that a good program should also place controls on the use of persistent
chemicals on or near protected estuarine waters.
These measures would take giant steps toward insuring the continued
productivity of our estuaries but the ultimate answer lies even beyond the
narrow strip of coast land. It is found inland at every factory which
flushes raw effluent into a river, at every municipal sewage outlet, with
every citizen who chooses dangerous pesticides over safe ones. Until these
abuses are controlled, our estuaries, indeed our entire environment, will
never be secure from further loss of quality through pollution.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Morgan. Do you have any questions?
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MR. PAHREN: Yes, I have one. Mr. Morgan you indicated that there is a need to
protect the estuaries in the future through adequate legislation. Based on
your experience with estuaries, what system of management would you recom-
mend to the Congress to protect not only Massachusetts estuaries but all
the estuaries of the country? Do you have any thoughts on that?
MR. MORGAN: The only thought I have is a very negative one. I've had virtually
no experience in drafting legislation and what little experience I've had
in watching some legislative acts in process convinced me that it is a
terribly difficult thing to draft adequate legislation. And because the
impact on an estuary can be so far removed from the estuary itself, I
frankly don't know. I think it is a tremendously complex task. You take
the Newburyport River estuary, it receives pollutants from the headwaters
of the Merrimack River a good many miles away. I have no specific recom-
mendations relative to legislation because I don't feel this is within my
area of competence.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Are there any other questions? As I told you before, Mr.
Morgan, when I read your statement, I think it reads like poetry. I would
now like to call on Mrs. Bates from the League of Women Voters. Mrs. Bates,
(Mrs. Roger Walke read statement for Mrs. Bates.)
MRS. WALKE: Mr. Chairman, we thank you for the opportunity to speak. Mrs.
Bates is sorry but she had to leave. I am Mrs. Roger Walke, Chairman of
the Water Resources
MRS. HOWELL A. BATES: I am Mrs. Howell A. Bates, president of the League of
Women Voters of Massachusetts, representing 13,000 members in 100 local
leagues in more than 130 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The League
of Women Voters has been concerned with the problem of the pollution and
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conservation of water since 1956. Many of our members live or vacation in
estuarine areas. All of our members, through study on national, state, and
local levels, are aware of the necessity of protecting our water resources.
The League of Women Voters has been in the lead in informing the public of
the problems and in supporting sound legislation that would bring a better
supply of clean water.
While we do not speak as technical experts in hydrology, we are aware
of the dilemmas posed by the apparently conflicting claims of conservation,
industry, and human need. I use the word "apparently" advisedly. For
example, tourism, the number two industry in Massachusetts, presents us
with a dichotomy. Dredging and filling projects to provide waterfront real
estate; roads, parking areas, private and commercial boat basins, sandy
bathing beaches, and mosquito control bring immediate satisfaction to those
who are involved with the tourist trade, while at the same time the damage
over the years can result in the loss of the very attractions which brought
tourists to our state in the first place.
We are also aware of the effect on our fishing industry, both commer-
cial and recreational, of dredging, landfill, and the use of rivers as sewer
lines to the sea. We know that estuarine areas are a natural hatchery for
fish, as well as a natural habitat for waterfowl and other game. We know
that the loss of even one estuary is not only irretrievable, but places
stress on other areas.
We take pride and gratification in the knowledge that Massachusetts
has taken a lead among coastal states in protecting its miles of coastline
and estuaries. A scientific study by the Massachusetts Department of
Natural Resources, combined with strong support from citizens and legisla-
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tors, resulted in the passage in 1963 of the Coastal Wetlands Act, which
requires "proper notification to local and state licensing agencies by
petitioners seeking to alter shoreline areas; the holding of a local hear-
ing on such proposed projects." In 1965 a supplementary act was passed
which gave the Department of Natural Resources additional authority by
providing for state acquisition by eminent domain and for compensation to
the owner.
The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts respectfully recommends to
this committee that it include in its final report, as a model for other
states, a study of the legislative steps that this Commonwealth has taken
to protect and preserve its water resources. In addition, recognizing that
a proliferation of agencies leads to confusion and inefficiency, we would
also like to recommend that this committee examine the desirability of
regional zoning in coastal areas, interstate cooperation with built-in
methods of compliance and enforcement and the addition of trained conserva-
tionists and biologists to the personnel of licensing agencies.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much. Are there any questions?
MR. PAHREN: I would like to find out some information on your last paragraph
where you recommended that we look into the legislation Massachusetts has
taken. Mrs. Walke, we have a public administration case study under way,
whereby we would get the information that went into the passage of the
legislation in Massachusetts and this, hopefully, will be used as a model
for other states in their legislation. So we are happy that you pointed
this out to us.
MRS. WALKE: Thank you very much.
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CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you again. Dr. Moore, Assistant Professor, Salem State
College.
DR. JOHNES K. MOORE: My name is Johnes K. Moore, I am Assistant Professor of
Biology at Salem State College and I am an academic chief trainer and
oceanographer.
This statement will be limited to pointing out a potentially important
study project available in the coastal waters around Salem, Massachusetts.
One important source of potential pollution is that emanating from
electrical power generating plants in the form of thermal effluent. Virtu-
ally all conventional and nuclear-powered electric generating plants are
located on rivers or estuaries where there is a good source of water which
is used to cool their condensers. The water, thus heated, is generally
discharged back into the environment and forms what is called "thermal
effluent". This water is generally free of pollutants of the kind normally
associated with the word, but is several degrees warmer than the ambient
water temperature.
There has been considerable attention paid in the past two years to t:K«'
possible effects of this warmer water on the immediate environment and its
biological components. Some of these effects have been shown to be detri-
mental; whereas, some have actually benefitted the local environment.
In Salem Harbor there exists a major generating plant of the New Eng-
land Power Company which pumps a large amount of warm water into the harbor
daily. This is not a new situation, nor is it one of which the public is
unaware. Nor is it apt to disturb many biological regimes in the adjacent
harbor where raw sewage from industry and home has been dumped since the
days of the sailing ships.
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I am suggesting that this warm water could be viewed in itself as a
resource. It takes a considerable amount of energy to heat water, because
of its high specific heat. To release it carelessly to the environment may
be a foolish waste.
It just so happens that no more than 500 yards from this generating
plant lies the Cat Cove marine research facility presently being built by
the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries, which will be joined hopefully in
the future by a joint marine facility of the State Colleges. The interest-
ing and pertinent thing about Cat Cove is that it is essentially a multi-
acre impoundment separated from the harbor by a concrete and stone dam
through which tidal water passes by means of control gates.
It would seem entirely feasible from an engineering point of view to
direct at least some of the warm effluent from the generating plant's con-
densers into the impoundment in order to raise the ambient temperature of
the pool. With some relatively simple control features, a constant temper-
ature could be maintained in the pool on a year-round basis.
My interest in a temperature-controlled impoundment is not one
of year-round recreation. Rather, I see an incredibly useful device for
broad scale experimentation in what is popularly called "aquiculture" or
"mariculture". The commercially important shellfish species of the State
require relatively warm temperatures in order to spawn and the growth of
adults is almost entirely limited to the warm summer months. By being able
to manipulate the temperature of the water beyond small laboratory-sized
experiments, we would be taking a major step toward developing successful
aquicultural techniques which many of us feel are going to be of such
importance to this country and the world in the years to come.
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The Division of Marine Fisheries of the Department of Natural Resources
has shown great insight in planning their laboratory to do just this sort
of large scale experimentation within the Cat Cove impoundment; but, I must
add, with no more temperature control than what imprisoning the tides can
achieve.. If there has been serious consideration of using the warm water
effluent from the generating plant, it is not apparent.
I suggest that the National Estuarine Pollution Study urge such warm
water producers as the New England Power Company to work closely with the
appropriate State fish and game and agriculture groups to see if such
cooperative arrangements might be practical to both sides; with construc-
tive steps toward developing marine resources being the public's gain,
and the enhancement of their public image being the utility's gain. Such
cooperation between public utilities and research institutions is not new
and is being considered and even accomplished in several instances. . That
ends my prepared statement, Mr. Chairman) if I may direct my attention to
one other point. And that is, I would like to say a word about the import-
ance of each ecological principle here. In our talks about sewage treatment
plants, I think it is frequently ignored. For example, Winthrop Harbor's
problem is with the hydrogen sulfide. Perhaps it will not be solved with
sufficient operations of the sewage treatment plant, simply because these
treatment plants do not remove the nutrients. By this I mean the phos-
phates and nitrates on which plant matter is so highly dependent. And so
I would like just to enter a plea here for public education—in ecology
especially; ecology in its most sophisticated term. Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Are there any questions? I would now like to call on Dr.
Harleman of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Harleman, do you
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have a prepared statement?
DR. DONALD HARLEMAN: No, I'll give you one later.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Fine. Thank you very much.
DR. HARLEMAN: I appreciate the opportunity to speak as a representative of MIT
in order to express our interest and technical cooperation and education in
the local and national level in the areas of pollution control technology,
especially those associated with the estuary and coastal areas. I am a
professor in civil engineering and associated with the hydrodynamics and
water resources division of that department and in charge of research and
teaching in the water quality area. In terms of the stated purpose of this
conference, I would like the record to show that the University research
grant program of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration has, in
my opinion, been one of the most effective programs in advancing our ability
to deal with pollution problems. This program, as many of you know, was
initiated many years ago under the Public Health Service and a few years
ago, upon the formation of the FWPCA, was transferred to that organization.
I would urge the Congress to continue to support, hopefully at increasing
levels, this type of university research program. Many of you may not
realize that I think you get double-duty for funds appropriated under this
program because not only is useful research accomplished, (and I think I
can attest to the fact that useful research in terms of application has been
accomplished under this program, obviously not only at MIT but at many other
universities), but a£ the same time funds provide the mechanisms of attract-
ing engineers into this field of technology and especially at the graduate
level where today there are many funds available and there is a degree of
competition for graduate students. It is important to have programs which
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attract people into the areas that they wish to build up so that while the
research is being accomplished we are also providing the means for advanced
education and increased numbers of engineers trained in this area. MIT, in
particular, has had a long history of education and research in the field of
pollution. During the past ten years, the emphasis has shifted somewhat
from what previously was treatment plant technology to what might now be
called disposal technology. In other words we are actively engaged in
developing analytical techniques for styling the fate and effects of dis-
charge into rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal areas. This is important,
I feel, and I don't mean to diminish the importance of treatment plant
technology but a great many other universities are doing an excellent job
in the area and only about a few are doing very much in the area of dis-
posal technology and I think only by demonstrating quantitatively the
effects of increasing treatment, that is, if you increase the treatment from
a 60% level of organic removal to 80 or 90% level, (we have, I think, the
technology to do this) but in order to accomplish the expenditure of funds
to do this we have to show what the effect will be upon the river, estuary,
or coastal area. And it is this area in which we are currently devoting a
great deal of attention. At the present time, one of our research programs
supported by the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration is studying
the fate of pollutants discharging in the Potomac and James River Estuary,
both of which are tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. These areas were chosen
because a large amount of good field data is available in order to test
the analytical techniques. We're using high speed computer technology to
solve the complete momentum and mass balance equations for chemical organic
pollutants and dissolved oxygen. In order to give a description of the
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water quality parameters, the variation of dissolved oxygen along the estu-
ary as a function of time and distance in the tidal cycle, for multiple
interpolations and by this means we hope to show that if one area is
improved in organic removal, what effect will this have in other areas and
how can you justify the cost and expenditure. Previous methods of dealing
with these complex estuary problems have generally ignored the tidal motion
and considered only the net fresh water flow through the estuary, and these
are clearly not adequate for the complex, multiple point, flux problems
that we have to treat today. In terms of local problems, briefly, this
summer a group at MIT began to study the effect of population development
in Boston Harbor, the effects of increase population level of filling some
of the areas between some of the smaller islands and what this might do to
the pollution problems in the harbor. Also this summer we have just comple-
ted an experimental study of heated water discharge from the proposed Pil-
grim nuclear power plant of the Boston Edison Company on Cape Cod Bay just
south of Plymouth. Here we have gone upon previous FWPCA basic research
dealing with the control by the proper engineering design of heat and water
outlets. We know how to produce the effect of scaling the water on the
surface, deposit it in a thin layer where you can produce a high degree of
heat dissipation to the atmosphere. We know how to mix it, produce rela-
tively lower temperatures involving more of the water. These techniques
are available from an engineering design standpoint and, as other speakers
have mentioned, it's up to the biologist to indicate in certain areas
which are the most desirable means to minimize the effects. The previous
speaker mentioned aquaculture. One of my graduate students is also looking
into the utilization of thermal effluents from the Millstone plant in
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Connecticut for increasing the yield of scallops, this in connection with
a group at Woods Hole who are interested in this subject also.
A number of years ago we assisted in the design of the new Mystic
River dam, created the Mystic River basin and proposed the new Charles
River dam expressly for the purpose of reducing the amount of saline water
intrusion into the basin as a result of boats operating through the locks.
I think one of the important existing problems in the Charles River
is the present very large locks which are inefficiently used for small
boat operations and the fairly large amount of salt water which comes
into the bay and forms a stagnant pool at the bottom creating sludge de-
posits and odors. In conclusion again I would like to express not only
our appreciation but our active support of the very effective research
program of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration.
CHAIBMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Professor Harleman. We'll look forward
to getting a prepared statement from you within the next couple of weeks.
Are there any questions? I would now like to call on Mr. LaRoque. Mr.
La Roque, how long is your statement?
MR. RA0L K. LA BDQUE: Quite brief, sir.
CHAISMAN KLASHMAN: What is it, about five minutes? Is it one page? Thank you.
Do you have a copy of that for us?
MR. LA BtNJUEs In a book entitled "The Big Water Fight", published by the
Stephen Greene Press, and sponsored by the League of Women Voters, is the
following statement, "It must never be forgotten that water is a political
problem."
Water pollution presents many avenues worthy of deep exploration.
However, when one talks about a system of management, or control, he is
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talking about politics.
My own experience in this area involves an attempt by the New North
River Association, a citizens group based in Salem, Massachusetts, to
eliminate pollution in the North River, a situation which has grown increas-
ingly worse since the late 19th century.
The River has long been a popular issue for political office seekers
in the area. Regrettably, until this year, the winners have not taken
positive steps toward providing a cure. Without dwelling on the activities
of the New North River Association, it should be stated that a vigorous
promotional campaign has taken place during the past eight months, aimed
at Government officials. The use of signs, floats, radio messages, news-
paper articles, and a petition to Congress bearing some 13,000 signatures,
did finally create a stir of meaningful activity.
However, it is often the political activity itself which becomes most
difficult for a community with a pollution problem. There is an inability
among officials from different political levels to work together towards a
common goal.
It is an inability born of natural and understandable jealousies and
suspicions which seem to be an inherent part of American political life.
City, state, and federal officials tend to go their own way, using their
own staffs and agencies, and the results are often expensive duplications
of effort which produce a multitude of differing opinions on how a project
might be handled.
In the case of Salem's North River, the efforts of our Association
have been largely responsible for several recent meetings and exchanges of
correspondence among office holders at the various levels. We have even
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gone so far as to have our own engineering team draw up its own proposal
for a temporary solution and we have submitted it to all interested
parties.
The sadness lies in the knowledge that it was necessary for private
citizens to take such a stand, and that political self-interest could, for
almost one hundred years, prevent a sensible and economical solution. If
pollution problems are to be solved through political channels, a way must
be found to bring our many Government bodies together in a unique unity.
It is important for a local official to know how much financial help he
might expect from State and Federal Government. It is equally important
for State and Federal officials to understand and sympathize with the needs
of local officials, for the local official is closest to the wishes of the
people in his own community or neighborhood.
Perhaps our political system has become so complicated that concentra-
ted citizen action is the only alternative. However, as the New North River
Association continues its efforts to eliminate one of the worst, and oldest,
pollution problems in this part of the United States, we hope to discover a
practical formula which will serve as a guide for other communities inter-
ested in developing and protecting estuarine resources.
In the near future, we believe that we will be able to supply the
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration with detailed and pertinent
opinions on the management aspect of water pollution. Yours very truly,
Hew North River Association, Paul K. La Roqiie, Communications Director.
KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. La Roque. Are there any questions?
I should now like to call on Gerald F. O'Leary, Boston City Councilman.
You are also a member of the General Court, aren't you, Mr. O'Leary?
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MR. GERALD F. O'LEARY: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ladies and gentlemen,
my remarks will be very brief. I prepared no official remarks. I will
submit some suggestions to the committee in writing. I would like to say
this. I just want to make you and the people in the audience aware of what
avenues in the local and state areas are available and, in particular, in
the city area. I filed an order and it has been passed in the city council
and the Mayor will appoint a body of members to this committee to work and
develop a comprehensive plan for the harbor and the islands with a view
toward proper industrial and recreational use of this great asset, in my
opinion and the opinion of many, probably the State's greatest natural
asset. We need a well-rounded approach to the problem and we are going to
solicit all the help that we possibly can from civic and local groups,
scientific groups, city groups and state and federal groups so that we can
for once, as a previous speaker mentioned, try to coordinate all our acti-
vities along intelligent lines so that we will have a full enjoyment and
proper usage of the harbor and also correction cost of any municipal mis-
uses of polluting the harbor and a positive program in that direction.
I'll just make that statement so that if anybody here would like to assist
or feel that they can bring any information that would be helpful to this
committee, I would appreciate it if you would get in touch with me. I
would like to say that the committee will work in full cooperation with an*
^*P
group and with you gentlemen here.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, sir. I would like tp make an announce-.
ment, Mr. Mario Boschette Oh, he's left. He had a telephone call*
I would now like to call on Mr. John Lebourveau, New England Electric
System. Do you have a prepared statement?
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MR. JOHN W. LEBOURVEAU: Yes, and I have given copies to the secretary.
Mr. Chairman, my name is John W. Lebourveau. I am employed by New
England Electric System as Environmental Engineer.
New England Electric System is a major electric and gas utility organ-
ization serving 250 communities in New England. We have a specific interest
in estuarine zones based on the operation of generating stations at Salem,
Lynn, and Somerset, Massachusetts. In addition, we own transmission and
distribution facilities constructed in coastal areas.
We of the electric utility industry have a more general interest in
estuarine zones because we recognize the advantages which these lands and
waters offer to our communities. Most of our larger coastal towns in
Massachusetts are located on estuaries because of the harbors which are
found there. The appeal of the sea has caused the development of fine
communities all along the coast. The future offers the prospect of new
economic developments based on oceanography, commercial sea farms, and
extraction of chemicals from sea water. All of these factors may contri-
bute to the development of our service areas, and hence to the market for
electric power.
We have reviewed the legislation which authorized this present study
and which specifically defined the major content of the report which will
be forthcoming. One of these requirements is a set^of "recommendations
for a comprehensive national program for the preservation, study, use, and
development of estuaries of the Nation, and the respective responsibilities
which should be assumed by Federal, State, and local governments and by
public and private interests." (Section 5, g, 3, c of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act).
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It is our opinion that the problems of estuarine zones cannot be sep-
arated from the problems of other lands and waters. As we review federal
and state legislation on this subject we are impressed with the extensive
body of public policy which has already been defined by legislation and the
activities of government agencies.
In 1899 Congress became concerned with debris which was accumulating
in harbors. In addition, control was established over dredging, disposal
of dredged material, and the filling of harbor areas which might affect
shipping. Within the past year or two, the considerations for issue of
permits for dredging, etc., have included the effects on fish and wildlife,
conservation, pollution, and the general public interest.
National policy very early recognized the unique values of certain
seashore areas for historic, recreational, esthetic values and for the
preservation of wildlife. Within the National Park Program we find that
New England was the site of the first National Park east of the Mississippi
River with the establishment of Acadia National Park in 1919. Recently
the Cape Cod National Seashore was established in 1961 and includes certain
estuarine zones. This legislation goes as far as requiring local zoning
ordinances to be approved by the Secretary of Interior to see that they are
consistent with the terms of the Act establishing the Seashore. As recent-
ly as August of this year the passage of HR25, now Public Law 90-454, has
provided for establishment of Estuarine Areas, presumably following the
thinking of Seashore Areas and other Park Areas.
The protection of shellfish from pollution, particularly as a result
of deposition of dredged material, was established in 1905.
The control over pollution of waters themselves, with the exceptions
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mentioned above, was largely considered a state responsibility until about
twenty years ago. In 1948 the Public Health Service was authorized to pro-
vide support and aid to the states, particularly in research. In 1956 the
Surgeon General was directed to prepare a program for eliminating or reduc-
ing water pollution and to establish enforcement proceedings. This was soon
followed by a grant program to encourage the construction of sewage treat-
ment facilities.
In 1966 the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration was estab-
lished in the Department of Interior. At this time a major effort was
begun by the definition of standards by states. These standards are now
in process of approval by the Secretary of Interior. This will be followed
by remedial measures to control existing pollution and a permit system to
limit discharges from new sources in the future.
On the basis of this record, therefore, it is evident that Congress
has recognized the problems of pollut;on, has assigned responsibilities,
and has appropriated funds to carry out these programs.
Here in Massachusetts our state legislature has a particularly fine
tradition of concern over our estuarine waters and related land areas. It
appears that an act was passed in 1788 which protected the migration of
anadratnous fish into the Mystic River. This act limited the construction
of dams and other obstructions to fish passage.
In 1899 we find a court case where a canal company was required to pay
damages to oyster fisheries as a result of the improper deposition of
dredged material.
Our State Department of Public Health was established in 1869 and
was recognized throughout the country as a pioneer in development of sewage
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treatment facilities. It continues to carry out extensive programs in
inspection of shellfish areas, in the monitoring of radioactivity in marine
waters as well as inland waters, and the regulation of dumps which frequent-
ly pollute both land and water areas of estuaries if not properly managed.
In 1966 the Department of Natural Resources was given general auth-
ority over water pollution control in the Commonwealth. Our industry
participated in hearings which dealt with the classification of coastal
waters. We are following the new procedures which call for permits in
connection with generating stations or other facilities discharging to
tidal waters.
We are particularly proud of the Wetlands Control legislation which
controls the utilizing of marsh areas and is intended to protect the
biological and esthetic values therein. This control was established over
salt marshes in 1963 and over inland wetlands in 1967.
Time does not permit a complete enumeration of the activities of our
state government. We can only mention in passing that local communities
have been active in this respect also.
Perhaps the persons in your organization who are charged with writing
the final report would find in Massachusetts an example of what a deter-
mined people can do to control their environment.
We in the electric utility industry support this concern for the
estuaries. We make this statement with full appreciation that additional
generating stations will be required and that many of these will be on the
seacoast. With proper coordination, with detailed engineering and biolog-
ical studies to determine how to best fit each facility into its particular
environment, a balancing of values will result which will be in the public
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interest.
In summary, there is already a body of public policy established
which can be used to protect and manage estuarine areas. By the granting
of permits, by the establishment of standards, the various government
agencies can implement the long range planning each is required to perform.
Public hearings, such as this, will focus the public interest on specific
problems. Numerous coordinating agencies already exist which can promote
an interchange of ideas between specialized groups. Public law 90-454
referred to above already requires all federal agencies to consider the
value of estuaries. In addition, state and local subdivisions are encour-
aged to consider estuaries in their application for federal funds.
We believe that coordination and adequate funding of existing programs
is the most effective means of protecting and developing our estuarine
areas .
MR. PAHREN: Thank you very much, sir. Do you have any questions, Mr. Peloquin?
MR. PELOQUIN: No. questions.
MR ZABRISKIE: Mr. Chairman, I would like to state for the record that the
gentlemen representing the utilities, that the cooperation we have received
from them (from the utilities) and associated industries has been commend-
able as a gentleman so stated because of their activities has brought about
the legislation we have on the books and we respectfully request, in fact
we insist on their future cooperation.
MR. PAHREN: Thank you, sir. The next speaker will be Mr. Henry Lyman. He is
with the Salt Water Sportsman and also associated with the New England
Aquarium.
KLASHMAN: I understand that you will be speaking for both.
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MR. HENRY LYMAN: Yes, Mr. Chairman, I am wearing two hats. I will speak first
as Vice-President of the New England Aquarium Corporation, and if I may,
rather than presenting the two papers that I have here, I would like to
make a brief summary on them.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Fine, and you will put them in the record.
MR. LYMAN: The copies have already been filed with your assistant.
(Statement by Henry Lyman, Publisher, SALTWATER SPORTSMAN.)
Recreational marine fishing has become a major coastal industry with
8,305,000 anglers spending approximately $799,656,000 in the year 1965,
according to the National Survey of Hunting and Fishing. (Resource
Publication #27). Of these totals, about 1,530,000 fishermen spent
$121,283,000 in the New England and coastal New York areas and captured
316,360,000 pounds of fish by their efforts (Resource Publication #67).
If their catches were worth 40 cents a pound in the round, they more than
got their bait back!
The rate of growth of this sport fishing activity has been about 7%
a year in the past decade. Thus the expenditure in 1968 by sport fisher-
men in the New England-New York coastal area was roughly $148,500,000.
These figures do not include capital outlays by the sportsmen themselves,
such as purchase of boats, nor such outlays by those who provide services
hotel and motel owners and the like. Suffice it to say that the value of
marine angling is tremendous as far as local coastal economy is concerned.
In Massachusetts alone, it is a major contributing factor to the tourism
industry, which stands second in importance on the Bay State's industrial
list.
All species of sport fish are dependent upon the estuarine environment
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to some degree for spawning, nursery or feeding grounds. Although the
exact values have been argued for years by ecologists and economists, all
agree that the water acreage and supporting wetlands of the estuaries pro-
vide a substantial amount of the total fishery population and, therefore,
of the cash value of that population.
Pollution of these estuaries destroys both aquatic life and subsequent.
dollar yield. To place a dollar value on aesthetics and on relief from the
strains of living in this present high speed world through relaxation by
angling is even more difficult than trying to place an exact value on fin-
fish produced by any given estuary. To one hanging on the edge of a ner-
vous breakdown and anticipating a ream of doctor and hospital bills, the
value is incalculable.
Pollution in one form or another has destroyed countless acres of
estuarine environment in the past decade -- and the destruction continues.
The exact acreage can be computed when a section of coastal marsh is
drained or filled. It cannot be accurately computed when the pollution has
a cumulative effect, as in the case of modern pesticides, nor, at present,
when eggs or juvenile specimens of fish are destroyed while adults remain
comparatively unharmed.
In point of fact, the definition of pollution is an extremely diffi-
cult one to pinpoint. Raw sewage in small quantities flowing into a
biologically barren estuary may actually benefit aquatic life. This same
pollutant added to an estuary already overburdened with it may destroy
aquatic life. Therefore research into the possibilities of beneficial
transfer of pollutants from one area to another should be accelerated.
This can best be done under leadership of a federal agency.
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Whatever uses are to be made of coastal zones in the future, there
is no question that recreational uses will increase. Longer life expec-
tancy of our citizens, more leisure time, higher per capita income and a
constant seeking of escape from the high pressures of modern life are
forcing people towards the sea and its bordering land areas. Unquestion-
ably many estuarine areas will be zoned for a variety of uses just as land
areas are zoned today in a well planned community. The estuarine zoning
should be done by local communities, which have a day to day contact with
the situation prevailing, but basic standards should be set by State and
perhaps even Federal Governments.
Increase in recreational boating itself presents a problem with
respect to pollution by trash and raw sewage. At present, this problem has
been thoroughly confounded by establishment of some State criteria and by
proposals of what appears to be more lenient federal criteria. Those work-
ing on this problem should communicate more closely to establish workable,
economically possible regulations which could be accepted by the boating
community. Sound federal leadership through a single agency is required.
The Federal Government should continue to establish basic water qua-
lity standards wi.th regard to estuarine river pollution, but such establish-
ment should be expanded to include the estuaries themselves. Conflicting
rulings from various agencies have caused confusion simply because there
has been poor inter-agency communication. The standards should come from
a single federal source and then, if desired, may be made more stringent
by State and local action.
Costs for controlling pollution are high and, for the most part, are
too great to be borne entirely by individuals, private industries or
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smaller governmental divisions. Federal relief in the form of direct
financial support should be concentrated on basic overall research and
method. Oth^r support should come through tax relief, with those cooper-
ating in pollution control receiving the greatest financial reward.
Definite deadlines for establishment of pollution control at the
local level should be set by State and Federal Governments. If the
polluter fails to act prior to such a deadline, he should be taxed at a
rate based upon the gallons per day of the pollutant discharged. Prece-
dent for such action may be found in the sewer use tax imposed by many
communities.
Accelerated research in the legal and economic fields should also
be conducted by the Federal Government. In many coastal areas, legal
responsibilities are vague at best and economic pressures by local
polluters overshadow all other values. Model laws and regulations should
be provided as guidelines. These guidelines should be flexible so that,
when advances are made in techniques of pollution control, they could be
modified.
Long-term monitoring programs for detection of pollution in any form
and in determining effects of such pollution should be accelerated.
Financing should be done at the federal level working in cooperation with
the States involved. Long-term approaches should always be kept in mind
even though short-term action may be required to clean up a particular
problem. Thus an underwater project for the recovery of gold might
adversely affect a local fishery temporarily, but, after mining had been
completed, the fishery might be improved due to over-turning of ocean
floor nutrients.
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In brief, the Federal Government, working through a single agency,
should take the lead in establishing workable, basic criteria for pollution
control; should finance, directly or indirectly, efforts for this control;
should reward financially those who cooperate, and penalize those who do
not.
******
(Statement by Henry Lyman representing The New England Aquarium.)
Estuaries and lagoons with their marsh or mudflat fillings consti-
tute 80-90 percent of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Coasts and 10-20
percent of the West Coast of the United States. The estuarine habitat
is, however, being drastically altered by man so that those portions
suitable for wildlife have shrunk by about 7 percent in the last 20 years.
The estuarine environment with its associated salt marshes is of
prime recreational and esthetic value; it acts as a buffer zone between
sea and land during storms and has potential as marine shore park land.
Since Americans will spend an increasing amount of time in leisure
activities as the years go by, it is desirable that the widest possible
range of recreational environment be available. In New England this is
of particular interest as recreation is our second largest source of
income.
Estuaries and salt marshes are among the most productive areas on
earth. For example, the net annual production of phytoplankton of Long
Island Sound is about 36,000 Ib./acre while by contrast good Iowa farm
land will produce only about 2,700 Ib. shelled hybrid corn per acre per
year. In terms of animal production the annual yields of estuaries and
good farm land are about equal at roughly 800 Ib./acre. However, when
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aquacultural methods are employed the yield of animal matter from estuaries
can be boosted as high as 52,000 to 270,000 Ib./acre.
The importance of the estuarine environment in the production of
shellfish is well known. However, not as well appreciated by the general
public is the necessity of this environment as a nursery ground for many
species of commercial and sport fish. A case in point is that of the
striped bass. The main nursery ground of this species is Chesapeake Bay;
from there the fish migrate North in Summer to the waters off New England.
The success of the New England fishery is thus dependent on estuarine
conditions in the Middle Atlantic States.
The fact that the prosperity of our marine fisheries is related to
the integrity of our salt marshes, long known by biologists, achieved its
first legal recognition on March 9, 1964 when Massachusetts Judge Horace
T. Cahill ruled that Broad Marsh is a salt marsh necessary to preserve and
protect marine fisheries. This historic decision elevated the status of
salt marshes above that of wasteland. Since then further progress has
been made in the legal battle to save the estuaries and salt marshes in
other states.
These legal decisions have, however, been made only at the State
and not on the Federal level. Because wildlife in its migrations takes
no regard of man-drawn lines on maps it is essential that the Federal
Government or a multistate agency should play a role in the conservation
of the estuarine environment in the public interest. Given the present
headlong destruction of estuaries as fish habitat, it may well be that the
great estuarine habitat to the South, upon which New England fisheries
depend, may disappear in the absence of Federal or multistate control.
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The precedent for this control has already been set in the management of
rivers that flow through or are bordered by more than one state in their
path to the sea. The effective management of marine resources, of which
pollution control is but a part, would seem to require an integrated
approach by all agencies whose activities impinge on the marine environ-
ment up and down the coast.
The necessity of the estuary in the life cycles of many marine
animals is well understood; also well understood are many of the grosser
effects of pollution. For example, the overloading of an estuary with
excessive quantities of wastes high in suspended solids and BOD will
predictably cause a nuisance and disastrous results to fish and inverte-
brate populations. However, some wastes, particularly sewage, are also
a source of nutrients and their carefully controlled release into the
estuarine environment could lead to beneficial results in the form of
enhanced productivity. So called thermal pollution, where the tempera-
ture of the environment is raised by the dumping of cooling water, may
also have beneficial results, in particular by raising growth rates of
organisms in Winter when growth often slows to a standstill. It would
seem that the controlled release of sewage and thermal effluents might
have value as aquacultural methods as has already been shown in one or
two isolated cases.
New compounds are constantly being produced by the chemical industry.
Many of these eventually find their way into the natural environment
where they may or may not be readily broken down. A group of compounds in
the latter class are the chlorinated hydrocarbons, many of which are ex-
tensively used as insecticides. One such substance is DDT; this compound
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tends to concentrate in the Eats of organisms and, as it passes along food
chains, builds up to ever increasing levels in the tissues of animals of
the higher trophic levels, even to the extent of causing breeding failure
or outright mortality. No one knows the ultimate effects of these types
of chemical pollutants.
Pollution may take other forms--dredging operations in which bottom
sediments are disturbed result in the production of huge clouds of sus-
pended matter, which must eventually settle and in doing so may destroy
valuable oyster beds or other important habitat. — Oil well drilling
operations may release crude oil or concentrated brines to the environment
with possible harmful effects. Concentrated brines may also pose a pollu-
tion problem when desalination becomes widespread. Estuarine pollution
should be defined to include all nuisance-producing activities of man in
the estuarine environment. It is proposed that pollution and its control,
in the broadest sense of these terms, be placed under constant investiga-
tion and that the many Universities and other concerned Institutions in
the New England area be stimulated and encouraged to develop appropriate
research programs.
The New England States have led the country with their programs of
estuarine and salt marsh conservation. These states have matchless edu-
cational institutions and research and development industries. New Eng-
land should be a model for the rest of the country in water pollution
control and provide the nexus of investment opportunity in pollution
based industry.
The New England Aquarium recommends that:
1. The estuarine environment be conserved with a view
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to its importance to fisheries, recreational
opportunities and potential uses in aquaculture.
2. Because pollutional events taking place in an
estuary may affect fisheries and recreation
hundreds of miles distant and several states
removed, arrangements must be made to have an
immediate exchange of information and greater
communication between the appropriate agencies
along the coast.
3. The Federal Government should support the investi-
gation of aquacultural methods in pollution control,
in an effort to harness the nutrients in wastes
and make them productive.
4. The Federal Government should establish uniform
standards for the conservation of water resources.
It must encourage the individual states to partici-
pate in this so that realistic quality standards
can be set. Unless the states are completely in-
volved, they will not be able to obtain the econ-
omic support of their individual communities and
will be unable to establish long-range plans and
effective solutions.
5. The Federal Government should give all possible
encouragement and aid to those State Governments
that are progressive in water pollution control.
The less progressive State Governments should be
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assisted in developing education programs in order
to generate the public concern necessary for
political action.
6. The Federal Government should place a much higher
priority on Research and Education in pollution
controJ by stimulating and supporting programs
in the many Universities and other appropriate
Institutions of the Nation. The ever changing
problems in pollution and its control would thus
be brought under constant investigation and
reclarification.
7. The Federal Commission on Water Pollution should
request that the National Research Council—National
Academy of Sciences conduct a national conference
on the subject of estuarine pollution and the
Commission should provide funds for this purpose.
The study should consider all aspects of the problem
including social, economic, political, managerial,
as well as the technological and scientific.
CHAIRMAN K.LASHMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Lyman. Are there any questions?
MR. PELOQUIN: Sir, could you expand a bit or explain why you feel the New
York boat pollution laws are not enforceable or impossible to enforce.
MR. LYMAN: Let me say this. The boating industry as a whole considers that
they are not enforceable because of the financial burden put not only on
the boating industry but upon the boat owner, the individual boat owner.
However, I probably should have clarified this more clearly. The main
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reason, I believe, that they will not be enforced is that within a matter
o£ weeks, the Federal Government is going to come out with recommended
laws which will supersede the New York laws and which, as nearly as I
can determine and as nearly as legal advisers who have spoken to me can
determine, will completely emasculate the New York laws.
MR. PELOQUIN: Is this the section or the laws contained in the proposed bill
Senate 3206?
MR. LYMAN: Yes.
MR. PELOQUIN: It seems to me that this law pertains only to coastal waters
and does not apply to inland waters. Of course, we are concerned with
coastal waters here.
MR. LYMAN: Did you say "will not apply to coastal waters?"
MR. PELOQUIN: Will apply to coastal waters and not inland waters and possibly,
I don't know just how far, in the estuary. Of course, this is an area we
will have to watch when the legislation is pending, I agree on that point,
yes. Thank you, sir.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Are there any other questions? If not, thank you very
much, Mr. Lyman. I am now going to call on Dr. Charles F. Cole, Univer-
sity of Massachusetts. I believe that by the time Dr. Cole gets finished
it will be about 12:30. We will adjourn then for lunch. We have about
ten more people who have asked to talk. I'm hoping that we will get out
of here by if we reconvene at 1:30....we may get finished before
3:30. If anybody has a statement that is only for two or three minutes,
would you please indicate to the secretary. We will try to put you on
first, if you have a very brief statement. Thank you. Dr. Cole.
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DR. COLE: The University of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Cooperative
Fishery Unit in cooperation with the Federal Water Pollution Control Admin-
istration and the Massachusetts Water Resources Research Center have been
concerned with estuarine fisheries resources since the inception of a grad-
uate program in fishery biology at the University in 196^. We have parti-
cularly devoted our efforts to providing a long-term view of the ecology of
the fishes of a small estuary in upper Buzzards Bay, the Weweantic River.
The Weweantic River enters Buzzards Bay after arising in Carver, Massachu-
setts. It flows through flat agricultural lands devoted primarily to cran-
berry growing (approximately 4,000 acres are now under intensive cultiva-
tion) and then passes between the towns of Marion and Wareham, two towns
which place high recreation values on the marine environment. Several of
our studies are completed and should provide us in Massachusetts with a new
and detailed look at the ecology of fishes in one of our estuaries and the
factors that control their numbers.
Our first study in 1964-65 considered certain aspects of the winter or
blackback flounder, probably the most frequently caught, fish in Massachu-
setts estuaries and the only flounder in our commercial catch that is tied
biologically to the estuary for its existence. Other studies elsewhere in
southern New England have demonstrated that localized populations of v; inter
flounder return from off-shore to spawn in estuaries and the Wewean,ic is
no exception. The developing eggs, larvae and juveniles remain in the
estuaries and normally do not leave estuarine influence until after the
third year. However, as we traced the returning adult flounders in fall
196^ through 1965 and then monitored their spawning success we were disap-
pointed to find nearly twice the mortality in newly hatched larval flounder
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as that which had earlier been documented in an eastern Connecticut estuary
(the Mystic River). Such increased natal mortality may have been related
to many adverse natural conditions that frequently plague year-class success
in fishes. However, the extensive agricultural and mosquito control manage-
ment with pesticides in the Weweantic watershed alerted us to a possible
second alternative suggestion; namely, that either a chronic or an acute
poisoning by pesticides could have caused larval fish mortality. A parti-
cularly interesting mortality occurs when fish accidentally ingest pesti-
cides along with their food and then store this toxic substance in their
fatty tissue reserves to get it out of the active flow of food. Unfortunate-
ly, a convenient fat storage site in females is the yolk in the maturing
egg. The effects on the developing larva that later uses this food source
can easily be surmised. Instances of this sort have been documented in lake
trout in New York and more recently in salmon in Michigan among others.
Accordingly, we began to monitor ovarian and whole muscle content of return-
ing adult female flounder and also muscle tissue content of the resident
juvenile flounders in the Weweantic from July 1966 through June 1967. This
study has just been completed and from it we can conclude that the return-
ing adult flounder do increase their content of DDT and Heptachlor (persis-
tent pesticides) as they feed in the Weweantic estuary and that as the
ovaries mature, these pesticides and their degradation products are concen-
trated in the fat-rich developing ovaries. We cannot yet state whether the
levels detected are sufficient to cause the increased mortality earlier
noted but we will be evaluating this contention in further studies. Inci-
dentally, our study is apparently the first known case of a marine fish
accumulating pesticides while in estuaries to which they have returned to
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spawn. Our information on current pesticide use in the watershed indicates
that not only has the cranberry industry moved away from a heavy use of the
more persistent pesticides in much of their current management applications
but that significant amounts of the persistent organochlorine pesticides
are now or have in the past been applied to control mosquitoes. However,
the long-term persistence of these organochlorine pesticide residues in the
muds of the estuarine bottom will doubtless affect fish in the Weweantic
estuary for many years to come even should persistent pesticides be banned
from Massachusetts tomorrow. Parenthetically such state-wide bans of per-
sistent pesticides have already been applied in some of the states border-
ing the Great Lakes. I would emphasize that though I personally urge such
action in this state from general principles, we are yet not in possession
of data which would conclusively prove that winter flounder populations in
this estuary or any other in this state have been or are now being markedly
reduced or otherwise damaged by pesticides. We know only that pesticide
residues are there, that they become concentrated in fish tissue after the
fishes return to the estuary, that they are further concentrated in the
ovaries and thus also apparently into the eggs, and finally that the young
flounder living year round in the estuary until their third year of growth
have higher body concentrations than do the spawning adults that move in
and out of the estuary. Our next step is to determine how much pesticide
is deleterious to the fish, how widespread this problem of estuary residue
is in the state and to assess its effect on the fishery resource now and
in the future.
Human modifications of estuaries can be more gross than that caused
by pesticides. The two towns (Marion and Wareham) in our study area are
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joined by Massachusetts Highway 6 which passes over the river on a dike or
causeway which is breached only in two places and these breaches are
spanned by two small bridges. As would be expected, these passes, concen-
trating tidal action and stream runoff, have caused the bottom to be scoured
into two channels that extend above and below the bridge for as much as 500
yards. Between these channels above and below the bridge are two very
shallow mud flats which apparently have been created since the construction
of this bridge about 15 years ago. Though the bottom profile in this river
has obviously been changed, one also should consider the bridge's effect on
the salinity patterns, the ebb and flow of tides and thus the distribution
and survival of young fishes spawned in this estuary such as American smelt
larvae and winter flounder young. This change in our study area took place
before our work began and we can now only speculate on the effects of this
type of bridge construction on the ecology of the river. Highway construc-
tion practices can obviously adversely affect estuarine fisheries resources.
Another study being conducted on the estuary has sampled fish eggs,
larval fishes just after hatching and the juveniles produced in or carried
into the estuary over a period of three years. A total of nearly 60 species
of fish are now known to use the estuary for some phase of their life cycle.
The winter flounder, tomcod, American smelt, tautog and cunner are among
the dominant sporting species in numbers and thus in importance to the
system but such species as bluefish and striped bass are also seasonally
important. Many of these species are currently under investigation by
students studying for the master's degree at the University. Such species
are part of the diversity that entrances the saltwater angler and attracts
him and his family to the shore. Studies of the economic impact of the
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marine sportsman in Massachusetts and the total fishing pressure placed on
the resources by sport fishermen in upper Buzzards Bay are also subjects
for master's theses. We must know in economic terms the scope of resource
utilization before estuaries can even be discussed intelligently in terms
of dollar value and counter-use proposals. We realize the esthetic com-
ponents of the total resource cannot be given value meaning but feel that
considerable segments of the resource can and should be given such inter-
pretations .
Other researchers at the University have been involved in such diverse
problems as the sedimentary patterns in the Newburyport-Plum Island complex,
and the biology of the mud flats in Barnstable harbor. Though the Massachu-
setts coast has been investigated by a varied group of geologists, zoolo-
gists, ecologists, and fisheries workers for many years, there are still
many untouched problems many of which lie in the area of understanding
grossly disturbed estuaries. We expect that the University of Massachusetts
will continue to play an important role in assisting the state in evaluating
its estuarine resources and in assisting regulating agencies in directing
these resources to the best possible long-term use.
KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Dr. Cole. Are there any questions?
If not, we can adjourn until 1:30. We will reconvene then.
(The meeting was then adjourned until 1:30 P.M.)
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: I would like to first call on Mr. Melbourne Carriker,
Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole. Mr. Carriker, do you have a pre-
pared statement? Can you give us a copy?
MR. CARRIKER: I have already given one to the secretary outside. Let me intro-
duce myself. I'm from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole,
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Director of the Systematics Ecology Program there. And our concern is the
study of the fauna and flora of the Cape Cod region. I felt compelled to
say something by way of identification of basic biological problems in need
of further study in relationship to the subject under discussion.
At the current rate o£ growth of the human population and the parallel
rate of degradation of estuarine and coastal areas, it is evident that it
may not be possible at least within our lifetime to return the quality of
the water in these zones to its primeval purity. We are left to work, then,
in a compromise somewhere between those levels of the residues of civiliza-
tion which organisms can tolerate, and those within which they may be fit
for human utilization.
Before we can establish a realistic standard against which to improve
the quality of our coastal waters for the purpose of enhancing the produc-
tion of fin fish, shellfish and other biological resources, however, we will
have to know much more precisely under "normal environmental conditions"
the total potential kinds of useful species, their breeding conditions,
their life histories, their food requirements, their environmental and
physiological needs, their tolerances to environmental extremes, their
capacities to migrate and to adapt to changing conditions. This informa-
tion is likewise necessary for management and conservation of these re-
sources. Unfortunately, because of the rapid encroachment of man upon our
coastal areas, there are not many reaches left where "normal" conditions
prevail. This situation lends a note of urgency to the amplification of
such studies before all of our coastlines become afflicted by man's wastes
and alterations.
By way of example, let me identify briefly a few of the studies which
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I would like to suggest are basic to actions needed to assure wise use of
our coastal biological resources:
(1) Most microscopic, as well as many macroscopic organisms along the
Massachusetts coast are still relatively unknown, and the early life his-
tories of these organisms are even more obscure. This hiatus points to the
necessity for investigations, based on laboratory culture, of identifica-
tion of life history stages and morphological changes in development. These
studies are important because we must learn the total array of organisms
associated with commercial and potentially commercial species, whether as
food organisms, competitors or predators. Furthermore, there is a serious
lack of publications for the identification and classification of coastal
organisms. It goes without saying, that in all branches of inquiry it is
necessary to facilitate identification of the basic units of information.
(2) Quantitative analyses of variations within natural populations
of organisms at specific and subspecific levels are fundamental not only
for determining the taxonomic limits of these taxa under normal environ-
mental conditions, but also to establish standards for evaluating the ef-
fects on these organisms of thermal, chemical and sedimentary wastes. A
basic consideration in studies of morphological, physiological and behav-
ioral variation is not only the degree of genetic constancy that prevails,
but the possible spectrum of variation induced by ecologic factors. This
concept calls for a range of experimental studies on the influence of
normal environmental factors on taxonomic characters and the possible form-
ation of ecological variants.
(3) Coastal populations possess characteristic ranges of tolerances
to natural factors of stress, not only in their respective habitats, but
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also to the ionic, thermal and sedimentary factors transported in land
drainage to them. Little is known of the physiological adaptation of
organisms to these, or of the variation in tolerance limits of biota in the
stable open coastal waters as compared to the unstable estuarine habitats.
Obviously, such information is fundamental to an assessment of the toleran-
ces and adaptations of coastal organisms to residues introduced by man.
(4) How populations originate, become established and are controlled.
ecologically is one of the important questions in ecology, and of para-
mount significance to pollution studies. Yet little research is being done
in this area. Studies by means of laboratory culture of the autecology and
behavior of early life history stages with reference to movement of crawl-
away juveniles and settling of planktonic larvae in relation to the commun-
ity of associated organisms are suggested.
(5) Information on time of year and duration of breeding periods and
reproductive rates in relation to the annual climatological cycle and to
productivity under normal environmental conditions should be available as
a base of reference for pollution studies. There is a paucity of informa-
tion on this subject.
The optimum economic biological value of estuaries and coastal zones
can be realized only through a full understanding of the scope and depth
of the complexities of the estuarine-coastal environment and the organisms
dwelling there. This understanding is likewise necessary in the wisest
resolution of the conflicting uses of these areas. There are thus at least-
these two important reasons for greater support by the Federal Government
of research and training in the basic biological problems of the rim of th
sea. The State of Massachusetts is noted all over the world for the quail*-
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of its marine biological laboratories; it is consequently a favorable region
of coastal United States for expansion of the basic studies recommended in
this statement.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you. Are there any questions?
DR. CONOVER: Mr. Carriker
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Excuse me. Would you identify yourself, please.
DR CONOVER: Yes, sir. I'm Dr. John P. Conover. Am I out of order, sir?
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Yes. May I explain what our problem is? We are attempting
to gather for the Congress information that they can use. We have found
that i£ we open this up to a debate, we can be here for two or three days,
and we simply can't handle it. I would like very much to hear your remarks
later, sir. Are you on the program? You can include your remarks at that
time. Thank you very much, sir.
I would now like to call on Frank Backoff, Chairman of the Marine
Fisheries Advisory Committee and a member of the Izaak Walton League.
BACKOFF: I have some recommendations we would like to make. Listening to
most of the speakers this morning, I have come to the conclusion that much
study has been put into this problem of estuaries. I happen to be part of
the group in Massachusetts of lay people who started the program for the
estuarine studies back in the early '60's. Shown from examples, we found
that the Merrimack River in our first study that in 196U the soft-shelled
clam industry harvested $14,000 per annum in income. Yet if the pollution
could be reduced in the Merrimack River, our biologists have shown we could
harvest a $300,000 industry annually in the Merrimack. At the same time we
made a study of the North River in Plymouth County, this river
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Excuse me. What was that figure again?
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MR. BACKOFF: $300,000 was recommended for water pollution in our program in the
North River in Plymouth County (this is not the North River the fellow
spoke about this morning of Salem) we made a study of this. This was found
that a relatively clean estuary yet at the same time it was found that an
industry could be curtailed there.
The Advisory Commission suggested that the Department of Natural Re-
sources study the estuarine program of Massachusetts be sold on the economic
value which in our eleventh and twelfth study will show. Listening again
to many of the speakers this morning, I was wondering if half of the money
now used for study was put into solving the pollution problem, we wouldn't
need half the study. We would like to make the following recommendations:
1. States be required to come up with a program within a limited time
say two years, to protect our estuaries or the Federal Government shall
force them to.
2. A tax rebate be offered to industry and others as an incentive to
clean up pollution problems in these rivers. It is well known that it
take over $2,000,000 to solve the Merrimack River Pollution problems.
3. The Federal Government require all state and local colleges to
as a clearing house for all this information. I again being a lay member
of the League Committee studied the black back flounder problem to death in
this State for the last seven to ten years. This problem of gathering all
this information, I think will be very helpful to the Congress of the Unit d
States to come up with some type of program. Many of the states, for exam
pie, just last Sunday in Tampa, Florida, the Tampa Times gave a complete
article on estuaries. One of the statements was when estuaries shrink
they become polluted and disappear; the life cycle is interrupted,
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cial fishing dies off, but more important, so does the human enterprise
built upon it. So in the last five weeks I have toured many of the coastal
states representing an organization I belong to on estuaries, and I find
that from Florida up people are doing something about this. I think this
is a good recommendation for Congress to gather all this information within
a limited time, and come out with strong Federal protection towards estu-
aries if the states do not want to do it.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Backoff. Are there any questions?
MR PAHREN: I would like to ask a clarifying question. You mentioned this
$300,000 figure for Merrimack estuary. Isn't this the digger value and not
the gross Regional product?
MR. BACKOFF: The digger value in the Merrimack.
MR PAHREN: Digger. So the actual gross regional value would be about four
times this value, in other words over $1 million.
MR BACKOFF: I use the North River as a clean estuary and our biologists there
discovered what they call a blue mussel. They created within a matter of
months a $20,000 industry, (This blue mussel chowder is being shipped to
New York) by protecting them. The North River in Plymouth County is a
clean estuary, so to speak, compared to the Merrimack and others. And yet
our studies show that this potential is limited. If a million dollars were
spent on the Merrimack, if this area could be cleaned up, we could possibly
realize a $2 or $3 million recreation business for the Merrimack.
MR. PAHREN: O.K., do you agree with the $25,000 per acre figure Senator Di
Carlo spoke of this morning?
MR BACKOFF: I think that was a little high.
MR. PAHREN: What would be the
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MR. BACKOFF: I am not a biologist. I am just on this committee advising them
what programs normally you can expect our biologists to answer.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, sir. Mrs. James Clancy, Weymouth
Neighborhood Residents. Mrs. Clancy, do you have a prepared statement?
MRS. CLANCY: No I don't. Mrs. Sherman Smith will talk.
MRS. SMITH: I would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak
for myself and for Weymouth. The area which we are concerned about in Wey-
mouth is an area called Mill Cove on Fore River. It is a small cove about
as much as 200 yards wide, on which the opposite shore they are building a
marina. The fill from this marina is not clean sanitary landfill. This is
causing pollution in our water that we use to swim, to fish, to water ski-
and we have informed this group under the Jones Act and we have informed
the Natural Resources of it. The Town has. This fill is not clean sani-
tary fill. However, when they go down to look at it, it does look clean
and sanitary. We feel that it may cause unnecessary additional pollution
of this small area because of spillage of oil, gas and other additional
matter from the boats which will also be used in the area. And from a con-
servation point of view, this is just a little cove used for hundreds of
years for waterfowl feeding grounds and refuge. Two winters ago we had a
huge swan take refuge in this small area. It has an abundance of clams
for a limited purpose, bait shrimp, plankton and other marine life inclu
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I am here as Chairman of the Eastern New England Group of the Sierra Club's
Atlantic Chapter. The Sierra Club is a National Conservation Organization
with a membership of over 60,000 members, and it is dedicated to helping
"people explore, enjoy and protect parks, wilderness, waters, forests and
wildlife". Nearly 500 of the Sierra Club's members live in the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, whose estuarine areas are the subject of today's meeting.
The Ocean is essentially the only remaining frontier left on the
Earth today. As we focus ourselves upon the great challenges it has to
offer--whether spiritual or tangible—we cannot avoid contact with and in-
fluence upon the estuarine areas which are the buffer zone between our
highly developed land and the great undeveloped resources of the next gen-
eration.
Estuarine areas, until recently, have received little respect for their
importance to marine ecology and their role in the life cycles of marine
nd aquatic life. Historically these areas have, all too often, been
filled-in or dredged-out, polluted with the solid and liquid wastes of our
developing society, and then cast off and forgotten when they have lost
their aesthetic qualities.
While our densely developed urban areas are rapidly swallowing up most
of the remaining open spaces, we are finally becoming acutely aware of the
ever pressing need for improving the quality of our environment. The pre-
vention and abatement of air and water pollution, and the development of
the recreational potential of our estuarine areas, within strict guidelines
For their biological protection, are well conceived goals which must be met
to save ourselves from extinction.
The inventory of estuarine areas in Massachusetts include the Cape Cod
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National Seashore, two National Wildlife Refuges, many miles of State and
privately owned beaches, marshes, parks, sanctuaries and protected areas.
It also includes many miles of rivers and coastline which stink from raw
sewage and industrial waste as well as acres of shellfish beds whose produc-
tion is unfit for human consumption.
Massachusetts is very fortunate to have its Coastal Wetlands Act, but
it also needs Federal aid in implementation as well as for setting minimum
goals which can protect the public so that adequate protection of social
values as well as fish and wildlife resources can be attained.
In formulating guidelines for overcoming industrial and domestic pollu-
tion of our estuarine areas, much effort needs to be expended in developing
guarantees that pollution does not result from the development of new econ-
omic and industrial concepts. Three iminently critical examples immediately
come to mind:
1. Exploration for oil and gas in the George's Bank area can leave
the Massachusetts coast vulnerable at any time to another Torrey Canyon type
disaster. There must be adequate protection of estuarine areas from poss-
ible contamination from petroleum products during prospecting, mining, and
transportation processes, prior to any leases being issued;
2. The proposed Plymouth Atomic Power Plant, as well as fossil power
sources using estuarine water for cooling, poses a critical problem of
thermal pollution. The necessary studies of thermal loads on estuarine
areas must be made and adequate safeguarding standards must be established
prior to licensing or permitting changes in thermal characteristics of estu-
arine areas, by public or private industry;
3. The rapid growth of our megalopolitan environment has created a
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critical balance in our water supply cycle. It is evident that before long
it will be necessary to commercially develop processes for the desaliniza-
tion of seawater. Prior to such development it is critically necessary to
develop safeguards to protect the estuarine and ocean areas from chemical
pollution due to such industrial processes.
In conclusion, it is evident that the National Estuarine Pollution
Study should recognize the present critical state of our estuaraine areas,
and formulate a National policy with adequate regulation to protect the
estuarine areas from being devastated by man. These areas have great
aesthetic and psychological value to man in his complex environment, and
in addition, man is dependent upon the food supply derived from the fish
and wildlife resources which depend upon the estuarine areas for their
regeneration cycle.
We trust that the National Estuarine Pollution Study will be success-
ful in establishing guidelines for reaching these goals.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, sir. Are there any questions?
MR 2ABRISKIE: Mr. Chairman, I would like to say for the benefit of people here
assembled that yesterday Frank Griss, from the Division of Marine Fisheries
traveled to Washington, D. C. and visited with the Department of the Inter-
ior on mineral resources and our resources off the coast, in particular,
offshore oil and gas. We are quite aware of the problem. Controls is the
factor that we are working on. The other thing is that his Excellency, the
Governor, has designated Commissioner Robert L. Yasi as his designee to
work with the Federal government on the public land law review commission
which has to do with the lands held in public domain, which is quite a giant
in itself. We are much concerned with this problem too.
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CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you. Mr. Warren Blandin, Massachusetts Division of
Fisheries and Game. Do you have a prepared statement, Mr. Blandin? Will
we be able to get a copy?
MR. BLANDIN: Yes, I have already turned in a copy.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Oh, you have already given one? Thank you.
MR. BLANDIN: The coastal and estuarine waters of Massachusetts provide irre-
placeable wildlife habitat of particular value to furbearers, songbirds,
shorebirds and waterfowl. Migratory bird flights occur on our coastal areas
at least eight months of the year. Coastal waterfowl habitat and the adja-
cent shoal and estuarine areas provide wintering grounds for more than
150,000 ducks and about 10,000 geese annually. The economic expenditure
by sportsmen to harvest waterfowl has been estimated to be $9 per bird
brought to bag. In terms of coastal gunning, this would place a dollar
value of coastal waterfowl harvested at approximately $50,000 annually.
Aesthetic values of waterfowl and shorebirds are difficult to measure, but
wildfowl are a continuing source of interest and study to amateur and pro-
fessional ornithologists alike, as well as objects of beauty to the casual
observer.
A primary factor responsible for the attractiveness of our coastal
and estuarine areas to waterfowl is the abundant food supply in the form of
food producing plants, and clams, mussels, snails and other marine inverte-
brates. The destruction of these forms of life by dredging, siltation,
pollution by industrial or sanitary wastes and pesticides would greatly re-
duce the carrying capacity of our coastal waters for waterfowl, thus reduc-
ing the abundance of this valuable natural resource.
It is in the best interest of the public that all resources occurring
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in estuarine areas be protected from activities that tend to reduce further
the welfare of these irreplaceable resources. Strict control of any and all
activities or processes that alter the natural environment is mandatory.
Only those operations essential to the general welfare of society should be
permitted, and then under strict supervision, with adequate safeguards to
protect our estuarine areas from destruction and/or pollution.
KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, sir. Are there any questions? I would
now like to call on Mr. Alfred Conrod, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Do you have a copy of your statement?
MR. CONROD: I do not, sir. I'll have one in a day or so.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much. Would you mind telling us what your
position would be at MIT?
HJJ. CONROD: Oh, I beg your pardon. I am on the research staff, staff member of
the Experimental Astronomy Laboratory. Don't ask us what we are doing on
oceanography up there.
(Laughter.)
We're one of a number of research organizations doing work on collecting
information on earth resources under a NASA program.
(At this point Mr. Conrod illustrates slides.)
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Conrod. Do I understand that you
will submit to us a prepared statement?
MR. CONROD: Yes, I will. We have a series of reports to be submitted to the
Government.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Fine. May I just summarize what you've said so that I can
make sure I understand. What you have said fundamentally is that NASA
working with the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture
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and the Navy Department is developing methods of photogrammetry which can
hopefully distinguish between various biota and also may be used in tracing
pollution. Is this correct?
MR. CONROD: Yes, that is correct.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Pine. Thank you very much. I would now like to call on
Miss Stella Trafforc, League of Women Voters.
MISS TRAFFORD: I'll be very br^ef, indeed. The Beacon Hill Chapter, Water
Resources Committee, League of Women Voters, has been studying Boston
Harbor in the past year. We have now realized the magnitude of our under-
taking. We still regard our past work as a survey only. From there on we
plan to pursue each facet of the subject in greater depth, keeping abreast
of the developments in the many agencies concerned. By February 1969, we
will present some of our findings to the League as a whole. It is possible
that concensus will be reached on certain points at that time. For the
present, we can say that most plans under consideration are dependent for
success on a permanent solution to pollution problems. There are three
major river estuaries in Boston Harbor. Almost any conclusion we might
draw about current plans in the Harbor are contingent on those rivers
being cleaned up.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you. I would like to call on Dr. John Conover.
Do you have a prepared statement?
DR. CONOVER: I can provide you with one, sir.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you.
DR. CONOVER: I am a biological oceanographer and was previously working, and
am now, as a consultant and educator at large. The reason I wanted to
talk to you people and having the privilege of doing so was because -
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first of all I've been doing research with funds from the Federal Water
Pollution Control Administration grant supporting agency since their in-
ception. And the work is taking me, (also the students that have been
working under me), into the very heart of the problem which was brought
up this morning by Dean Bumpus and later Professor Moore, also from his
delivery in which one considers the word pollution and tries to consider
that there might be one specific way of defining the word pollution. It
was brought up that apparently there are various ways of looking at it -
all pollution is not bad. Apparently there are levels of pollution,
whether it is chemical, thermal, whatever it may be, which has beneficial
effects upon man, upon wildlife, upon marine life, whether it be terres-
trial or marine, fresh water, whatever it may be. And there are those of
us who are very concerned with seeing research move in the direction of
providing, you might say, a channelling of the pollutants that man or by
the efforts of man are being thrown upon the environments in which we live
to provide not a damaging effect but an optimal effect, or one which is
beneficial to the communities in our environment. The point of fact is
that some 80 to 100 years ago, Alexander Agissy's description, for in-
stance, of the marine animals in Boston Bay indicated that there are more
abundant forms of fauna and flora which are no longer there today. There
are species of fish which were caught there in great abundance back up in-
to the estuaries, for instance, the Merrimack. If you look up statistics
in fisheries now, you'll see that some of the species are of commercial
importance but where do you find them? Ocean Perch, Whiting, Mackerel,
etc., these are now found at greater distances from the shore, as if per-
haps the areas of optimum production producing the phytoplankton, the
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zooplankton, the whole food chain, have moved outward, away from our
coastal areas as our pollution gradients move outward. This is something
given a great deal of consideration to and there is very little that's
been concluded in terms of our biological knowledge.
My own work and that of my students has been in the direction of de-
fining pollution gradients in terms of coliforms, for instance, in coastal
waters. These gradients in turn are being related also to hydrological
gradients such as the salinity and temperature profiles of the coastal
areas especially where there are rivers or runoff problems, or runoff
waters, and where there are not. These in turn, interestingly enough,
relate to the distribution of bottom plants along these- gradients, as
related to a number of variables and we will find areas where the bottom
plants grow optimally. This type of research needs, in my mind, in that
of many of us, to be pushed and pressed. We have these pollutants, we
have these various exogenous metabolites and other materials which we must
be rid of from our centers of population, coastal towns and so forth, an
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and is a wonderful place for the people to live and go out, and they are
about to scrap this situation because a sewage plant is proposed to be
situated on one of the uplands and to use the marsh as a leaching area for
this particular sewage plant. Well I'm very very much concerned about this
type of problem as one of many. There is already one at Scituate, Mass.,
for instance. In fact, we stopped and took a look at that on the way up
here. For the time it's been in operation, we are very much concerned and
many other biologists are very much alarmed about the use of marshes for
effluent disposal.
Now, what is the problem at Sandwich? Well, you see you have estu-
aries where there is a river flow. That is one type of estuary. We've
seen examples up at the North Shore where these have become highly pollu-
ted. In spite of the fact that there is an effluent of the river, waters
out of those areas, which presumably is to flush this effluent water from
sewage systems and carry them out to sea. Sandwich, however, has very
little fresh water flowing into it, and it is sort of a stagnant basin,
as it were, the ocean tidal waters move in and then drain out completely.
This is a situation where if you put such a system in it means that on
every flooding tide the water from the effluent can (which are, of course,
of lower density than fresher waters) will more or less be on the surface
and spread out through half the estuary and on the ebbing tide move out-
ward. But it would seiche back and forth. And some of us, being very
much concerned about this, have tried to consider what could happen in
the estuaries such as that. For instance, these effluents are known to
have high concentrations of phosphorous, nitrogen, phosphates, nitrates
and nitrite nitrogens which, of course, are basic metal nutrients for
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plant growth. This in turn, will lead to over-production and in turn this
develops high BOD, high concentrations of organic matter which in turn can
lead to very considerable noxious odors, hydrogen sulfide, the sort of
thing that would completely render the living abode or the recreational
facility of such a marshland into a rather impoverished and miserable
situation. There is something we are even more concerned with and this
in my final remarks I would like to comment on. As we talk about tertiary
treatment as one of the best final processes for sewage treatment and that
the effluent from this is said to be almost pure enough to drink, (well,
it isn't) perhaps, falls into the category of water that can be processed
for drinking water, but the statistics from, for instance, the California
Manual on Water Pollution, from which I quote, "This water had from 500
to 5,000 coli bacteria per 100 ml sample. Basically if you treat sewage,
it runs about 10 million or more coliforms per 100 ml and if tertiary
treatment plant should run up to 95, maybe 98 or 99% bacteria removed from
10 million you'd come down to only JOG,000 coli per 100 ml which, af tor-
all, is an index for the possible pathogens present, so that the threat
to human health is still a considerable one in an estuarine situation like
this. Now think o£ this in a broad sense. If our margins are employed
for the effluents in a sewage plant we still have, in spite of this great
reduction, the threat to human health of the few pathogens, (and it only
takes one, and you start an epidemic), to consider this as a very unsuit-
able place to discharge effluents. So what is the final plea? That re-
search should be pushed in the direction of how we can move these pollu-
tants, and how we can define these, (these are substances which are above
the normal level) to give us beneficial results. They should be moved to
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be distributed into coastal waters, perhaps, in such a way that they are
going to be beneficial instead of detrimental. Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, sir, and you will submit a statement?
We have two speakers remaining. First, Mr. Benjamin Nason and last, Mrs.
Abigail Avery. Is there anybody else here that wants to make a statement
that has not been heard? Mrs. Avery? She's gone?
MR. NASON: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Benjamin Nason. I am Execu-
tive Director of the Massachusetts Forest and Park Association. This is
intended to be my oral statement; I'll submit in more detail a written
statement for the record.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much.
MR. NASON: The control of water pollution has become accepted by the general
public, selected officials and governmental agencies as one of the most
important challenges facing us today. This is true whether we are talking
about the general need to improve our environment and make it more livable,
the specific nui-d to provide adequate water supply on the short and long
run, the necessity of maintaining and improving habitat for fisheries, to
satisfy a growing need for food supply by a growing population or the need
to satisfy the increasing demand for recreation. Both Federal and state
governments have initiated desirable programs that will control water
pollution. It is unfortunate, however, that the Federal funds have not
been made fully available. We hope that the Federal government will cor-
rect this as soon as conditions permit.
We take pride in the fact that Massachusetts passed far-reaching
legislation in 1966 creating a new division of water pollution control and
appropriating substantial funds for the water pollution abatement program.
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Further, we are satisfied with the water quality standards subsequently
adopted for inland and coastal waters. This state-wide program, obvious-
ly, will have a direct effect on the control of pollution in the coastal
estuaries because much of the pollution added to our rivers and streams is
ultimately dumped into the ocean.
In addition, Massachusetts enacted landmark legislation in 1963 to
control the dredging and filling of coastal wetlands through a permit
system and in 1965, by authorizing the Commissioner of Natural Resources
to place such coastal areas under restrictive orders, thereby prohibiting
their alteration thereafter. We are concerned that the 1965 law, because
of the lack of sufficient funds, is not being implemented fast enough.
Although we are hopeful that sufficient funds will be made available soon,
at the state level, we suggest that the Federal government through an
estuarine protection program, should consider making funds available for
this specific purpose to speed up the programs.
As an aside, I think appropriate opportunities are taken by the De-
partment of Natural Resources to use some existing Federal programs, such
as the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, if they are considering the acquisi-
tion of wetlands and use BOR funds and make these areas available for
recreational purposes. There are other Federal programs, and I am sure
the state agencies are all taking advantage of any existing programs.
But to my knowledge there is no existing program geared specifically to
lend financial assistance in the protection of coastal estuaries for their
own peculiar values and this is, I think, something that should be con-
sidered by the Federal government in coming up with a coastal estuarine
protection program.
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To summarize some other coastal concerns without offering here
specific recommendations. We are concerned with a problem here, perhaps
not a problem, it may be an opportunity, but it has become apparent that
there will be some oil exploration off the coast of New England. We do
not oppose this, necessarily, but we do believe that safeguards should be
adopted to protect estuaries and beaches from the possibility of oil pol-
lution. Pending on the developments that may come, this probably will be
a Federal responsibility. We are concerned also with the growing frequen-
cy of oil spillage problems and most of the oil spillage seems to come
from sources beyond the jurisdiction of our own state.
Another concern which relates to the coastal areas are the increasing
numbers of atomic energy plants on the New England coast. We know that
more are being considered, and will be considered, because of the fuel
source, we recognize that the Federal government has a particularly good
opportunity to exercise some control on thermal pollution as regards this
development.
Another problem which concerns us, which is of a more local nature,
relates to the pollution and development of the Boston Harbor. At least
the first three which I mentioned appear to lend themselves more readily
to Federal programs. That is, Federal programs of some kind of Federal
control or at least an exercise Federal jurisdiction. The fourth is, as
I said, primarily a state and local problem, but it's a huge problem and
one which probably will be solved only through the expenditure of a con-
siderable amount of money, and we would hope that at least through this
method the Federal government may be able to be of assistance, by making
available Federal funds as liberally as possible.
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This summary of pollution of coastal estuaries will be a growing
problem which should be met by a cooperative state and Federal program.
We hope that because of national and regional interests in the complex-
ities of state jurisdiction the Federal government will initiate an estu-
arine protection and pollution control program.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Nason. Do you have any comments?
Dr. Oscar Tenenbaum, Regional Director of the Weather Bureau.
DR. TENENBAUM: I am Oscar Tenenbaum, meteorologist in charge of the U. S.
Weather Bureau at Boston. I am only here to offer a point of information.
As part of the Weather Bureau, I am also part of the Environmental Science
Services Administration which is part of the Department of Commerce. And
the Department of Commerce has two organizations which are particularly
interested in the proceedings here today. One, of course, is the Weather
Bureau and the other is the Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Coast and
Geodetic Survey is presently carrying out its experimental prediction
program of flushing rates in the Penobscot River from Bangor seaward into
the mouth of the estuary. In other words, we are attempting to do some-
thing about forecasting estuarine rates. This is about as far as we can
go now. I can say that my prime purpose of being here today is to indi-
cate to you that we are very much interested in your proceedings and pre-
sume that if legislation is passed that we will be involved in the pro-
gram.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: Thank you very much, Dr. Tenenbaum. Is there anyone here
who wants to be heard who has not Could you please identify yourself?
MR. LORING: Yes, sir. My name is Richard Loring. I represent the Cultured
Clam Corporation and the Aquacultural Research Corporation, both located
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in Dennis on the Cape.
CHAIRMAN KLASHMAN: What is that? Cultured Clam? and the other is?
MR. LORING: Cultured Clam Corporation. Aquacultural Research Corporation.
We have heard a lot of talk today concerning the preservation of
clean water estuaries, etc., but no one here did represent the fish indus-
try , and I feel that it is about time before it is over somebody in com-
mercial fisheries ought to say "please help us". We are trying to develop
means of artificially culturing shellfish because of the great population
pressures and the reduction in catches. By the same token, we are still
in the commercial fisheries, and our entire livelihood as well as the
entire industry is based on animals that are caught in the estuaries which
are in danger of extinction with poor water quality and the destruction of
the marshes. So this is merely a very informal plea. Give us a hand,
because if something is not done to protect the water quality we've got
and better, perhaps, the quality in other areas, this whole segment of a
commercial fishery is going to go down the drain. The protein that we can
produce is certainly needed throughout the world, and looking at the New
Jersey areas, the Chesapeake areas and the other areas where tremendous
shellfish are being put down because of poor water quality, we feel that
there is a real danger and a real need for assistance. Thank you.
KLASHMAN: Thank you very much. Is there anyone else that wants to
be heard? If not, ladies and gentlemen, we stand adjourned. Thank you
all very much for coming.
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PART II
WRITTEN STATEMENTS
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Statement of Charles H. W. Foster
at a Public Meeting on National Estuarine Problems
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
Boston, Massachusetts
October 8, 1968
My nauiG is Charles H. W. Foster. I am a resident of Needham,
Massachusetts, and a former Massachusetts Commissioner of Natural Resources.
Both in this capacity and in subsequent positions in national conservation
work, I bave been privileged to see first hand many of the scientific,
administrative and technical problems associated with this study.
At present, I am completing doctoral studies at Johns Hopkins
University with special emphasis on the institutional aspects of water
resources and river basin management in New England.
Mine has been a life-long interest in estuaries with that rare but
fortunate opportunity to translate this interest into actual professional
work- I am here this morning because I am convinced that the subject you
are considering is one of the most important and most underrated aspects of
natural resources in this country today.
A third of our population, and a third of our industrial capacity,
is Already adjacent to major estuaries. By the turn of the century, one out
of every two Americans may be dependent upon the estuaries for a substantial
share of his economic and social well-being.
As there will be many others before you today with detailed know-
LedFe of New England's estuaries and their current problems, I would like to
focus my remarks exclusively on policy considerations. For discussion
urposes these will be grouped into four categories: technical and admin-
istrative; planning and regulation; decision making; and organizational
structure.
and Administrative
Much has been made of the new frontier represented by the ocean. At
a Law of the Sea conference in Rhode Island a few years ago, a number of us
were treated to an imaginative presentation by the Franklin Institute's Dr.
Athelstan Spilhaus, descriptive of the commercial transportation and even
recreational opportunities technologically possible under the ocean.
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The fact remains, however, that too much of our institutional and
industrial research capabilities have been concentrated on the open ocean.
More accurately, too little attention has been spent on the inshore waters
which nre more immediately productive, offer relatively fewer technological
problems, and are politically more viable.
During the early 196o's in Massachusetts, our efforts to improve
a badly deteriorating set of relationships among multiple marine interests,
revealed one central fact --so little was known about the resources of the
inshore waters that no one interest really knew what it was talking about!
The end result was a joining of forces to improve state marine research
capabilities, and the creation of a representative polic/ body which could
arbitrate differences without resort to legislative adversary proceedings.
Since those days many new programs have come to pass, mostly under
federal auspices. A seeming profusion of grant opportunities are now at
hand for which there is vigorous competition among institutions and agencies.
The inshore waters, however, are still the weakest link in our chain.
Although our regional, technological and research capabilities have
improved materially during the past decade, the effort is.far from properly
organized. Universities still vie with one another for the available re-
search dollar, losing sight of valuable priorities in the spirit of competition.
Only the most tenuous of linkages exist between academia and the marine
resources industries and public agencies, the alleged beneficiaries of much
of this research. The glamour of oceanographic vessels and facilities tends
to sway research administrators from the mundane problems of the winter
flounder and the q.uahog.
New England, however, has made some modest advances in improved co-
ordination. The southern New England consortium of universities sponsored by
the University of Rhode Island is one case in point -- also its counterpart
in Massachusetts known as MAMS (the Massachusetts Association for the Marine
Sciences). The Cooperative Fishery Units at the land grant colleges also
appear to have promising potential.
New England is a member of one of the earliest interstate compact
commissions, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, whose jurisdiction
extends from Maine to Florida.
The recently enacted National Sea Grant College Act also bears
promise of becoming a useful coordinating device, particularly if it follows
through on its stated objective of a fisheries extension effort which can
translate scientific findings into understandable and useful practices.
Whatever criticism is applied to the marine resources field, one fact
does remain. Few aspects of natural resources are more vigorously alive as
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evidenced by the effort, the public interest, and even the traditional
air of controversy!
Planning and Regulation
Knowing more about estuaries leads inevitably to the question of
bow they should be used. In actual fact, decisions on usage invariably must
be made before all the facts are at hand. In this regard, they appear to
have a number of peculiar properties.
Estuaries are generally beset by multiple jurisdictions. Land
values are abnormally high due to the industrial and economic development
potential. Proximity to people enhances their recreational and aesthetic
values. Located at the bottom of a larger drainage system, the estuaries
Bust not only cope vith the problems of their immediate surroundings, but
often the problems of the watershed above.
All of the above characteristics add up to unusual vulnerability --
and enormous visibility. Estuarine planning and regulation is a truly fish
bowl operation. The values contained in most estuarine systems are too
valuable to keep unused, and too important to lose through single purpose
Utilization. The obvious need for broad-based planning and regulation
within each major estuary raises immediate questions as to who does the
planning and regulation, and for what purposes.
The most logical approach is to start with plans for each individual
use component of an estuary -- for example fisheries, industrial development,
water quality, etc. -- and then try to bring them together within a balanced,
comprehensive plan. The entities responsible for the individual plans must
act only have a clear mandate for planning, but also a measure of responsi-
bility (both positive and negative) for implementation.
Numerous precedents are already at hand, including federal-state
•jurisdictions such as the Delaware River Basin Commission, state regulatory
and planning agencies such as New England has now, County Shoreline agencies
as in Wisconsin, area jurisdictions such as the San Francisco Bay Conservation
and Development Commission, and even local bodies such as town conservation
commissions and planning boards.
incision Making
Given a focus of responsibility of some description there emerges
the next question of Just how estuarine decisions should be made. Since the
stakes are usually inordinately high, the real question is whose ox does one
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In my opinion, a fundamental premise should be the consideration
of all values from a given estuary regardless of their ability to be
measured in economic terms. The initial approach should be to increase the
sum total of these values without having to choose one over the other.
Thus, an existing identifiable value s'nould have clear precedence over any
designed to supplant it. Hie proposer of a new use should be required to
bear the burden of proof that it would assure the continued existence of the
other values without appreciable loss or detriment.
Measures which would materially affect public health or safety
should be ruled out regardless of the extent or degree of the public involved
or the prior duration of the activity. Except in unusual circumstances, such
as times of war or disaster, there would seem little reason to risk these
traditionally and constitutionally assured priorities.
A third basic premise should be the assignment of a higher priority
to programs of short duration and less-than-irrevocable proportions. Man's
ability to project ahead substantially and accurately has been discouragingly
limited. In consequence, a major objective should be the retention of the
maximum number of options for the future.
It would seem particularly prudent to encourage estuarine planning
by those capable of implementing the plan. But it would seem manifestly
unwise to assign the decision making exclusively to those who plan and
implement the proposals. Such an entity must be carefully counterbalanced with
less partial interests.
Finally, provision should be made for periodic and impartial reviews
of estuarine program activity, preferably in the full glare of the public
spotlight. Tnis will help insure not only the correctness of decisions, but
also the timeliness of public policies.
Organizational Structure
What sort of framework to use to accomplish these objectives is the
final subject of this presentation. It is tempting to recommend a new and.
revolutionary form of bureaucracy for these purposes but, in my judgment, such
an approach should be firmly rejected.
New England and the nation's estuaries should not be federalized.
Rather than a new Office of Estuaries in some public agency, containing a full
range of administrative and regulatory authority, what we require is a national
system of estuarine management as sensitive as possible to local and regional
needs. The primary effort should be to eliiianate the current confusion,
inefficiency, overlap and duplication, both within arid between levels of
government and, as much as possible, to streamline the management and use of
these valuable resources.
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The actual administrative entity, its method of operation and its
area of jurisdiction, would seem immaterial if the substantive criteria, ob-
jectives and goals are shared in coaanon. Consequently, your study should
concentrate on a series of guide lines for adequate estuarine management, which
among others, might include:
1. Broad representation of estuarine interests.
2. Access to reliable scientific and technical information.
3. Basin considerations.
k. Both framework and detailed planning responsibilities.
5. Regulation of use activities and alteration.
6. Strict public accountability at all times.
Given a set of guiding principles of this sort, it would be up to
each estuarine region to devise the actual machinery that would work the best.
Among initial approaches, however, I would like to suggest the following.
A focal point of estuarine affairs is badly needed within the federal
establishment. I personally feel that no single agency will ever prove satis-
factory. The best answer might be a coordinating entity similar to the Water
Resources Council, but representative also of the granting agencies, industry,
academic, state and local interests. A small central staff would help insure
coordination of policies and programs.
A less satisfactory alternative to this approach might be a quasi-
covernnient organization, possibly chartered by Congress, with access to
resources both within and without government.
But it is within the states themselves that the estuaries have been
so often the lonely province of the scientist. In few states are estuarine
values properly appreciated by administrators, legislators, political and
local leaders. Although problems of deteriorating water quality have begun
to sharpen public attention in recent years, the term estuary is hardly a
household word.
For the eastern coastal states a good place to begin would be the
Atlantic States ^rine Fisheries Commission. This interstate compact agency,
handicapped by regional divisions, ill-defined program, inadequate support
and federal apprehensions, could well become revitalized by a leadership role
in estuarine affairs. A broadened marine resources effort by this interstate
would also rub off on its individual members.
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At the academic level, the first step would be to reduce the
practice of grant suianship. This process of grants -- for grants'-sake
is as much encouraged by the federal granting agencies as pursued by tne
colleges and universities. Much as the various Water Resources Research
Center directors have moved toward a regional council for planning and
coordination purposes, so the marine-oriented institutions should undertake
a joint master plan for research, training, extension and shared facilities
in estuarine regions. In the absence of voluntary action, a federal-state
agency, such as the Hew England Regional Commission, might be asked to
perform such a function.
Ideally, there should be a conglomerate of separate but related
marine and estuarine activities in New England with the maximum possible
interchange between the public agencies and their respective academic
communities. An enlarged system of state marine experiment stations,
adequately coordinated in effort and focused on Inshore and estuarine prob-
lems, might double as useful training facilities and research stations for
university-based personnel, all with considerable savings to the public
taxpayer. At the present time New England marine laboratories and research
programs seem to bear little relationship to one another, or to the region's
real estuarine needs.
finally, I despair of any real progress without some substantial
input from the private sector and the ordinary citizen. An increasing
number of important estuarine decisions will be public ones, and an informed
and alert constituency must arise to ensure that the right decisions are
made.
In this connection, the New England Aquarium Corporation, with its
nearly completed display facilities and its broad interest in the world of
water, seems to offer unusual promise, both as a means of increasing public
understanding and as a catalytic force to bring various interests together.
In conclusion, there is clearly much to be done in the estuarine
field. The resources are vital, the issues are growing, and appropriate
mechanisms must be found at all levels of government to promptly process
and plan the proper use of these valuable areas in the fashion most sensitive
to local conditions.
There are, as clearly, sizable hazards ahead. Your study has
already been handicapped by interagency rivalries. It runs the further risk
of being caught between changing national administrations.
As one who is deeply convinced of the needs in this field, I
sincerely hope your recommendations are heeded and hastened.
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SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS CORPORATION
K. C BLACK, rusiDENT M WDBUIY «o*o
!V w. wu / CONCOtO, MASS. 01742
TELEPHONE 25»-»2«8
AREA CODE 3M-4SM
t\7 358-2675
October 2U, 1968
United States Department of the Interior
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
Northeast Region
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
Boston, Massachusetts 02203
Attention of Mr. L. M. Klashman, Regional Director
SUBJECT: National Estuarine Pollution Study
Gentlemen:
In a letter dated August 27, 1968, I was invited to participate
in a public meeting on the impact of pollution on coastal and
estuarine waters, which was held in the New England Life Build-
ing, 225 Clarendon Street, Boston, on October 8, 1968. I, per-
sonally, was in Europe on a business trip at the time of the
meeting, but a representative of the Scientific Analysis Corpora-
tion attended the meeting. The text of this letter is the result
of the notes taken at the meeting and subsequent consideration
of the overall problem.
1. General Comments
Pollution costs in Massachusetts estuaries are reflected in
everything from peeling paint on houses near some marine cess-
pools to the loss of shellfish and finfish that will become in-
creasingly important in this protein-short world, whose population
continues to explode.
As the discharge rate of pollutants has increased, it has be-
come increasingly evident that contaminants do not dissolve and
disappear when refuse-laden river water meets the sea in the
estuary. Some estuaries, particularly on the Massachusetts North
Shore, have become notorious for their sludge loads. Evidence
indicates that tidal action tends to keep pollutants penned in
some estuaries, reducing the dissipation rate to a low point that
results in concentration rather than dilution. There have been
too few investigations into the true nature of what happens in
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Dept. of Interior 2. 10/21/68
estuaries in general, and far too few investigations of individual
estuaries to give one much confidence in applying generalized
knowledge to a specific and problematical estuary.
It is to be hoped that this study group will receive enough
information on the possible human health hazards related to
polluted estuaries so that it can stimulate a serious investiga-
tion into this aspect. It is our impression from the few reports
and comments pertaining to possible health hazards that far too
little is known about this area.
2. Specific Comments
To date the problem of estuarine pollution has not been
studied on a quantitative basis, nor has the subject been at-
tacked in a properly scientific manner. On the one hand there
is an emotionally charged feeling that "pollution is terrible",
which certainly appears to be true from the end result ; and on
the other there is the attitude of "business as usual", which
means that any specific industry or organization will exert every
effort to avoid any serious study of the problem, which in the
end might result in a financial penalty to their operation.
There are in existence in the United States generally and
more specifically in Massachusetts, organizations which are dedi-
cated to scientific attacks on problems such as these and which
have no financial stake in the ultimate recommendations which may
be made. Such organizations can make quantitative evaluations
which would include financial costs of estuarine pollution con-
trol, health hazard, and even esthetic value.
If it were possible to avoid an emotionally charged type
of report and to concentrate on a scientifically based investi-
gation of the problem, a realistic attack on the matter of estua-
rine pollution control might result.
3. Suggestions
Since it is practically impossible to study this kind of a
problem on a piecemeal basis, it would appear that some sort of
federal approval and funding of such a study is desirable, even
though specific examples will also fall within the jurisdiction
of a particular state or municipality. It is the recommendation
of the Scientific Analysis Corporation that the "study" be directed
toward the establishment of more than one study contract , ade-
quately funded, with organizations which have no direct financial
involvement in the outcome of such studies.
Very sincerely yours,
K. C. Black
KCB:SHW President
SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS CORPORATION
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SOUTHEASTERN MASSA
REGIONAL PLANNING
MOUTH MAIN STREET, FALL RIVER, MASS. 02720 TIL (617) 478-3W1
October 28,1968
Mr. John S. Farlow
Regional Coordinator
national Estuarine Pollution Study
Horth Atlantic Water Quality Management Center
Edison, New Jersey 08817
Dear Mr. Parlow:
The invitation we received from your agency inviting us to
Srticipate m a public meeting on the impact of pollution
5n coastal waters held on October 8 included an invitation
to submit a written statement. I was not able to participate
in vour public meeting and unfortunately have not been able
to put together a statement that I think would be useful
to you.
Although I had intended to submit a statement before your
October 28 deadline I realized that I have no concrete
information at this time to benefit your study. Our District
is currently doing a two year regional water and sewer
master plan study which will undoubtedly provide the kind
of information on estuary pollution that you are seeking.
At the moment we have just completed the inventory phase
of this study and the consultant's inventory report is now
bein* reviewed. I could make a copy of this report available
to vou if you thought it might contribute to your study of
estuaries. However, I think in a few months time we will
have more useful information resulting from the analysis and
Planning phase of this study. If you can wait until then I
think we could make a useful contribution. Also currently
our District is undergoing reorganization and the staff has
been too busy to collect information of the type you suggested.
T might say in summarizing our situation that our regional
planning district has at least ten 4*43* estuaries listed as
follows: Tl**
Taunton River and Mt. Hope Bay
Westport River, east and west branch
Slocum River, Dartmouth
Apponogansett River
Acushnet River and New Bedford Harbor
ATTLEBORO • BERKLEY - DARTMOUTH • DWHTON - FAIRHAVEN • FALL RIVER • FREETOWN • LAKEVIUE
- MARION • MATTAPOI8ETT - MIDOLEBOROUOH • NEW BEDFORD • NORTH ATTLEBOROUQH - NORTON
R1HOBOTH • SEEKONK • SOMERSET • SWANSEA • TAUNTON • WAREHAM - WESTPORT
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Mr. John S. Farlow
Page Two
October 28,1968
Mattapoisett Harbor
Sippican Harbor
Wewantic River
Wareham River
Onset Bay
The population dwelling in communities located on these
estuaries exceeds 300,000 with substantial increases in the
summer. The population residing in the drainage basins
tributary to these estuaries exceeds one-half million. There
is no doubt that these estuaries are one of the most
valuable resources of our region, yet because of pollution
of untreated domestic and industrial wastes they are
providing far less than their full potential in benefits.
I also wish to note that nearly all of the communities
adjacent to these estuaries are in the process of planning
or constructing new sewage disposal facilities or other
improvements to their sewerage systems. These improvements
will take a number of years to complete and a vast amount
of money, much of which is being provided by the Federal
government. It would appear that much of the pollution in
our estuaries will be alleviates in time when and as these
sewerage facilities are completed. Possibly it is a
question of national priorities how soon the problem of
pollution of estuaries in coastal waters is corrected. I
realize that this is an oversimplified view of this very
complex situation and that we need studies such as yours
to define the problems and suggest solutions. We undoubtedly
need better knowledge of the hydrological forces operating
in our estuaries. We also need more knowledge about the
affects of chemicals which in recent times have been discharged
in increasing quantities into estuaries. **
I will be happy to cooperate with you in this important study
if your schedule will allow me to contribute something at a
later time.
Very truly yours,
William E. Barbour
Executive Director
WEBtac
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WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
WOODS HOLE. MASSACHUSETTS O2S43
AREA CODI 6I7-548-14OO
October 30, 1968
Ifr. John S. Farlow
Regional Coordinator
National Estuarine Pollution Study
North Atlantic Water Quality Management Center
Edison, New Jersey 08817
Dear Mr. Farlow:
Re: National Estuarine Pollution Study
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has long been interested
In coastal and estuarine waters and in problems relating to their
pollution. Extensive chemical, physical, and biological studies have
been undertaken in Great South Bay, Long Island, and Great Pond and
Oyster Pond, Falmouth, Mass. Less extensive studies have been made
in numerous other locales including Bristol Harbor, Rhode Island,
Boston Harbor, Mass., New York Harbor and Long Island Sound, N. Y.
In addition, we have been engaged in long-term studies of beach
erosion, the residual current system, and the geological resources of
the entire continental shelf of Eastern United States.
We have, throughout the history of the Institution, worked closely
with the various State and Federal agencies which have been concerned
with water pollution and we look forward to the establishment of new
programs of mutual interest with FWPCA. At the time of this writing,
we have pending three research proposals with your agency, and we
anticipate increasing activity along these lines as our contribution
to estuarine pollution study.
In connection with the general subject of estuarine pollution, we
would like to emphasize the following points:
1. The deleterious effects of heavy and long-term pollution are
easily recognized. By that time, however, the damage may be irrepar-
able and the ecological change to the environment irreversible. It
is essential, therefore, to recognize pollution in its earliest stages
through sensitive and extensive monitoring systems. Additional R and
D work is needed for the development of such monitoring systems with
the sensitivity and capability of detecting pollution in its many
different forms and at its earliest stages. Of equal importance is
the training of personnel to employ and maintain such systems as they
become available.
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2. In addition to the obvious chemical and biological effects
of pollution, there are many other, more subtile but perhaps equally
damaging effects to the environment. For example, the slow accumu-
lation of pesticides in certain marine fishes may affect reproduction
of the entire population. Release of chemicals in minute concen-
trations (parts per billion) may interfere with natural substances
which influence or control such processes as migration, mating, or
food location in marine populations. Such cause-and-effect relation-
ships cannot be detected through environmental surveys alone, even
after the fact, but require for their elucidation a combination of
careful laboratory and field investigation.
3. All man-made alterations or additions to the environment
are not necessarily bad. There is good reason to believe that the
high levels of shellfish production currently realized in Chesapeake
Bay and parts of Long Island are due to the fertilization of these
waters by domestic sewage. Thermal alterations resulting from the
discharge of industrial cooling-water systems may be lethal in Florida
but highly beneficial in New England. Acid-iron wastes dumped in the
offing of New York Harbor appear to attract fish for reasons which
are not understood. It is therefore essential that the problems of
man's interaction with his environment be approached with an open
mind and with a positive attitude rather than the purely negative
philosophy usually implied by the term "pollution".
Promising research is underway in California in which algae are
being grown in sewage wastes and harvested for cattle feed, with
astounding yields. Oyster growers are experimenting with the culture
of oysters in the heated cooling waters of a local power company.
It is our opinion that FWPCA should concern itself with those
potentially constructive and beneficial applications as well as the
purely negative aspects of pollution.
4. We believe that we can, at present, more readily predict
both long and short-term changes in the deep-sea environment than in
the estuaries, where the greatest ranges and most rapid changes in
temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrient chemicals, and
current speeds occur and where there is great variability from place
to place. A true understanding of the estuarine environment of the
entire U. S. coastline requires an investigative program of an
intensity and sophistication which is well beyond the present man-
power capabilities of this country.
We are encouraged by the vigorous local estuarine survey program
being conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries
and are aware of similar programs by both State and Federal agencies
being conducted elsewhere. More of this type of work needs to be
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carried out. Additional financial support as well as training programs
to provide the needed manpower are essential for achieving these
objectives.
5. Surveys of estuarine areas, evaluation of beneficial or
harmful effects of human alteration, determination of tolerances and
more subtile biological effects are not tasks which one or two agencies
or institutions can accomplish alone. We would suggest that schools,
colleges, and universities located near the coast which are develop-
ing programs in the marine sciences be made constantly aware of their
Opportunities for developing educational and research programs in
the estuarine area. Locally, through the Massachusetts Association
of Marine Science, an affiliation of Massachusetts colleges, we
believe that we can recruit excellent resources for research in these
endeavors .
.ncerely yours,
John H. Rythe'r
Chairman
Department of Biology
jHR:ahg
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Remarks made at public meeting on
Impact of Pollution on Coastal and Eatuarine Waters
October 8, 1968 Boston, Mass.
My name is Donald R. F. Harleman, Professor of Civil Engineering at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I am associated with the Hydrodynamics
and Water Resources Division of the Department of Civil Engineering, where I
am in charge of teaching and research in the field of water quality.
M.I.T. has had a long history of education and research in the area of
water pollution control. Much of this activity has been supported by the Federal
Water Pollution Control Administration and its predecessor the Public Health Service.
I am firmly of the opinion that the university research grant program of the F.W.P.C!A.
is one of the most effective national programs for advancing our ability to achieve
control of pollution. I would urge the Congress to continue an expanding program of
university research grants. The important dual benefits of this activity should be
recognized in the sense not only of research accomplishment, but of attraction and
training of engineers to the field.
Our present research program is centered around the determination of the
distribution and decay of pollutants discharged into lakes, rivers, estuaries
and coastal areas. In addition to the consideration of municipal and industrial
wastes, heated effluents from thermal and nuclear power plants are also under study
One of the F.W.P.C.A. supported research programs is investigating the fate of
pollutants discharged into the Potomac and James River estuaries of Chesapeake
Bay. This study involves an advanced level of mathematical modelling in which
the convective effect of the instantaneous, non-linear tidal velocities are
considered. The complete momentum and mass balance equations are solved on a
digital computer to give a description of water quality parameters as a function
of time and distance for multiple input locations.
In terms of local problems, we have recently completed a model investiga-
tion of the temperature distribution resulting from heated condenser water dls- v
charge from a proposed nuclear power station on Cape Cod Bay. The effect of pop-
ulation development on pollution problems In Boston Harbor is also under active
study.
A list of recent publications relating to research on estuary pollution
problems follows:
1. D. R. F. Harleman and J.A. Hoopes, "The Prediction of Salinity
Intrusion Changes in Partially Mixed Estuaries", Proceedings of
the 10th Congress. International Association for Hydraulic Research,
September, 1963.
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2. D. R. F. Harleman, "The Significance of Longitudinal Dispersion
in Che Analysis of Pollution in Estuaries", Proceedings 2nd
International Conference on Water Pollution Research. Tokyo,
August, 1964, (Pergammon Press).
3. D. R. F. Harleman, E. R. Holley, Jr., and W. C. Huber, "Inter-
pretation of Water Pollution Data from Tidal Estuary Models",
Proceedings of Third International Conference on Water Pollution
Research. Section III, Paper No. 3, Munich, September, 1966,
(Perganmon Press).
4. D. R. F. Harleman and G. Abraham, "One-Dimensional Analysis of
Salinity Intrusion in the Rotterdam Waterway", Delft Hydraulics
Laboratory. Publication No. 44, October, 1966.
5. D. R. F. Harleman, L. F. Corona and E. Partheniades, "An Analysis
of Salinity Distribution in the Straits of Maracaibo", Proceedings
of the 12th Congress. International Association for Hydraulic Research.
Ft. Collins, September, 1967.
6. D. R. F. Harleman and C. H. Lee, "Numerical Studies of Unsteady
Dispersion in Estuaries", Proceedings A.S.C.E.. Vol. 94, No. SA5,
October, 1968.
7. D. R. F. Harleman and A. T. Ippen, "Two-Dimensional Aspects of
Salinity Intrusion in Estuaries: Analysis of Salinity and Velocity
Distributions", Technical Bulletin No. 13, Committee on Tidal Hydraulics.
Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, June, 1967.
g. D. R. F. Harleman, L. C. Hall and T. Gray Curtis, "Thermal Diffusion
of Condenser Water in a River During Steady and Unsteady Flows with
Application to the T.V.A. Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant", Technical
Report No. Ill, Hydrodynamics Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineer-
ing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., September,
1968.
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STATEMENT OF HOWARD WHITMORE, JK.
COMMISSIONER, METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COMMISSION
FOR THE NATIONAL ESTUAKINE POLLUTION STUDY
CHARTER ROOM, NEW ENGLAND LIFE BUILDING
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
OCTOBER 8, 1968
AT THE BOSTON HARBOR ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE, HELD IN HISTORIC FANEUIL HALL
LAST MAY, I STATED THAT THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COMMISSION'S AMBITIOUS POLLUTION
CONTROL PROGRAM HAS MADE GREAT PROGRESS IN RESTORING BOSTON HARBOR AND ITS THREE
MAIN RIVER TRIBUTARIES, THE CHARLES, THE MYSTIC, AND THE NEPONSET, TO THE BENEFIT
AND ENJOYMENT OF METROPOLITAN BOSTON'S CITIZENS. SINCE THAT MEETING, WITH THE
INITIAL OPERATION OF THE DEER ISLAND TREATMENT PLANT, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
HEALTH HAS REOPENED CLAM FLATS IN BOSTQN HARBOR AND FOR THE FIRST SUMMER WITHIN
RECENT MEMORY THERE WERE NO THREATS TO CLOSE ANY OF THE BATHING BEACHES DUE TO
POLLUTION FROM EITHER OF THE COMMISSION'S NUT AND DEER ISLAND SEWAGE TREATMENT
PLANTS*.
RESIDENTS OF METROPOLITAN BOSTON ARE INDEED FORTUNATE TO HAVE, CLOSE AT HAND
MANY MILES OF OCEAN SHORELINE IN CONTRAST TO THAT AVAILABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF MOST
OTHER DENSELY POPULATED AREAS OF THE COUNTRY.
ABOUT 100 MILES, OR 57. OF THE 2,000 MILES OF OCEAN COASTLINE IN MASSACHUSETTS
ARE PUBLICLY OWNED. TWENTY MILES OF THIS PUBLICLY OWNED OCEAN FRONTAGE ARE IN STATS
OWNERSHIP AND THE REMAINING 80 MILES CONTROLLED BY MUNICIPALITIES. PUBLIC OCEAN AND
BAYSIDE BEACHES IN THE BOSTON METROPOLITAN AREA ARE PRIMARILY DAY-USE RECREATIONAL
BATHING AND SWIMMING FACILITIES. WE ESTIMATE THAT OVER TWELVE MILLION PEOPLE
UTILIZE THE COMMISSION'S SALT-KATSk BEACHES DURING THE RECREATIONAL SEASON,
IN 1,904, THE CHARLES RIVER BASIN WAS CREATED BY THE ERECTION OF A DAM AT THE
MOUTH OF THE RIVER. THE BENEFICIAL IMPACT OF THIS BASIN ON THE DEVELOPMENT OP
ADJACENT AREAS AHU METROPOLITAN BObxuN IS OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE. TKS COMMISSION
RECENTLY COMPLETED THE AMELIA EARHEART DAM NEARXTHE MOUTH OF THE MYSTIC RIVER.
U
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THE FUTURE VALUE 0? THIS BASIN, UPON COMPLETION OF SOME MORE DEVELOPMENT WORK,
GIVES EVERY INDICATION TO BE AS GREAT \AS THE CHARLES RIVER BASIN. PRELIMINARY
PROPOSALS FOR THE ERECTION OF A DAM AT THE MOUTH OF THE NEPONSET HAVE BEEN MADE
By INTERESTED PARTIES AND WHETHER A FINAL STUDY WILL INDICATE THAT A DAM SHOULD
BE ERECTED OR NOT IS NOT KNOWN AT THIS TIKE.
THE COMMISSION BELIEVES THAT THE CONTROL OF THESE RIVER ESTUARIES, IN A
METROPOLITAN AREA, CAN BEST BE ACCOMPLISHED BY CENTRALIZING THE AUTHORITY IN ONE
GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY LIKE THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COMMISSION. THE PROBLEMS OF
EROSION, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT, MAINTAINING AND CONTROLLING ESTUARIES IN A
METROPOLITAN AREA ARE FAR MORE COMPLICATED AND COMPLEX THAN IN A RURAL AREA. THE
MANY LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES CONCERNED WITH THE CONDITION OF BOSTON
HARBOR AND ITS TIDAL ESTUARIES INDICATE A NEW AWARENESS OF THE CONCERN THAT PEOPLE
FEEL FOR THE PROPER MAINTENANCE AND CONDITIONS OF ALL WATERS, BOTH SALT AND FRESH.
WITH FULL REALIZATION OF THE TREMENDOUS IMPORTANCE THAT CONTROL OF OUR
ENVIRONMENT HAS ON THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF SOCIETY IN GENERAL AND ON METRO-
POLITAN CITIZENS IN PARTICULAR, THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COMMISSION LAUNCHED A
HUGE POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAM IN 1945 THAT IS NOW IN THE FINAL STAGES OF COMPLE-
TON INITIAL POSITIVE RESULTS WERE EVIDENT IN THE SUMMER OF 1951 WHEN THE
EFFLUENT FROM THE THEN RECENTLY COMPLETED NUT ISLAND SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT WAS
CHLORINATED AND LONG STANDING PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARDS IN THii QUINCY SHORE AREAS
WERE ELIMINATED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, A DANGEROUS PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD IN THE
VALLEY OF ALEWIFE BROOK WAS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL BY CONSTRUCTION OF A PUMPING
STATION. DURING THE SUCCEEDING YEARS, OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM WERE PUT
INTO OPERATION AS THEY BECAME AVAILABLE AND, AS I ANNOUNCED AT XILi BOSTON HARBOR
ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE LAST MAY, THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT FACILITY OF THE
ENTIRE PROGRAM, THE DEER ISLAND SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT, BECAME OPERATIVE.
MUCH HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, YET ADDED PROJECTS MUST BE UNDERTAKEN IN THE
FURTHERANCE OF THE OVERALL CONTROL PROGRAM. INFORMATION IS URGENTLY NEEDED BY
AGENCIES SIMILAR TO THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COMMISSION ON HOW BEST TO CONTROL
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THE ESTUAUINE WATERS, ESPECIALLY IN A METROPOLITAN AREA. DETAILED INFORMATION IS :
NEEDED ON THE FERTILIZATION EFFECT OF THE DISCHARGE OF TREATED EFFLUENT INTO A
MARINE ENVIRONMENT.
DETAILED INFORMATION IS NEEDED ON THE VARIOUS CONDITIONS OF WATER MOVEMENT
AND BOTTOM TOPOGRAPHY.
DETAILED INFORMATION IS ALSO NEEDED ON THE EFFECTIVE MIXING OF TREATED
EFFLUENTS AND SEA WATER AND THE PROBABLE EFFECTS ON THE RECEIVING WATER.
PARAMETERS MUST BE ESTABLISHED BY RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES THAT ARE REALISTIC
AND ATTAINABLE WITHIN THE ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK OF TODAY'S SOCIETY.
THE WIDE AND PROMPT DISSEMINATION OF THE RESULTS OF THIS 'ESTUARINE STUDY'
BEING CARRIED OUT BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, F.W.P.C.A. WHj
BE OF SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE TO AGENCIES LIKE OURS. WE ENTHUSIASTICALLY AND
EAGERLY JOIN WITH YOU. ALL OF OUR FACILITIES AND EXPERIENCE ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR
COMMON TASK TO CONTROL ESTUARIES FOR THE BENEFIT AND ENJOYMENT OF EVERYONE.
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FIVE JOY STREET, BOSTON
October 8, 1968
tester M. Klashman, Regional Director
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
<% public Meeting
Charter Room, New England Life Building
Boston, Massachusetts
Dear Mr. Klashman:
The following statement is submitted for inclusion in the written
record of October 8th meeting on behalf of the Appalachian Mountain Club,
5 joy Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108, the oldest mountain public
service organization in this hemisphere and founded in 1876. The Club
nas a long and distinguished record of interest in the natural resources
Of this country, and in particular New England. We have been and are a
member of many local and regional conservation councils and associations
including the Massachusetts Conservation Council.
For a good many years among the varied activities of our Club has
been an active program of both flat and white-water canoeing, some of
it involving tidal rivers and basins. Our expertise in this field in-
cludes the publication of a comprehensive 563 page New England river
guide entitled "The A. M. C. New England Canoeing Guide, A guide to the
canoeable waterways of New England." Since this book is a reasonably
complete inventory of these rivers, we are pleased to submit with this
gtatetnent three copies of the latest 1968 edition for the future work
_£ your commission.
We especially call your attention to that part of the Introduction
under "Conservation" on pages x and xi in the front. In addition please
note the section entitled "Rhode Island - Massachusetts Coast" starting
on page 426. From this section we submit the three following brief de-
scriptions of Massachusetts tidal rivers to point out the beauties as
well a8 tne ugliness of our coastal estuarine problems:
HERRING RIVER - Page 461
'-The Herring River is a tidal estuary as far
up as the fish ladder at the end of the unnamed pond
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-2-
just south of the railroad tracts. - - - Above this
point it is a freshvater stram with negligible current.
- - - - Since much of the navigable portion is tidewater,
it is advisable to pick a favorable tide, and a round
trip makes a good day's outing."
NORTH RIVER - Pages 466-67
" - - - A pleasant day's canoeing may be enjoyed by
using the ebb tide to run down the river in the
morning, picknicking on the beach near the mouth and
returning up stream on the flood tide. A variation
of this would be to return up the South River (q.v.)
to Marshfield."
NEPONSET RIVER - Page 470
" The Neponset River rises in Foxboro and flows north
into Dorchester Bay in Boston Harbor. Formerly a
pretty stream it has been much spoiled by pollution
and urbanization, so that there is today little to
recommend it for canoeing other than its proximity
to Boston. It is best run in the spring, but sur-
prisingly enough much of it can be run at other seasons.*
This publication has found extensive use and acceptance by the canoe-
ing public in the northeast. It has been widely reviewed in many outdoor
publications. The following excerpts from a review in MAZAMA, September
1968, the monthly Journal of Oregon's largest mountain Club, clearly
states the problem that faces all concerned officials, groups and in-
dividuals on improving the future of New England's rivers and their
intinately-related coastal estuarine areas.
" There is a certain kind of nut who enjoys reading
out-of-town telephone books, pouring over street map
of places like Wheeling, West Virginia or Rio de
Janeiro, or studying climber's guides to mountains
that they know they will never see. To this kind of
nut, I highly recommend the A. M. C. New England
Canoeing Guide (Appalachian Mountain Club, 2nd ed-
ition, 1968)."
" At the same time that it is an overall guide to its
subject, this book is a description of it, an encyclo-
paedic review of all the major waters that drain one
region of the United States. After only a little
browsing, one begins to be aware of a terrible truth:
the waterways of New England, taken as a whole, are
in a foul and dismal state. They are dammed, choked,
polluted, hemmed in with concrete, closed over by
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-3-
bridges, used as dumps and garbage pits, or made
erratic in their flow by deforestation. It may
be possible to open the book to one of its 550
pages and not find the word "darn," but it is not
easy."
* It is tempting for an Oregonian to feel smug.
Back there they don't care about their rivers. They
are stunted in spirit and ugly in soul^and have
degraded their rivers to mirror themselves. Yet we
should not forget that they have been camped on their
landscape some 200 years longer than we. We are for-
tunate that we have a margin of time left for de-
spoiling our waterways. We started late, but we are
working hard at it."
" Perhaps as long as there are as many as six miles
of "very attractive" river left in Rhode Island (I
counted them on the map), there is wilderness. But
what will happen when all the rivers everywhere have
been dammed, all the waterpower harnessed, and all
its flow gone underground into pipes and sewers?"
Sincerely yours,
D. Avery * C. Francis Belcher
Conservation Committee Executive Director
129
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TELEPHONE S23-2454
October §, 1968
Mr. John S. Parlow
Regional Coordinator, National
Estuarine Pollution Study
North Atlantic Water Quality
Management Center
Edison, New Jersey 08817
Dear Mr. Farlow:
In reference to your letter inviting our participation
in a public meeting on the impact of pollution on coastal
and estuarine waters, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council
is pleased to register the following statements:
1. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is the state
agency charged with the responsibility for comprehensive
regional planning including open space and recreation
planning for the Boston metropolitan area. The
Council has prepared a plan and program for Boston
Harbor including the shoreline from Winthrop to Hull,
and the Harbor islands.
2. Boston Harbor is the most spacious recreational area
in the region and the one closest to the most densely
populated areas of metropolitan Boston. Revitaliza-
tion of the Harbor would offer unlimited recreational
opportunities for residents of the urban core.
3. The Council, in its Open Space Program, has established
several major goals relative to Boston Harbor: to
assure that future uses of harbor lands and islands
will be appropriate to their unique location; to
conserve and protect the coastline and related land
and water resources; to restore and protect the
water quality in the Harbor; to provide access to
the shore with emphasis on pedestrian access to the
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- 2 -
Mr. John S. Farlow October 9, 1968
water's edge; to acquire or protect salt marshes and
their related wetlands; to control shore development
in such a way as to enhance the Harbor's inherent
beauty; and to develop recreational areas suitable
to shore locations.
In order to protect and develop Boston Harbor, a
program of water quality control must be continued.
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council has endorsed
the Water Resources Commission's B rating for
Boston Harbor ( excluding the Inner Harbor) and
its estuarine waters. This classification would
make Harbor waters suitable for all water contact
sports, agricultural and certain industrial cooling
and processing uses, fish and wildlife habitat, and
excellent aesthetic value.
In order to best utilize the Harbor's scenic and
natural resources, the Council recommends that a
program of pollution abatement be undertaken on
local, state and federal levels. The following
participants can be particularly instrumental in
an effective program of this type.
a. Each city and town adjacent to the Harbor should
establish waterfront districts as part of its
zoning bylaws as a protective measure in
regulating land uses along the shore. The
bylaws should contain setback and landscaping
requirements, a design-review procedure, and
other controls common to zoning ordinances.
b. The Department of Natural Resources should
continue its responsibility for a vigorous
pollution abatement program. In addition, the
DNR should make its technical resource manage-
ment expertise available to other agencies con-
cerned with development of shore areas, and as
much as possible encourage interagency cooperation.
c. The Department of Public Works through its Division
of Waterways has the responsibility for the planning,
construction and control of beaches, harbor
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- 3 -
Mr. John S. Farlow October 9, 1968
improvement and other ocean and inland projects.
Harbor pollution control should be included in
all future programs.
d. The Massachusetts Port Authority has a responsibility
to the entire Harbor area and its adjacent
communities to encourage maximum efficient and
attractive use of an outstanding resource.
e. The Metropolitan District Commission has made
recent achievements in pollution abatement by
constructing two sewage treatment plants, one
at Nut Island, the other at Deer Island. Althbugh
both are completely operational, the MDC alone
cannot adequately treat the pollution problem in
Boston Harbor.
f. Local groups through cooperation, participation
and support can help to initiate necessary
legislation and financing of anti-pollution pro-
gram. In addition, they would be beneficial in
assuring that public programs are responsive to
private and individual needs.
6. The success of pollution control, will depend largely
on public support for programs ranging from costly
sewage treatment to proper sanitary devices in small
craft. Other costs will include modern solid waste
disposal services, clean and efficient port develop-
ment, and control over illegal dumping and filling.
Federal and State funds are available to local conservation
commissions for the protection of coastal wetlands and other
important resources.
We feel that Boston Harbor and its associated islands
could offer unmatched recreational opportunities to the region
which it serves. In order to realize its full potential,
a continued program of water quality control for Boston
Harbor and its estuarine waters is essential. Improvement
and recreational development will not be possible without
this initial step.
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- 4 -
Mr. John S. Farlow October 9, 1968
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is pleased to
have participated in your forum on pollution abatement,
commends your efforts to include all agencies and interested
groups in this discussion of mutual concern, and urges
immediate action to restore full use of this irreplaceable
resource.
Sincerely yours.
sbert G. Davidson
Executive Director
RGDsCp
133
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BOSTON EDISON COMPANY
An Investor-owned electric utility serving more than one
and one-half million people in the forty cities and towns
which comprise Metropolitan Boston.
This is a statement for a public mneting on the impact of
pollution on coastal and estuarine waters in Massachusetts.
This meeting is sponsored by Federal Water Pollution Control
Administration, National Estuarine Pollution Study, at
Boston, Massachusetts, October 8, 1968.
Gentlemen, I am Francis L. Archibald, a registered professional engineer In
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and I am the Environmental Engineer for
the Boston Edison Company.
The coastal and estuarine waters and their resources are vitally important to
everyone and must be kept in good usable condition. Boston Edison Company*3
particular use of these waters is to provide abundant cooling water for our
power stations and also to provide navigable waterways for fuel delivery.
We are concerned with the quality of the water available to us. We are
equally concerned with maintaining the quality of this vital water so its
identity as a valuable resource will not be destroyed and so. it will be
suitable for use by others.
Growth of electric load and need for more generating stations means increased
usage of the natural resources to meet the electrical requirements of the
people we are committed to serve. Because of varying local conditions, regula-
tion of water quality should be vested in the smallest jurisdiction - local
state or regional - capable of accomplishing the desired purpose. Necessary
regulations and quality standards should be established only after careful
determination and evaluation of the facts and in light of control methods
that are technically and economically feasible and fair to all.
With a spirit of cooperation and support, Boston Edison Company is in accord
with the overall objectives of the National Estuarine Pollution Study.
134
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CAPE COD
PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
BOX 23
HYANNIS, MASS. O26O1
TELEPHONE: 77*4832
October 8, 1968
He. John S. Farlow
Hortheaat Regional Office, FWPGA
Horth Atlantic Water Qual. Man. Gen.
Edison, New Jersey 088UO
Dear Mr. Farlow t
I am enclosing herewith two papers which are being submitted as a Batter of record
for the National Estoarine Pollution Study. One of the papers entitled Impact ot
Pollution on our Coastal Waters has been prepared at my request by the shellfish
warden of the Town of Falmouth, a Mr. Souza, whom you night be interested in con-
tacting directly. He is extremely knowledgeable about the matter of estuarine
pollution in the Town of Falmouth and has been engaged in a continuous dialogue
with local and state officials on the problems in his community.
The second paper designated as Technical Report, jfl. was prepared by me in the fall
of 1967 and as a form of reaction on the part of the Commission to the Water Qaality
Standards recently adopted by the Massachusetts Division of Water Pollution Control.
I would direct your attention specifically to pages nine thru eleven which summarises
the problem of pollution in our estoarine areas on Cape Cod. Let me, at this time,
remarks made in that report.
1. Pollution is minimal on Cape Cod at the present time.
2. The pollution of estuarine areas is attributable to two major sources.
(a) lack of adequate public sewerage systems in selected areas
where urban development is precipitating measureable
pollution of adjacent estuarine waters.
(b) Sewerage waste water, solid refuse and oil and gas
residues deposited in the estuarine waters directly
by pleasure watercraft.
3. The type of pollution identified under item (a) above is capable of
being solved at the local level and is, in fact, being solved currently.
U. Pollution identified under item (b) is capable of only being partially
solved at the local level; this would embrace such measures as the con-
struction of on-shore sewerage disposal facilities to directly serve
pleasure watercraft and strict enforcement of present ordinances dealing
with the offenses of said pleasure watercraft.
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5. That part of the estuarine pollution problem which
cannot be solved at the local level is the matter
of the mandatory installation of suitable watercraft
waste treatment and/or control facilities installed
by the manufacturer directly on the watercraft.
(see Watercraft Waste Disposal statement enclosed
herein) .
6. There remains a further aspect of the estuarine
pollution problem which is emerging and whose sol-
ution cannot, as yet, be properly assigned to either
the local or federal level — the contribution of gas
and oil residues to esturine pollution and more,
particularly, their effect upon finfish, in general,
and on shellfish, specifically.
I trust that the information included herein will prove meaningful to your
studies and I would appreciate, whenever appropriate, further correspondence and
dialogue on the subject.
Very truly
E. Fletcher Davis
Executive Director
EFDtbc
enc.
136
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TECHNICAL REPORT NUMBER I
September 27, 1967
WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
A Brief Background Statement
on the
Massachusetts Pure Water Program of 1966
A Cursory Analyses of the Degree
of
Water Pollution on Cape Cod
137
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section I: Background ------------------------_i
A. Legislative- -----------------_---___j
B. General Policies ----------------__-___]_
C. Procedure for Follow-Up of the Implementation Program- - - _ 3
D. Surveillance Program ---------_--___-____3
Section II: The Nature of the Water Pollution Problem on Cape Cod - - _ 4
A. Existing Conditions- ------_------_-_____^
B. Implications and Conclusions --------________
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SECTION I. BACKGROUND
The following information has been extracted verbatim from a publication of the
Water Resources Commission entitled: Volume I - Water guality Standards, Laws,
Policy & Standards, dated June 20, 1967.
A. Legislative
"On September 6, 1966 the Massachusetts Legislature enacted Chapter 685
creating the Division of Water Pollution Control under the Water Resources Com-
mission in the Department of Natural Resources to administer and enforce all of
the requirements of a comprehensive State water pollution control program.
"Chapter 687 provides for a 10 year $150 million dollar bond issue to com-
plement available Federal construction aid to assist the local communities in
constructing required waste treatment facilities." (This chapter has been re-
vised and is presently being discussed in the Senate; the revision in the bill
Or chapter provides for monies to be advanced to communities for final plans.)
"Chapter 700 calls for a workable exemption from the local property tax
for any real or tangible personal property used for waste treatment purposes by
industry, (adopted)
"Chapter 701 allows an accelerated depreciation allowance for state corpor-
tc tax purposes for the capital investment made by a corporation in an approved
waste treatment, (adopted)
"The provisions of these four legislative acts are presently being imple-
mented by the Division of Water Pollution Control and are in consonance with
the basic intent of the Federal Water Quality Act of 1965 and the Clean Waters
Restoration Act of 1966."
B. General Policies
The following general policies of the Division of Water Pollution Control are
aa follows:
"1. Classification of all waters of the Commonwealth is for the express
purpose to establish water quality goals commensurate with the anti-
cipated future uses of the subject water and also that considered
attainable by superior technological programs of waste treatment.
The classifications designated in the submission to the Secretary are
considered to be those that will be attained over the first phase of
this program or within a five to seven year period depending on the
availability of federal appropriations.
"2. All waste sources on fresh waters will be required to be treated to
the secondary level regardless of the stream classification assigned.
Secondary treatment will generally refer to biological treatment as
applicable and/or its industrial wastes treatment equivalent all as
determined by the Division of Water Pollution Control. Secondary
treatment efficiencies shall range from 80 to 95% BOD removal with
correspondingly similar removals on other waste parameters. On coast-
al and marine waters the degree of treatment required will be that
139
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which will attain the particular classification set on the area
waters."
"3. Tertiary treatment may be required where the estimated increased bene-
ficial water uses can be shown to be economically justifiable. Class-
ifications are not to be considered as immutable. After waste treat-
ment facilities are instituted continuing programs of surveillance
combined with improvements in technology may indicate reclassification
to a higher use class should be made.
"4. Classification review on D and C streams will be made after completion
of the first phase of this program. Classifications shall be made on
wet weather considerations in regard to bacteriological control in
order to provide the maximum amount of protection insofar as the pub-
lic is concerned.
"5. The Massachusetts compliance program will be tied to a chronological
time period associated with those amounts of federal and state aid
that is made available.
"6. Section 27 of Chapter 685 describes the responsibilities of the Divi-
sion in regards to comprehensive planning for water pollution control.
"7. It is the policy of the Division whenever low classifications are en-
countered, the application of which was required by particularly
difficult technological problems, that research and development funds
expended to provide for the upgrading of those waters so classified.
"8. Where serious water quality control problems are the result of low
dependable flows consideration will be given to the need for and value
of storage for waters to be used for low flow augmentation, contingent
upon the requirements of Section 39, of Chapter 685 of the Massachu-
setts Acts of 1966."
C. Procedure for Follow-Up of Implementation Program
"1. Each polluter listed in the plan of implementation will be informed
in writing of the provisions of the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act
and the schedule established by the Division for the abatement of
pollution. Each will be required to indicate in writing their agree-
ment to proceed with the program in accordance with the schedule.
"2. In the event of failure of the polluter to indicate their agreement
with the schedule, or failure or to subsequently fail to comply with
the schedule, the Division will take appropriate action under the
provisions of the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act to effect compliance.
"3. If it is shown that any scheduled date or dates cannot be met because
of circumstances beyond the control of the polluter the schedule will
be adjusted and the Federal Water Pollution Control Agency so noti-
fied."
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"4. If subsequent investigation or surveys disclose a relevant source oE
pollution, the source will be added to the plan and the Federal Water
Pollution Control Agency so notified.
"5. A potential source of pollution (municipality) may be added if pre-
liminary reports show that a sewerage and treatment facility are
needed to prevent the degradation of the waters of the Commonwealth."
D. Surveillance Program
"The maintenance and protection of the quality of the waters of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts during the water pollution control implementation phase can only
be assured by a meaningful surveillance program. The Massachusetts surveillance
program will be divided into 3 specific areas of concentration in order to pro-
vide a comprehensive, intensive and meaningful program for the protection of our
vital resources. The 3 areas of concentration are complementary in nature and
are described as follows:
"1. Stream Surveys
Stream surveys will be organized and operated on a seasonal basis in
areas where water quality information is lacking or out of date. The
primary function of these surveys will be to ascertain what type and
degree of treatment will be required for attainment of the water qua-
lity classifications and standards adopted on the subject waters. It
is anticipated that 2-4 such sanitary surveys will be made a year
during the critical dry weather period.
"2. Waste Treatment Plant Surveillance
A second and integral part of the Massachusetts surveillance program
will be the supervision of the operation of all waste treatment works.
Analyses of waste treatment effluents will be made on a routine basis
for Dissolved Oxygen, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, pH, alkalinity, and
solids in accordance with the latest and most recent acceptable stan-
dard methods. In certain specific cases CN~~, Cr+^ or other analyses
may be run as is required. District engineering personnel will be
responsible for the general operation of waste treatment plants and
routine analytical results and operational data will be submitted to
the central engineering office through the district engineers.
"3. Automatic Water Quality Monitoring Systems
A stream surveillance program utilizing automatic water quality mon-
itoring equipment including a data logger system will be employed
where previously instituted abatement programs have resulted in the
construction of waste treatment works and the critical downstream
water uses being protected justify a continuous record of upstream
water quality. It is anticipated that 6 robot stations will be em-
ployed for fiscal year 1968 having 6-7 parameters and telemetering
to a headquarters located data logger system.
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SECTION II. THE NATURE OF THE WATER POLLUTION PROBLEM ON CAPE COD
A. Existing Conditions
During the past several months, correspondence has been engaged in and/or dis-
cussions held with various Town officials and the Barnstable County Board of
Health for the purposes of clarifying the degree of water pollution on the Cape.
The information derived from this activity is summarized below by Town.
1, Bourne
An article in the Falmouth Enterprise on Friday, September 8, 1967
describes the fact that no pollution exists in the Town of Bourne at
the present time. The Shellfish officer also reported that no areas
were closed to shellfishing.
"Board of Health office has reported that tests taken twice a month
during the summer season, as is customary in Bourne, have shown that
the waters of Bourne have been free from pollution.
"In spite of the fact that marinas and moorings were crowded with
boats much of the time because of the poor weather tests taken by
technicians of the county laboratory in the waters and along the
beaches from the Falmouth line in Cataumet to Hideaway village at the
Wareham line have shown most satisfactory results. Residents of
Pocasset area had expressed concern from time to time with possible
pollution of Barlows river because of the heavy boat population in
the somewhat limited waters, however the test results in this river
have continuously shown excellent reports.
"The only exception to this situation was at one small fresh water
pond in the Queen Sewell area of Buzzards Bay which was contaminated
for a short time. The source was discovered and corrected immediate-
ly and the condition cleared up, making the pond again available for
use before the close of the season."
With respect to the Cape Cod Canal, the Barnstable County Board of
Health is of the opinion that there presently exists no measurable
degree of pollution in its waters. Some four years ago, immediately
prior to the Town's constructing a swimming pool adjacent to the
Canal in Buzzards Bay (which is served via a tidal gate on the Canal)
the County Board of Health conducted extensive tests of the Canal
waters and found little or no pollution. Tests are conducted regular-
ly of the water in the pool itself it is found to be free of contam-
inants .
The Water Resources Commission has classified the Canal as SB and
proposed it to remain at SB. No shellfishing activities are permit-
ted in the Canal per order of the Corps of Engineers.
2. Sandwich
The Old Harbor Creek and Dock Creek have been closed to shellfishing
(and condemned) by the State Department of Health because of an
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unreasonable degree of pollution. The problem is attributable to seep-
age from cesspools serving both residential and commercial users in
the area. There is also a situation where a certain commercial use
directly pipes its effluent into an adjacent creek. The present condi-
tion in terms of the water quality standard is SB according to the
Water Resources Commission.
Falmouth
There are three areas in Falmouth which are closed to shellfishing
for reasons of contamination. Falmouth Harbor, some kO acres; Little
Harbor, 38 acres and Eel Pond, 6 acres. There are also five areas
closed to shellfishing but for propagation reasons and much of the
propagating is being done with shellfish which has been transplanted
from the contaminated areas.
Those areas closed to shellfishing because of the propagation reasons
are Green Pond, Great Pond and Perch Pond, Quisset Harbor, Wild Har-
bor River and Bay Shores and Fresh Pond.
Eel Pond, which is in back of the Oceanographic Institute and access-
ible from the water only via a drawbridge, has just recently been
found to be free of any pollution by the County Board of Health.
Apparently, the problem was primarily attributable to seepage from
the cesspools in the area and they have been rebuilt. Thus, the area
could probably be opened up to shellfishing again. The Water Re-
sources Commission had classified it SB and had proposed a standard
of SA.
Little Harbor, while it is also a recreational boating harbor, has a
pollution problem that is primarily attributable to the U. S. Coast
Guard vessels. These ships serve as temporary quarters for the crew
when they are in port. Apparently, sewage is released into the water
from the ships regularly and possibly unavoidably. The State classi-
fies this body of water as SB and proposes it be upgraded to SA.
Falmouth Harbor, classified by the State as SC and proposed for up-
grading to SB is the major pollution problem in the Town. While
possibly some seepage from cesspools exists on the perimeter of the
harbor, the Selectmen are convinced that the major pollution is pri-
marily attributed to boats flushing their heads and disposing of
refuse overboard, and secondarily, to the heavy deposits of oils and
gas residues. Pollution decreases substantially during the winter
months when the harbor is idle as a recreational port.
Mashpee
There is no discernible pollution to either fresh or saltwater bodies
at the present time.
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5. Barnstable
There is only one area in the Town of Barnstable that is polluted to
the extent that the taking of shellfish is prohibited. That area is
in Lewis Bay in Hyannis at a point starting at the Hyannis Steamship
Line running to School Street and embracing that area lying north and
northwest of that line. This is, of course, the most intensively used
area in Lewis Bay with pleasure craft, fishing draggers and the steam-
ships all converging on this one point. The State did not specifical-
ly classify this body of water.
Contrary to some public sentiment, there is no measurable pollution
in the Barnstable Harbor marshes attributable to the Barnstable County
Sewage Disposal system at the present time. There is a regular sur-
veillance program conducted by the County Board of Health on this
facility including chlorination to preclude any contaminants affecting
shellfish in the nearby creeks.
6. Yarmouth
There is no discernible pollution in any of the fresh or saltwater
bodies of Yarmouth including Lewis Bay and Bass River. Both of these
latter two major bodies of water are subjected to adequate tidal
action to preclude, at least, at present levels of usage, measurable
pollution.
7. Dennis
There is no evidence of any fresh or saltwater pollution at the
present time in the Town of Dennis.
8. Brewster
There is no evidence of any fresh or saltwater pollution at the
present time in Brewster.
9. Harwich
Until just recently, the Herring River has been polluted and closed
to shellfishing. This pollution, for a number of years was attribut-
able to the Town Disposal Area located at the edge of Herring River
Marshes.
However, several years ago, a dike was constructed around the peri-
meter of the Disposal Area in an attempt to minimize the leaching of
contaminants into the River. According to tests conducted by the
County Board of Health this summer, all pollution has been abated in
the River and it could probably be reopened for shellfishing.
The Disposal Area is about to be relocated in the near future anyhow
and thus this major source of pollution will be eliminated.
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11
12
13.
No recent tests have been conducted in Wychmere Harbor so that the
degree of pollution, which may or may not exist in this busy harbor,
is unknown at the present time.
10. Chatham
The only pollution that existed here until just recently was Frostfish
Creek by the Acme Laundry in Chathamport. For some time the Board of
Health had felt that there was an apparent pollution problem due to
seepage from the sewerage facilities of the Acme Laundry. But a re-
cent inspection by the County Board of Health resulted in a finding
of no pollution attributable to the laundry. However, there has de-
veloped some pollution attributable to a flock of ducks habitating in
the immediate vicinity of the headwaters of the creek. And, apparent-
ly, it is sufficiently high to preclude the reopening of the area to
shellfishing. At the present time there are no other problems and
while Stage Harbor is witnessing increased boating activity each year,
the Board of Health conducts a relatively close surveillance program.
Orleans
With a possible exception; there is no evidence of any fresh or salt-
water pollution in Orleans. There is one location that the Town de-
cided to close to shellfishing in the vicinity of the Nauset Marshes
inmediately south of Mayo's Duck Farm. The Town felt that in periods
of heavy stormwater runoff, contaminants may be carried into the
marsh from the farm's storm drainage system.
Eastham
There is no fresh or saltwater pollution in the Town of Eastham, and
no areas are closed to shellfishing.
WeiIfleet
There is no fresh or saltwater pollution in WeiIfleet, and no areas
are closed to shellfishing.
Truro
There is no fresh or saltwater pollution in Truro and no areas are
closed to shellfishing. There is, however, a problem which more
properly could be defined as air pollution. The following remarks
describing the problem are extracted verbatim from a letter written
by a Irving Gernt, member of the Truro Planning Board and a cottage
colony owner on Beach Point to the Selectmen of Truro. Mr. Gernt also
testified on the matter at the April 14, 1967 hearing on Water Qua-
lity Standards.
"I don't know if you are familiar with our problem, which is pollution
in the bay and is considered a public health hazard by the Army Corps
of Engineers. They stated that there are large masses (approximately
2000 cubic yards in volume) of decaying seaweed deposited along a
1 mile
-------
"section known as Pilgrim Beach, in the Provincetown-Truro area. These
deposits have been carried into their area by longshore currents and
wave action. During the lower stages of the tides, the masses of de-
caying seaweed is exposed to the air and sun, causing an extremely
fowl and sickening odor of hydrogen, sulfide gas.
"These fumes have caused houses to discolor, tourists and guests have
complained of headaches, eyes burning and small children (ages 1 to 3)
have broken out over their entire bodies with red pimples after being
in the water for different periods of time, within two days.
"The selectmen and residents of this town and Provincetown have been
to several meetings, in the past, with different state officials,
everyone realizes we have a serious problem, but it seems, no one can
help us.
"At a November 1966 meeting, we were led to believe that matching
funds would be available from the Department of Waterways to do a
temporary job on the sandbar, that is causing our problem. Therefore,
in good faith, an article was placed on our warrant to raise $3,500
to dredge channels thru said sandbar and eliminate the public health
hazard. Provincetown did the same thing. These funds were approved
at our town meetings.
"Now we are told that the Division of Waterways have no funds, so now
we are right back to where we started.
"This state is spending thousands of dollars advertising to out of
state people to vacation in our state and if and when they do come to
the lower Cape, many turn and go back very disappointed, due to the
fowl odor.
"We feel, if nothing is done to eliminate this situation, word will
get around by word of mouth and everyone will be hurt, the business
people, the town and the State by loss of taxes."
15. Provincetown
At the present time, the area between McMillan Wharf west to the
Atlantic Coast Fisheries Corporation building and Wharf is closed to
shellfishing by the State Department of Health. While pollution is
partially attributable to the intensive boating activity, both recre-
ational and commercial, in the area, one of the primary sources is
the fish processing operation conducted by Atlantic Coast Fisheries.
Apparently, the residue of the fish processing operation is piped
directly into the harbor and serious pollution results. This is the
only instance of industrial pollution uncovered in any of the Cape
communities.
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B. Implications and Conclusions
1. Fresh Water Streams
No evidence of fresh water streams pollution on Cape Cod has been un-
covered in this survey. The Water Resources Commission has adopted a
Water Quality Standard of B for all such streams on the Cape. It
should be noted, however, that this is the highest standard assigned
to all freshwater streams in the State except those designated for
use as public water supplies in accordance with Chapter 111 of the
General Laws. Waters used for such public water supply purposes have
been designated A.
Only one natural body of freshwater on Cape Cod is used for public
water supply purposes--Long Pond in Falmouth.
Class B water is suitable for bathing and recreational purposes in-
cluding water contact sports. It is suitable for agricultural, and
certain industrial cooling and process uses; excellent fish and wild-
life habital and excellent esthetic value. To be acceptable for pub-
lic water supply purposes, however, appropriate treatment would be
required.
For all practical purposes, the class B designation of the Cape's
fresh water streams appears compatible with any prospective uses such
streams might be used for. However, the standard of A should most
assuredly be assigned Long Pond in Falmouth.
2. Coastal (Saltwater) and Marine Waters
There are four Towns on Cape Cod which are witnessing measurable
pollution; Sandwich, Falmouth, Barnstable and Provincetown. Although
the Water Resources Commission, through its designation of the Cape
Cod Canal as SB, implied some degree of pollution, the Barnstable
County Board of Health is of the opinion that such pollution is not
of a degree to warrant a prevailing standard of less than SA.
In the case of Sandwich, the Town is presently preparing preliminary
plans for the eventual construction of a sewerage system. It might
safely be assumed that the first phase of such a system will attempt
to eliminate present pollution problem in the Old Harbor Creek area.
this the State's proposed upgrading of the present SB standard in the
area to SA is already being implicated by the Town.
•k
With respect to Falmouth, the County Board of Health is of the opin-
ion that Eel Pond in Woods Hole can be immediately reclassified to
SA. In Little Harbor, also classified SB, it is understood that the
Coast Guard is planning to install new sanitary facilities on shore
to receive the sewerage from the vessels when they are in port. This
will further improve the pollution situation in Falmouth.
-------
Falmouth Inner Harbor is presently classified SC and the State has pro-
posed its upgrading to SB. This Harbor is unquestionably one of the
two busiest harbors on Cape Cod--the Hyannis section of Lewis Bay be-
ing the other one. And falling in line, in terms of boating activity
is Wychmere Harbor and Allen Harbor in Harwich, Stage Harbor in Chat-
ham and Provincetown Harbor. And with the exception of Provincetown
Harbor (whose pollution problem is aggravated by industrial pollution)
they presently or will in the not too distant future, share a common
problem—pollution attributable to watercraft. And to pose the ques-
tion in the context of the State's Water Quality Standards — is a
standard of SA obtainable in the harbors under present Federal, State
and Town laws?; and can such a standard be maintained under more in-
tensive watercraft usage of the harbors?
All of these harbors suffer from varying degrees of gas and oil pollu-
tion from watercraft. They all probably suffer from varying degrees
of pollution attributable to sewage disposal and refuse disposal from
the watercraft. All of the affected Towns have various types of
health regulations aimed at controlling and regulating the degree of
pollution ranging from a restriction in the Town of Chatham-prohibit-
ed any overnight residency on watercraft to universal prohibition in
all of the Towns of the flushing of heads while the craft are in the
harbor.
The Town of Barnstable and Falmouth provide public rest facilities
adjacent to the harbor facilities as a convenience to the boat-owners.
The Towns of Harwich, Chatham and Provincetown rely on the provision
of facilities by private marina operations. This is a totally inad-
equate situation and should be remedied by the respective Towns in the
near future.
The possibility of sealing the heads on watercraft when in the harbors
has been reflected upon by several of the Towns' selectmen but this is
generally considered unworkable. Many of the watercraft are transient
and/or used for charter or sportfishing on a daily basis. This prac-
tice would place a heavy manpower burden on the Town's Harbormasters
for a short period of the year.
The Appendix contains several enclosures which describes the interest
on the part of several groups, including the State of Federal regula-
tions dealing with the mandatory installation of chemical toilets
and/or chlorination devices on all watercraft of a certain size at the
factory. The enclosure entitled, Watercraft Waste Disposal does in-
dicate that the State will probably adopt rules and regulations rela-
tive to the discharge of sewage waste water from watercraft within
five years.
To further complicate the picture, of the two major types of pollution
generated by watercraft—gas and oil residues and sewage waste water
it is the opinion of the Barnstable County Board of Health that the
gas and oil residues represent the more serious contaminants to shell-
fishing, and this is the one type of pollution that would seemingly
defy control.
148
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In summary, each of these major boating harbors is a unique situation
to be sure. While, for the immediate future, the standard of SA may
well be applicable and, indeed, appropriate, for the harbors in Prov-
incetown, Chatham and Harwich, the intensive activity, at least, dur-
ing the summer months, in part o£ Lewis Bay in Hyannis and the Inner
Harbor in Palmouth may preclude the attainment of such a standard.
Regardless of the standard to be applied to the harbors, however, the
aforementioned Towns because of their inviting harbors will witness
ever- increasing boating activity, which in turn will produce increased
pollution.
With proper enforcement procedure and the provision of adequate sup-
porting on-shore facilities, the pollution from watercraft can prob-
ably be controlled to the extent that full recreational usage and
ioyment Q£ £ne water can be realized by all concerned and the
attractive Cape environment will remain unimpaired. But one aspect
of the pollution problem poses a more enduring challenge — the effect
of this pollution, especially gas and oil residues on shellfish.
point at which boating activity begins to necessitate depuration
of the shellfish (usually by transplanting) is an undeterminate. And
even if depuration becomes necessary in a particular harbor (as it
already has in Falmouth) will the economic benefits of the increasing
boating activities to the Town offset the additional shellfish trans-
planting costs to the Town? It will be the responsibility of the
towns together with the Cape Cod Planning and Economic Development
Commission to develop the answers to these questions and jointly meet
the challenge of water pollution in the Cape Community.
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WATERCRAFT WASTE DISPOSAL
(Extracted from Vol. 1, Water Quality Standards-Laws, Policies & Standards)
(June 20, 1967)
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has taken cognizance of the problems of
the control of the discharge of wastes from pleasure watercraft and vessels,
and considers the problem one of significance and one deserving of early defin-
itions and corrective action. The Commonwealth believes that some means of
watercraft waste treatment and/or control must be developed which will either
effectively eliminate the discharge of waste (no effluent device) or which will
adequately treat the waste so as to render it acceptable for discharge to the
surrounding waters (controlled-effluent device). The acceptability of such de-
vices must depend not only on the equipment itself, but also on the availabili-
ty of maintenance and repair and replacement service. The Commonwealth further
believes that because the watercraft cruise in waters of adjacent states there
should be uniform interstate requirements and regulations.
In 1966 the Commonwealth was a conferee at the National Conference on
Watercraft Waste Disposal conducted by the National Sanitation Foundation with
the assistance of the U. S. Public Health Service and the Tennessee Valley Auth-
ority. The conference was convened as a result of resolutions adopted by Water
Pollution Control and Public Health Agencies calling for leadership in the de-
velopment of test programs for sewage and waste treatment devices for pleasure-
craft, and cooperation in the development of an acceptance program for these de-
vices through a national testing and an evaluation laboratory. The resolutions
also urged the U. S. Public Health Service to expedite the issuance of the
policy governing disposal of sewage and waste from vessels involved in inter-
state operations.
It was the conclusion of the conference that because of the interstate
cruising of the watercrafts there should be uniform regulations and uniformity
of acceptance of treatment devices throughout the U. S. It was also concluded
that the states should establish a public health education program regarding
the control of waste disposal from watercraft.
It was formally recommended that the National Sanitation Foundation be
adopted as the mechanism through which criteria for waste treatment holding and
disposal devices for watercraft should be pursued.
The Commonwealth does not intend to adopt rules and regulations at this
time, pending the development of suitable devices. It is preparing a resolu-
tion to be presented at the next meeting of the New England Interstate Water
Pollution Control Commission, calling for study and joint action by the compact
states in this matter. The Commonwealth further tends to pursue a program of
educating the local officials as to their responsibility in providing dockside
devices or receptacles to receive the waste from pleasure crafts. It is esti-
mated that within five years suitable control devices will have been developed
and that the Commonwealth will have adopted rules and regulations relative to
the discharge of sewage waste water from watercraft.
The Division of Water Pollution Control, under existing laws has no contr 1
over the construction or operation of marinas. At the present time the Divisi
plans to control the pollution from boats using the docking facilities by mean
of watercraft rules and regulations.
150
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IMPACT OF POLLUTION ON OUR COASTAL WATERS
Aesthetic Value of Estuaries
The aesthetic value of an estuary gives the individual much that he
desires, for Nature's beauty is collected in man's thoughts along with the
aesthetic charm of a community bordering an estuary. All these values cannot
he measured in dollars and cents.
Personal Value of Estuaries
Personal values are also effective because an estuary receives irreplace
able nutrients from its tidal marsh, which in turn are essential to support
plant and animal life. Different species benefit man and other animal life
with their food supply. This same estuary serves as an incubator and nursery
ground. It also has the same potential of collecting pollution.
Recreational Value of Estuaries
The recreational values of an estuary are enjoyed by many families who
love to shellfish, swim, fish, and go boating. Families who have purchased
high-priced land along our estuaries enjoy these privileges plus all of their
aesthetic values as well.
Dollar value °f Estuaries
As an example of the dollar value of an estuary, I have prepared the
~ol lowing breakdown of estimated production and their respective values for
1966 for the shellfish harvested from the waters of Waquoit Bay in the Town
Of Falmouth.
soft shell clams 643 bushels $7,716.00
scallops 2,877 bushels $21,577.50
quahaugs 4,513 bushels $45,130.00
Damage By Pollution
The following is a list of the areas closed to the taking of shellfish
to pollution:
Little Harbor, Woods Hole 38 acres
Eel Pond, Woods Hole 16 acres
Falmouth Harbor 40 acres
Section of Great Harbor, Woods Hole acres unknown
The Town of Falmouth spends $5,500 annually in transplanting quahaugs
from these contaminated waters into clean waters and utilizes them in this
manner.
Pollution is costly and cuts down on the efficiency of our town. Eeel
pond* Woods Hole, and Little Harbor, Woods Hole, are very important areas to
tke Shellfish Department because our local shellf ishmen could be shellfishing
these areas during the winter months if these areas were free of pollution.
jt would also keep the shellfish industry alive and many families clothed and
fed **ith the revenue received from the industry. What stops all this from
coming true? FILTH'.
151
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Pollution is a serious health menace. State Public Health has proven this
by closing the previously mentioned four large areas to the taking of shellfish.
Pollution destroys beauty by bringing filth into our beautiful recreational
boating harbors.
Pollution knows no boundaries. It pays no respect to people's property and
it raises our taxes in trying to correct the pollution problem. It should not
be there to begin with! Our first experience with pollution began in the late
1920's due to raw sewage being discharged from the homes and boats into Eel Pond
Woods Hole, knowing no boundaries, it spread into Falmouth Harbor in the early
1940's. As bad luck would have it, it appeared in Little Harbor, Woods Hole,
in the early 1950's. Under investigation by State Public Health and myself we
found our own town sewage system contaminating a section of Great Harbor, Woods
Hole; result, a section of Great Harbor, Woods Hole, closed to the taking of
shellfish in late 1966. Our shellfish beds are now being threatened by so-
called "Progress", due to the fact that land developers feel it necessary to
have a Marina in order to bring high prices for their land. All this is good
but not at the expense of the shellfisheries. Experience has taught me that
this type of progress leads to another closed area in the future.
Future of Coastal Zones
Our coastal zones should be preserved in their natural state. Man should
assist Nature when Nature has failed us. Keeping our channels open along our
coastal lines leading into our estuaries is an important part. A good channel
takes away some of the hazards of navigation and its water current provides
good circulation bringing in food with each change of tide. The current also
works as a sanitary agent carrying away products of decomposition and waste,
thus preventing contamination.
Best Uses of Estuaries
1. Source of supply for food.
2. Facility for boating and navigation.
3. Recreation Grounds.
4. Aesthetic Value.
System of Management
Local, State, and Federal Agencies must cooperate in their fullest
capacities to improve the quality of our waters. The Federal people should
pave the way first of all by cleaning itself up. The machinery for prosecution
of offenders has been established. Polluters are subject to fines of $100
per day for unlawful discharge of wastes.
A meeting of the minds of all agencies concerned with clean water is of
the utmost importance. Small towns bordering our coastal waters must be made
to understand the hazards of pollution. Monies should be made available to
correct these problems along with good common sense.
152
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Above all, present laws from all agencies concerning pollution of our
aters should be reviewed, made known to the general public, and ENFORCED!
Respectfully submitted
/s/ George Souza
George Souza
Shellfish Warden
Town of Falmouth
153
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Notes on Some Applications of Remote Sensor Technology
To Pollution Detection and Control
(Expansion of statement to the Public Meeting on Impact of
Pollution on our Coastal Waters, held in Boston
on October 8, 1968)
by
A.C. Conrod
MIT Experimental Astronomy Laboratory
Recent studies in aerial and satellite photography and radio-
metry has resulted in the development of techniques which can be
applied to the problems of detection and identification of pollu-
tion of water and air. This note will explain some of the methods
that are available now, and possible applications.
Most of the work in this field has been government-funded
research, sponsored by the Departments of Defense, HEW and Interior,
and by NASA. Our laboratories work has been funded by NASA and
administered through the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office's Space-
craft Oceanography Project, for NASA's Earth Resources Survey
Program. The term "Remote Sensing" used in the title of this note
refers to the whole range of instruments; cameras, heat sensors,
radar and spectrometers; and to the use of one or more of the
instruments in a survey of an area for mapping, inventories and
resources, or monitoring of environments.
The methods of airborne surveillance that will be of principal
interest to the worker in pollution are photography and thermal
infra-red radiometry and imagery. Since most pollution investigations
are concerned with limited geographic areas, only aircraft methods
will be mentioned here. The reader will probably visualize how
these techniques, when applied from satellites, could be expanded
to cover larger areas; entire river basins/ coastwise ocean current
systems, or large bays and gulfs.
154
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The systematic use of aerial photography for resources manage-
ment goes back to the 1930's, when the geologist, forester, highway
engineer and agronomist realized the potentials of aerial coverage
to* mapping and exploring. Today, few people in these disciplines
would even consider beginning a project without first obtaining
recent aerial photogrpahy of the site. Until relatively recently,
11 aerial work was done in black & white only, limiting its applica-
tion in some biological and hydrological surveys. With the increas-
ingly widespread use of color films, the scope of applications of
rial photography has broadened, so that today it is possible to
rnaXe identifications that were very difficult, if not impossible,
black and white photography by the average user. While it is
true that older, highly skilled photo interpreters prefer to work
black and white film only, and some use only the negatives, the
scientist and engineer, with neither the time or inclination
learn all aspects of the art of photointerpretation, is much
tter served by color materials.
Aerial color films are available in positive (transparency)
texi*!3' such as Ektachrome and Anscochrome, in negative materials
~ r paper positive prints) such as Kodacolor, and also in "false
lot* or "camouflage detection" film, which records images in the
reen, red and near infra-red spectrum. This last is a Kodak
troduct, Ektachrome Infra-red Aero. The illustrations following
how some representative coverage obtained with the films mentioned.
The first illustration is a black-and-whte photograph of the
outh coast of Cape Anne, Massachusetts. The most prominent features
•ft the scene are the foam slicks along the shore. (This and the
£oll°wing Photos*3?03 were taken in the late spring, so that these
fe probably naturally-induced slicks, rather than from artificial
ources.) Figure 2 is a color photograph of the same phenomenon, a.t
point on the coast within a few miles of the first scene. Both
onotographs show the water to be quite opaque, possibly due to
patches that may have been associated with the slicks.
155
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Figure 3 and 4 are color aerial obliques of Manchester,
Massachusetts,harbor and of one of Cape Anne's cleaner tidal
estuaries, respectively. The greenish coloration in the foreground
is probably not associated with the harbor cove slick, more likely it
is from naturally occuring floating material. (The angle of this
photograph is too high to show significant depth penetration.)
Figure 4 shows a relatively undisturbed coastal wetland. This photo
also shows some depth penetration; we can see submarine rocks in the
lowerleft,and the sand bar between the small island and the shore
that is built up by wave refraction around the island. The estuary's
outflow plain can be clearly seen. These photographs were all taken
with hand-held cameras from light aircraft, and are typical of the
kind of photography that can be obtained with amateur-type cameras fro*
an airplane that can be rented for a nominal sum (i.e., less than
$20.00/4iour, including the pilot). They are also typical of the kind
of photography that could be used for an investigation of a small
area, or a single site.
Large area, systematic coverage will require a large aircraft
with aeral cameras. Similarly, thermal infra red imagery is usually
synonymous with large, expensive aircraft. Such services are
available from the instrumented NASA planes, and may in time be made
available from similar airplanes that other government agencies may
be using in their various programs.
The following illustrations were based on photography from a
NASA airplane, using an aerial camera. Figure 5 is a photograph of
a portion of the West edge of the Bahama Banks, which was taken froa
an altitude of 25,000 feet. The illustration is many generations
removed from the original transparency; nevertheless a considerable
amount of detail is still visible in this print. The photograph can
be used directly for vegetation mapping, and for drawing inferences
about currents, tides and water depth from the distribution of vegeta-
tion and the locations of sand dunes and channels. Figure 6 shows
a mechanically-produced "false color" rendition of the original
photograph. This illustration is the result of having analyzed the
original image to determine areas' of similar color and density, so
1S6
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an automatically-prepared map of the features of the site could
be prepared. Field surveys have verified the accuracy of this
technique, which is one of several methods of automatic map anno-
tation being studied today. The principal value of aerial photo-
graphy in large area surveys is in tolling the investigator where
be should concentrate his ground survey activities, since we are at
present rather far away from being able to do speciation from the air,
or to determining without ambiguity the environmental conditions
that exist at a site, even with the aid of automatic mappers. Never-
theless, the user can save an enormous amount of time and effort by
doing a preliminary survey from the air, so that he can ration his time
»o0t efficiently in his site survey work. Properly applied aerial
surveying can at least halve the time that must be spent in the field.
The other photographic film mentioned above, color infra-red
film, is sensitive
to light in the near infra-red band as well as to visible light.
The principal application of this film in pollution studies is that it
bows live vegetation, including algae, as a vivid red due to the
hi^fc infra-red reflectivity of chlorophyll. The film can also indicate
the degree of plant vigor/ aids in defining boundaries between differen
pecies of plant growths, and can show plants whose natural color or
low visual contrast might make them difficult to detect by normal
notography, or by eye. Figures 7 and 8 show two scenes of the
Massachusetts coast near Duxbury, including part of the North River
stuary. The photographs were taken at low tide, so that the
.nteJr-tidal zone vegetation is clearly seen on the two groins. The
Water content of sand below the high-water mark, and the density
variety of plant life in the wetlands (especially in Fig. 7) can
estimated better on these photographs than would be the case
with normal color film. It should be noted that these photographs
w«re made with a hand-held 35 mm camera. The film is available in
all sizes, from 20 exposure, 35 mm rolls to 9 1/2" wide aerial film.
157
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So far, we have spoken only about photographic images.
Images in the thermal infra-red can also be produced, given the appro-
priate equipment, so that we can literally draw a picture of the
surface temperatures at a test site. This is done by sensing the
thermal radiation (usually in the 8-14 micron band) and converting
the signals into visible light so that a black and white "photo-
graph", sometimes called a thermograph, of the target is produced.
Such an image is shown in Figure 9, a power plant site at Turkey
Point in Miami's Biscayne Bay. This particular power plant complex
is being investigated now by the FWPCA , and evidence of conditions
at the site is being gathered from the airborne coverage obtained
for our Laboratory by NASA aircraft, including this thermograph and
others like it. The light tones indicate high temperatures, and one
can clearly see the heated water issuing from the plant's cooling
water outlet canal. Such "thermal pollution" can be as important
to the marine ecologist as a surplus of nutrients or the presence
of industrial wastes.
Thermal imagers are useful in charting current distributions
and land runoffs, as well as in detecting and measuring waste discharge*
since they are sufficiently sensitive to detect the slight temperature
differences that usually exist between near-shore waters and cooler
water masses off shore, or between coastal waters and land run-off.
The thermographs can be calibrated,with given shades of gray signify-
ing known temperatures.
The proceeding comments have been of a cursory, non-technical
nature, but may help to show some of the techniques and services that
are available today. Planning for environmental surveying should
take this technology into account, and the workers should try to make
maximum use of airborne and spacecraft cameras and instruments to
assist them in their studies. We can reasonably expect that more
instrumented survey aircraft will be built and equipped in the coining
years so that coverage will become more generally available. Satellite
systems for Earth resources surveying will be operational by the early
1970's. In the meantime, good use can and should be made of small
planes and simple cameras, as mentioned in this papar.
A short selected bibliography is provided for further reading
in this area. |S£
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- 6 -
cted Bibliography
"Manual of Color Aerial Photography" Smith, J.T., Editor
American Society of Photogranunetry Falls Church, Va., 1968.
"Aerial Discovery Manual14 Strandberg, C.H., John Wiley &• Sons,
New York, 1967.
Conrod, A.C., M. Kelly & A. Boersma "Aerial Photography for
Shallow Water Studies on the West Edge of the Bahama Banks"
MIT- Experimental Astronomy Laboratory, Report No. RE-42,
November, 1968.
Wiesnet, D.R. and J.E. Cotton " Use of Infra-Red Imagery in
Circulation Studies of the Merrimack River Estuary, Massachusetts;
Tech. Ltr. NASA-78, U.S. Geological Survey Interagency Report,
October, 1967.
"Photography from Small Aircraft and Helicopters" Pamphlet No*
M-5, Eastman Kodak Co. , Rochester, N.Y., 1966.
159
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COMMENTS FOR THE RECORD
by
Dr. B. M. Fabuss
Technical Director
Environmental Pollution Division
Lowell Technological Institute Research Foundation
The pollution of coastal waters and rivers can hardly be
separately handled. Indiscriminate dumping can be fought only by
building of treatment facilities. As a result the capital expendi-
ture for waste treatment should probably be $20 to $30 billion in the
next five years. Even these expenditures would not result in substan-
tial reductions of pollution but would merely maintain present pollu-
tion levels. Due to these facts of life, we must rely on the self-
purification capacity of rivers and coastal waters to an increasing
level. The self-purification capacity of river streams can be signif-
icantly increased by proper management of river streams, utilizing to
its limits the diurnal variation of dissolved oxygen and pollution
discharge loads. As long as river water self-purification problems
are handled with kinetic expressions derived in the early 1930's,
which give only vague and approximate results, no comprehensive work
has been made on self-purification of estuaries and coastal waters.
It is recognized that this problem is much more complex,
complicated by tidal and salinity effects, but a concentrated effort
should yield valuable results.
Our preliminary measurements and calculations on the
Merrimack River indicate that pollution levels can be decreased by
about 30 percent by proper management of discharge. The same should
apply to estuaries and coastal waters. This reduction of pollution
can be achieved with a minimum of cost compared to the cost of
treatment facilities.
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October 7, 1968
A STATEMENT BY DR. WILLIAM VINAL, NATURAL RESOURCES CONSULTANT FOR THE MASSASOIT
COLLEGE, NORTH ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS ON THE SUBJECT OF "ESTUARINE POLLUTION".
We are grateful for an opportunity to respond to Mr. Klashman's invitation of
September 20, 1968 on the above subject.
While we are all concerned with serious problem of water pollution in Massachusetts,
our statement at this time will be confined to what we believe is perhaps a typical
problem. THE NORTH RIVER WATERWAY in Southeastern Massachusetts is in the process
of deter ionat ion and pollution as are many other similiar waterways in the Common-
wealth at this time. We believe we can best serve the purpose of this study by
confining our remarks to the NORTH RIVER WATERWAY.
The question is asked, "What are the values of an estuary?" My response is:
THE VALUE OF THE NORTH RIVER ESTUARY IN DOLLARS AND CENTS IN 1965:
Soft Sheleed Clam Harvested $ 15,468.00
Blue Mussels 8,025.00
Lobsters off the mouth 12,370.00
(Six lobstermen anchored their boat in the river
in l""^*.
Sport Fishing in the Area (Winter Flounder, Cod,
Pollock, Mackerel, Haddock, Bass) 70,000.00 (Est.)
Live Bait sold commercially 10,800.00 (Est.)
Two Boat Liveries, "Mary's and Lou" A large fleet
of about 75 dories
Two Marinas, valuation of boats served Several Million (Est)
Pleasure boating, swimming, camping, picknicking,
Summer cottage rentals One Million (Est)
The Town of Marshfield has areas for commercial digging of clams and family
digging. As far as I am concerned, "digging clams" is a sport and the value can-
not be estimated, especially when digging with one's son!
The value of land along the North River has suddenly escalated far beyond the
value of inland surrounding areas. Farms that were recently valued at $ 2,000.
to $4,000. a few years ago are now selling at $ 8,000. to $10,000. per acre
houselot. Let me cite the case of the so-called "Barque Hill Development".
As a HISTORICAL RESOURCE we can safely point to the NORTH RIVER WATERWAY as one
of the most unsung, underated areas of outstanding historic significance on
the eastern coast of the United States. I stress the following facts: Over
1,000 vessels were built in the Shipyards on the banks of the North River during
the period of the infancy of the United States of America. At one time it was
one of the leading ship-building headquarters in the country. Let me remind
everyone that the first vessel to carry the American flag around the world was
built on the North River! In addition, let me mention that Ship "Beaver" which
took part in the Boston Tea Party as well as the "Columbia" which discovered the
Columbia River in Oregon were both constructed on the North River.
The "Elbow" above Union Bridge harbored a garrison in King Phillip's War and
today remains a site unexcelled for its beauty.
161
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Dr. Vlnal statement Page 2.
The Three Herring Brooks were noted for the spawning of shad and alewiees.
There were strict colonial laws against impeding their migration by the building
of dams. We now find a number of brooks in the region named "Herring Brook".
The fact is that we now approach a time where we will have more "Herring Brooks"
than there are herring! The industry has disappeared for a variety of reasons.
In fact it has virtually dissappeared except at the "Herring Run" at Pembroke
which attacts hundreds of curious motorists in season who no doubt purchase
much gasoline, etc., etc.
THE POLLUTION OF SALT WATER LOCALLY:
The North River is pronounced clean by the Massachusetts State Board of
Health. Nearby harbors at Scituate, Cohasset and Hingham, are polluted.
Swimming is prohibited in mapy locations because of colon bacilli. Digging clams
for family use is prohibited in many locations. Commercial diggers ship clams
to Newburyport to be chlorinated.
Two communities (Scituate and Rockland) voted $2.5 million each in 1963
to dump sewage effluent, including poisonous chemicals, street salts and de-
tergents into the clean North River because of the delusion that it was the
"cheapest way out". Scituate was finally persuaded to build a filter plant,
although I question the size of the leaching bed for the exploding population in that
community.
Rockland has indicated iilent to dump effluent into French Creek, which
goes dry in some drought periods. This community has had its difficulties in
planning and zoning. It is significant perhaps that it is often troubled with
f loodedcellars in some neighborhoods.
I want to express tribute to the Hub Chapter to the Izaak Walton League
which played an important role during the 1963 efforts to dump effluent into
the North River. The League did an excellent job in calling attention to the
problem and assisting in marshalling public opinion in favor of controls.
Unfortunately there is fctill continued direct dumping of raw sewerage by
homes along the banks of the North River and in many, many instances of boats
using the river. This estuary is about 20 miles in length (Tidal part) and
is incapable of digesting the present volume to say nothing of the population
doubling in the next few years.
THE FUTURE OF THE NORTH RIVER:
™^fUtUre 1S dePendent uP°n PToper Management and that in turn is deoendenr
upon EDUCATION. It may not seem necessary to add that the education of l^caf citi
sens in any community and the arousing of interest, to say nothing of the marshallin
It^t f?8* science is sometimes a discouragingly'slow process as Tcln §
attest after some 60 years working in the field.
The need for scientifically-trained personnel becomes more obvious as the
years go by. The futility of one town's efforts in the passage of forward look!™
by- aws and ordinances for conservation and related fields being canceled ut "*
by the nelghboring community's apparent ignirance or disregard of the needs nf
adequate laws is repeated more times than is necessary. One can safely say that
the problem of REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY is a matter to be treated on the highest
priority as it affects the area traveraed by the NORTH RIVER WATERWAY.
One wonders if it is possible, and economically safe, to build a malor
resevoir on the North River above the tidal part? Certainly it is not too S00n
162
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Dr. Vlnal Statement Page 3.
to
initiate planning in this direction.
The authorities responsible for our water supply must make it clear to all
itizens that ground water is public water and that swamps, ducks, clams, wild
and estuaries are owned by all the citizens! We see in this area dumps
have been condemned; use of water restricted; the building of super-highways
v the Commonwealth through land sold by the Federal Government at half price
which was supposed to used as a "wilderness"; developers thrusting 40 to 50
assppols on an area without reserving any land or water for recreation. All of
these abuses may be found on the borders of the North River Waterway.
Towns on the South Shore of Massachusetts are noted for their independence
ather than acting for the mutual benefit. In fact it may be noted that in
1one towns Selectmen even fight amongst themselves. One suspects that some individuals
become members of the Conservation Commission for the glamour. Normally it takes
bout three years to realize what it is all about and then they resign. Rip Van
Winkle should wake, but there is no sign that he will. Healthy outdoor recreation
is not simply bought with money. Non-political REGIONAL PLANNING is the answer.
ftf MNNUAL REGIONAL REPORT:
One of ;the most effective ways I can suggest of marshalling the public interest
--d widespread cooperation of communities bordering the North River Waterway would be
provide for an annual Regional Report similiar to the Town Report so familiar
to communities in the area. The writer has kept clipping books of North River probV
let&s for many years. An Annual Regional Report widely distributed in the area would
help immeasurably in dramatizing the disaster, and consequently aiding in the marshalling
0{ public support in stopping the forces of destruction of the estuary.
From my own files I would be glad to make available the volumes of clippings,
hotos, slides in a comprehensive report which could supplement my own report
i»The North River Country". Although there are many like myself who are dedicated
0 the preservation of the North River and all of the "North Rivers" in this nation
ue cannot keep up its defense forever. We know that we cannot turn back the clock,
but we can recognize an alarm when it is ringing, and believe me the alarm is ringing
now!
SUMMARY:
It is my firm belief 'that an institution such as the Massasoit Community
College should be capable of implementing social studies, marine biology, forums
-jj local government and the advancement of re&onal thinking. This educational
Institution adjacent to the North River area should play an important role in
focusing community concern for the pollution of the estuary involved. Other
Vocational organizations should provide similiar leadership elsewhere. Unless
tljC leadership in this country does otherwise one can predict certain disaster
for the estuaries of this nation which flow through highly populated areas.
163
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October 1968
John S. Farlow, Regional Co-ordinator
National Estuarine Pollution Study
North Atlantic Water Quality Management Center
Edison, New Jersey 08817
Dear Mr. Farlow:
We, the residents of Seconset Island, are terribly concerned
about the diking which is taking place as a result of a new road being
placed across the causeway.
The causeway separates Hamlin's Pond overflow from Waquoit
Bay. We understood, when this road was proposed, that they were going
to put culverts under the road between Waquoit Bay and the waters from
the marsh from HamUn's Pond to allow an ebb and flow of the tide and
complete circulation of the water.
This road is being constructed without culverts, and we believe
that unless culverts are put in this will cause an increasing amount of
stagnation in this area.
We believe the road should be constructed as originally planned
with culverts, and if this was done, it would improve the quality and purity
of the water both in the Hamlin's Pond overflow area and Waquoit Bay.
We think this is an extremely important matter because of the
grave consequences of pollution that this road that is presently being
constructed may cause and because of the large amount of scallops, quahogs
and other shell fish which are taken from Waquoit Bay, this pollution might
cause them to be unfit for human consumption.
We earnestly solicit your interest in this matter.
164
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c. ^ /a. Yt -X
7
165
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Serving Southeastern Massachusetts for more than a Century
New Bedford, Massachusetts 02742
September 10, 1968
Mr. Lester M. Klashman
Regional Director
U. S. Department of the interior
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
Northeast Region
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
Boston, Massachusetts 02203
Dear Mr. Klashman s
Thank you for your invitation to the public hearing
on pollution of coastal and estuarine waters October S at
9:30 a.m. at the Charter Room of the New England Life Building
in Boston.
I enclose a file of clippings of stories and pictures
which we have run about the problems of coastal and estuarine
water pollution in the New Bedford and Southeastern Massachu-
setts area.
Certainly we are no experts in the matter; we are
reporting the thoughts and worries of people who are concerned
and knowledgeable about pollutions of our water resources.
Our conservation, ard outdoor writer, Ted Vincent plans
to attend the hearing October 8, so that we can have a good
report of the views which are presented.
Please accept as my contribution to this hearing the
enclosed clippings from the New Bedford standard-Times.
cerely,
s H. Otta^y, /Or.
lisher
P
encl.
165
-------
(This Is the first of a series
of Articles concerning water
resources problems of the
state assessed in terms of
future development of Greater
New Bedford).
By TED VINCENT
Standard-Times Outdoors Editor
Of all the reckless devasta-
tions of our natural heritage,
none is more shameful than the
continued poisoning of our riv-
ers.
Pollution is a spoiler. It is
ugly, costly and insidious: It
closes beaches and prevents
youngsters from wading, swim-
ming, boating, water-skiing and
fishing close to home.
It fills lakes, streams and es-
tuaries with debris, scum, foam,
oil, garbage and other loath-
some wastes.
Cost Increases
It increases the cost Of drink-
ing water, but decreases the
value of property. It contami-
nates shellfish, destroys game
fish, poisons, waterfowl and
other wild creatures. It de-
grades the quality of our en-
vironment. In the future, the
quality of our water resources
can govern the duration of our
lives. ,
The critical issue of the future
is the demand for better mana-
gement of this region's total
water resources—water supply,
as well as water use_. treatment
and reuse. >
Bernard B. Berger, director of
the Water Resources Research
Center, University of Massachu-
setts, in outlining the major
water resources problems in
Massachusetts, said, "The water
resources problems o£ our state
do not differ essentially from
those in other, parts of north-
eastern United States.
"However, in certain cases
factors, based on traditional at-
titudes, perspectives, and prac-
tices provide a coloration that
make these problems unique."
Problems Cited
Five such problems are con-
sidered to be of particular in-
terest in terms of future devel-
opment of the commonwealth,
Berger noted:
Wafer PO//U*ion - /
Better Resource
Use Advocated
1. Conservation and opti-
mum use of lakes.
2. Optimum use of major
streams flowing through a
growing metropolitan area.
3. Improvement of methodo-
logy for planning independent
watersheds.
4. Accelerating the cleans-
ing action of estuaries.
5. Determination of the role
of wetlands in the develop-
ment of an area.
Each of these water resource
problem areas is characterized
by a complex of important ques-
tions relating to the physical,
chemical, and biological sci-
ences; economics, conflicting in-
terests and water rights, social
influences and institutional
needs and planning methodolo-
gy. Berger discusses these prob-
lem areas as follows:
Massachusetts is blessed by
a large number of small lakes
which represent a very signifi-
cant resource in terms of recre-
ation and municipal water sup-
ply.
Potential Unrealized
In Massachusetts alone, there
are some 1,300 such lakes whose
average area is approximately
100 acres. The full potential of
these lakes is far from having
been realized.
However, the trend of regional
development points to the need
for conserving this water re-
source and planning for its intel-
ligent use. To do this, several
important studies must be un-
dertaken:
A system for categorization of
Massachusetts lakes is essential
to the development of a long-
range plan for optimum use of
this water resource.
This system could be based on
many ecological characteristics
including size, geological his-
tory, age, hydrology, depth.
bottom and littoral features,
current and future primary and
secondary uses, adjacent land
use plans, and other factors.
The question of multiple use of
drinking water impoundments
is becoming acute. Historically,
municipalities of Massachusetts
fortunate enough to have ac-
quired the entire watershed
which produces their drinking
water have restricted other uses
of their impoundments.
Protests Grow
More and more, however,
watershed associations and other
groups are iicliried to prbtest the
elimination of recreational ac-
tivities that is involved in pre-
emption of a watershed for drink-
ing water use only.
, ''Here we are beginning to ex-
perience a rather interesting
conflict in water rights involving
multiple use of drinking water
reservoirs," Berger said "While
tie justification for restricting
the iise of such reservoirs is
Baaed on public health, unques-
tionably there is a very strong
emotional factor that may well
be overriding."
A subsidiary factor is re-
flected in the question, "Why
should we,permit our drinking
water reservoir to be used by
people who come not only from
our city alone, but from places
hundreds of miles away?" An
objective approach to this prob-
lem is required, Berger says.
The process of lake aging
must be arrested and reversed.
The degradation of important
lakes has gone quite far in some
cases.
Fortunately, advanced aging
does not characterize most of
the smaller lakes in Massachu-
setts. Even so, one may see the
handwriting on the wall. Unless
checked, the process already
going on will continue indefinite-
ly as a result of man's activi-
ties.
167
-------
-Standard-Time! Staff Photo by E. Wilton Silvia
WATER POLLUTION IS A SPOILER: Of all the reckless
devettations of our natural resources, nont is mort shameful
than the continued poisoning of our rivers. It cloeses beaches,
contaminatts shellfish and degrades the quality of our envir-
onment. A broken drain and clutter of debris pollute New
Bedford's upper harbor.
Rate of Aging Jumps
Inevitably the rate of aging
will increase as the recreational
appeal of such bodies of water is
exploited. Many of the small
lakes have oply very small out-
flow streams, or none at all, and
consequently once aged, the lake
may remain that way for pro-
longed periods.
The question of public versus
private rights in respect to these
bodies of water is only poorly
defined, and it is quite certain
that this problem will become
increasingly acute. One may
phrase this problem in terms of
the rights of all members of the
public to use the lakes for rec-
reational purposes as against
the rights inherent in riparian
ownership or assumed by ri-
parian proprietors, Berger says.
In, theory, natural ponds of 1C
acres or more in area belong to
the public. In practice, acces-
sibility of the public has been
increasingly restricted as a re-
sult of private development on
riparian land.
To what extent does develop-
ment of a lake result in econo-
mic benefit to the region? In
particular, how are adjacent
land values affected by man's
development of the lake re-
source?
Associated questions are: How
important a factor in lake devel-
opment is proximity to a grow-
ing metropolitan area? How
does one determine the rela-
tionship between recreational
appeal and distance from cen-
ters of population? What is the
influence of a new highway in
increasing the rate of develop-
ment of a lake resource?
Other Questions
What institutional devices are
most effective for maximizing
the recreational benefits of a
lake resource? Significant sub-
sidiary questions are: "How do
various water uses conflict —
that^ is, fishing versus speed-
boating; and how can allocation
among rights to such uses be
optimally balanced?"
These are questions Berger has
posed. They have not been an-
swered.
(TOMORROW: Urban areas
fail to take advantage of the
benefits associated with ad-
jacent major waterways).
168
-------
Poisoned Water - 2
Potential Often Wasted
(This) !• th» Mcond of • «••
rlM of article* concerning
water resource* problems of
the state aweised In terms of
future development of Great-
er NeW Bedford).
By TED VINCENT
Standard-Time* Staff Writer
Seldom do urban areas take
full advantage of the benefits
associated with adjacent major
waterways, Bernard B. Berger,
director of Water Resources Re-
search Center, University of
Massachusetts, said in review
Ing the optimum use of a major
stream flowing through a grow-
ing metropolitan district.
Only in respect to navigation,
hydropower, industrial process-
ing and cooling water, and waste
carriage is such potential effec-
tively exploited. Unfortunately
the practices normally em-
ployed impair the stream's use-
fulness in municipal water sup-
ply, recreation, fish and game
propagation and agriculture.
Further, only in recent years
has the need for storage for flow
augmentation to control water
quality been studied carefully.
The same cannot vet be said
for the integration of the under-
ground flow of the stream into
the U>tal water resource man-
agement scheme.
The pollution of the middle
and lower portions of major
streams is a problem, Berger
says. A number of deterrents to
river cleanup in many areas
have been cited.
The traditional dependence ol
large municipalities on publicl)
owned and rigidly controlled
watersheds for drinking water
supply, rather than on major
streams of the region, removes
an important force for water
quality control. However, as
the metropolitan areas of the
region increase in pppulatiot
and expand in area, it is be-
coming more and more difficult
to plan on the use of new such
watersheds, Berger noted.-
Recent attempts to do so have
been met with resistance from
recreational interests. To what
extent will the drinking water
supplies of urban populations
depend on use of the main
stem of the Connecticut River
and other streams of the state?
Berger asks. When will such use
become necessary? How can it
be expressed in terms of time
phasing? What will be the in-
fluence of such planned water
use on stream classifications?
"Certain areas are appar-
(Continued on Page 4)
WATER SUPPLY for City of New Bedford
Includes Little Quittacas Pond In the fore-
—Standard-Time! Air Photo
ground and Great Quittacas Pond, back-
ground.
169
-------
Page 4
The Standard-Times, New Bedford
Water Potential Often Wasted
(Continued from Page 1)
ently reluctant to use a regional
approach to water quality man-
agement," says Berger. "With
the increasing stress on the
river basin-wide approach to
water resources planning, it is
important that retarding influ-
ences be identified and ex-
amined.
Starting Point
"A good starting point would
be in those areas that have
failed to develop a truly effec-
tive regional approach to water
quality management in spite of
many inducements to evolve
this cooperative approach. Asso-
ciated with this reluctance to
join together for the advantage
of all, is the persistence of un-
resolved conflicts concerning
water rights on the part o:
neighboring or nearby munici-
palities.
"It has not been productive to
deplore this lack of cooperation,
or to point out again the oppor-
tunities for common advantage
in such an approach. There ap-
pear to be factors strongly
rooted in traditionalism and in
other obscure aspects of muni-
cipal behavior that account for
It
''Good opportunities exist for
research on the kinds of atti-
tudes one encounters among de-
cision-makers in such areas,
and the underlying and perhaps
unconscious influences that ac-
count for such attitudes," Ber-
ger said.
"Serious economic barriers to
Industrial waste control have
been reported. In Massachu-
setts, as elsewhere, many in-
dustries claim that the cost of
controlling waste is prohibitive,
and that any requirement that
they do so may place them at
a competitive disadvantage or
force them out of business."
Evaluation Difficult
It is almost impossible for the
public official to evaluate this
factor. This problem often has
been experienced, but it can be
expected that it will become
acute when attempts are made
to raise the quality classifica-
tion of streams.
What should be the public
policy in the face of this claim
by industry? What institutional
experience and devices are
available to the regulatory
agency? To what extent should
this agency be expected to ex-
amine the equities of the case?
What methodology is available
in doing this? Berger asks.
Storm water and overflows
from combined sewers are sig-
nificant unsolved pollution prob-
lems. Until effective control pro-
cedures are developed, it may
not be possible for streams to
meet desirable water quality
criteria for use in recreation
and as sources of drinking
water.
The actual potential of recrea-
tional use of the river is uncer-
tain. Proponents of recreational
development of major streams
base their claims on assumed
projected needs of the popula-
tion concerned.
USM Involved
In certain cases, these claims
have been opposed. For ex-
ample, it has been said that the
public would prefer swimming
pools to the stream, and that
the construction of such swim-
ming pools would be much less
expensive than the development
of a stream for this use. A study
is needed of the attitudes and
actual interests of the popula-
tion in recreational use of major
streams, Berger says.
What recreational uses are
involved? Who actually would
use these benefits? What alter-
natives are available to satisfy
this need?
There is uncertainty in eco-
nomic benefits that may be real-
ized as a, result of rigorous
water quality management. A
question asked more and more
frequently is: How much would
it cost municipalities and indus-
try to raise a given stretch of
river from a stream classifica-
tion of C to B? What economic
benefits can be associated with
this improvement of water
quality?
It is reasonable to believe
that the improvement of a
major stream to permit new
and expanded uses Would pro-
duce economic benefits of many
kinds. Proponents of stream
cleanup need quantitative in-
formation concerning such ben-
efits. The existing methodology
for obtaining such data is not
dependable.
Conventional methodology for
planning a regional waste dis-
posal system > is relatively in-
efficient. The technology of op-
timizing such a system in terms
of lowest overall cost can be
improved. Planning, design and
operational-problems associated
with large and growing urban
areas require approaches based
on analysis of multiple, inter-
related and very complex con-
ditions. Included in such tech-
nology are utilization of ad-
vanced waste treatment pro-
cesses, stream storage for flow
regulation, and waste storage
for phased discharges.
An improved technology of
regional waste disposal requires
accurate projections of popula-
tion growth and its distribution
and projections of industrial de-
velopment and its distribution
within the urban area, Berger
concluded.
(Tomorrow; Decisions on
way* in which wator re-
sources are developed on
small watersheds.)
170
-------
DECISIONS en water resources development
In small watersheds are vital. The Turner's
Pond watershed comprises a complex of in-
land wetlands (th« Aeoshnet Sawmills cedar
Poisoned Water — 3
-Standard-Tlmei Staff Photo by E. Wilton Silvia
swamp) and water storage facilities. It I*
foreseen that competition for these waters
will become keener and more complex.
Control of Watersheds
Increasingly Competitive
(This is the third of a series-
of articles concerning water
resources problems of the
state assessed in terms of fu-
ture development of Greatei
New Bedford.)
By TED VINCENT
S-T Outdoors Writer
Decisions on ways in which
water resources are developed
in the relatively small water-
sheds of Massachusetts cur-
rently are made by the people
and agencies of the watershed
concerned, Prof. Bernard B.
Berger, director of the Water
Resources Research Center,
University of Massachusetts,
emphasized in his analysis of
improvement of methodology
for planning independent water-
sheds.
The state exercises reason-
able control on such decisions,
Berger said, and only in excep-
tional cases does it superimpose
its decisions on water uses over
those made internally.
By and large, the rights to
the water produced in a water-
shed belong to the communities
and other interests located in
that watershed. It is clear that
externally generated demands
will place more stress on these
waters. These demands
originate in the expansion of
the population in metropolitan
areas of the state and the asso-
ciated need for water, the
growth of industry, and the
ever-increasing appeal of
recreational use of such waters.
It is foreseen that competition
for these waters will become
keener and more complex.
Pressure inevitably will be
placed on the now independent
watershed to fit into broad re-
source plans so that important
regional water use requirements
may be satisfied.
It is becoming increasingly
Important to evaluate tne needs
and the rights of competitive
water users, including major
users who claim interbasin
water transfer rights; to de-
termine the validity of esti-
mates of water needs by
municipalities, industry and
agriculture; to determine the
relationship between water re-
source development and the
associated economic return to
the watershed to evolve institu-
tional arrangements appropriate
to water shed management of
water quality and quantity; and
to understand attitudes of deci-
sion makers in respect to ac-
ceptance of rational long-range
plans for water use, Berger
says.
171
-------
An evaluation is required of
seed* of competitive water
users. Competition for a given
Crater resource will certainly in-
crease. Each of the urban area*
must look to new sources oi
water to satisfy it* future de
viands. In a sense, each urban
area exerts a gravitational
iorce wbkfe places a stress on
• given watershed and in-
fluences .the development of a
water-ill* plan. Moreover, not
only wffl the extra^ratershed
urban areas compete with each
other, they will compete with
i n t r awatershed, community
water supplies, industry,
recreational interests, and agri-
culture.
Ths-Questlm Is ...
."The research question is:
Hew do the planners evaluate
the various water demands and
make rational decisions based
oo over-all oubHc good?" he
The validity of estimates of
water need by municipalities.
industry, and agriculture must
be examined. It is clear that
under the stress of the recent
water shortage, economies in
water use have been effected
without sacrificing essential
requirements It seems
irrational to permit wastage of
water even where supplies are
temporarily abundant. Prof.
Berger noted.
The long-range plan must as-
sume that «nch .wastage will
have been eliminated.
"The question* that, remain
for the planner are: What
assumptions ori 'unit water
allowances ahoold be permitted
in the plan for the various com-
peting water users? How can
pricing peboy tt best*iBBBy*to
reduce water *em«nd?'
The relationship of water re-
source development to economic
benefit of the watershed should
be studied. The large number
of alternatives that must be
considered in determining desir-
able combinations of future
water uses makes this an inter-
esting problem in economics
and planning. In addition, it
seems reasonable to assume
that the degree to which land
values will be enhanced will in-
fluence the nature of long-range
E'annjng. In this connection, it
realized that land values may
be depressed with certain use:
of water resources.
Adverse Effort
For example, approval of the
me of the water resource to
receive poorly treated liquid
waste, from industry will cer-
tainly have an adverse effect
on adjacent land value.
On the other hand, the use
of the water resource for
recreational purposes may be
of great benefit to a few and
to the economic disadvantage
of others. Research on economic
projections as related to water
resource development is impor-
tant, fierger commented.
. Means must be evolved for
obtaining an effective water-
shed-wide* administration of the
water resource. The problem of
the multiple political entities
within the watershed is recog-
.niied as a major factor in plan-
ning and water resource
development. The research
question applies to the nature
of the new administrative^ in-
stitution that is most compatible
with the tradition and needs, of
the area.
An optimum long-range plan
must take into account the atti-
tudes of decision makers in re-
spect to their willingness to ac-
cept the plan.
Merely an Exercise
Any such plan would remain
simply an exercise in the tech-
niques of planning if it did not
have the support of the people
who have to make the plan
operative.
The research question is: How
can significant attitudes be ob-
jectively characterised, evalu-
ated, and incorporated into the
planning operation?
Disputes on water fights un-
doubtedly will become more
acute when the planning agency
attempts to make 'decisions on
allocations among water users.
Conflicts are already present
in many areas because of the
many acts of legislation dating
hack to the early days of the
commonwealth and before.
Clarification of existing rights
and identification of legislative
needs in respect to water laws
are essential to sound water re-
source planning. Berger noted.
(TOMORROW: Pollution In
salt water estuaries reduce or
destroy value «f important
shellfish arMs; high low! of
wast* treatment costly.)
172
-------
Pwsoned Water — 4
Cleanup of Estuaries
Source of Arguments
(This I* the fourth of a M-
rie* of articles concerning
water -resources problems of
the state asMsted in form*
off future development «f
Greater New Bedford).
By TED VINCENT
Standard-Times Outdoor Editor
In covering the problem of
accelerating the cleansing
action'of estuaries, Bernard B.
Berger, director of the Water
Resources Research Center,
University of. Massachusetts,
said that the major estuaries
of Massachusetts, like those
elsewhere, are depositories of
pollutional material contained in
tributary streams.
The pollutants, Professor
noted, consist of made-
treated wastes and in
from land areas
-on the estuaries. Most
estuaries contain a heritage of
pollution in the form of bottom
deposits of slowly decomposing
sludge.
These materials exert a con-
stant pollutional effect on the
overlying waters and at the
same time they reduce or de-
stroy the value of important
shellfish areas and other fish-
erJM.' The situation Is bad now
and it certainly will become
worse." says Berger.
Arguments Presented
Fnm time to time, strong
arguments are presented for the
cleanup of these water re-
sources. Often, these arguments
are met with counter arguments
to the effect that a huh level
of water quality should not be
expected or be required in estu-
aries
It has been stated that
the economic value of shellfish
beds and other fisheries
resources within the estuary
does not justify the utilization
of a high level of waste treat-
ment, while it is recognized
that natural bathing areas must
be protected for the reasons of
public health and that gross
pollution must be prevented to
preserve esthetic appearance, it
Is believed by some that the
economic justification for treat-
ment beyond . these require-
ments does not exist, Berger
sa/s.
He poses these questions:
"A number of important re-
search challenges are
presented: How may patterns
of urban population, industrial,
and recreational development
be projected hi terms of their
(Continued on Pag* 9)
Area Estuaries
Pose Problems
(Continued from Pag* 1)
influence on estuarial water
quality and on water quality
criteria?
"How dependable are proce-
dures for determining the costs
of attaining the desired water
quality objectives and the value
of the water uses to be pro-
tected?
"What pollutional effects are
exerted by bottom deposits hi
-estuaries? What stabilization
factors are naturally present
and what are the rates of
stabilization? How may such
deposits be eliminated or con-
trolled most effectively?
"What is the determination of
toe -role of wetlands in the
development of an area?"
Massachusetts has
experienced strong contention
with respect to the need for
preservation of wetlands. On the
one hand are land developers
who claim that drainage of wet-
lands is essential to a desirable
regional land use plan.
On the other hand are those
who are concerned that elimina-
tion of wetlands might have far-
reaching effects on the ecology
of the region, the maintenance
of groundwaier supplies, and
the control of floods.
It appears desirable that a
comprehensive study be made
of wetlands to determine their
significance in the total water
regimen of a region and their
importance to the maintenance
of a desirable aquatic and wild-
life population.
Massachusetts shares other
problems with the rest of the
nation in addition to those- out-
lined. Most important are the
problems associated with flood
control^hydropower generation,
propagation of fish and wildlife,
use and reuse of water by
industry, projected agricultural
r e q u i rements, groundwater
intelligence, recreation, and
water resource development for
navigation, Prof. Berger noted.
173
-------
-Standard-Times staff Photo by E. Milton Silvli
EROSION AND DEBRIS — Some streams feeding New Bed.
ford's water supply, Ilk* Black Brook, as shown, need dredg-
ing and clearing of vegetation to flow more freely.
Problem Becomes Acute
The water resources problems
of Massachusetts are reflected
in the water problems oi
Greater New Bedford. While the
question of multiple use oi
drinking water impoundments is
becoming acute, New Bedford's
Water Department is facing
problems in its limited-use
recreational program on the
city's drinking water supplj
reservoirs.
Recreation oriented groups
are inclined to protest the
elimination o f recreational
activities on a watershed pre-
empted for drinking water use
only, but the problem with
limited multiple use of drinking
water impoundments is fi-
nancing recreational facilities.
The Water Department budget
cannot provide funds for boat
launching ramps, sanitary sta-
tions and policing of the open
areas, which are necessary to
meet the health requirements
dictated by the state, Berger
concluded.
Like the water resource prob-
lems of the state. New Bedford
must find solutions to its own
water resource problems, which
include conservation and opti-
mum use of watershed lakes
in long-range planning for the
future; maximum use of the
Acushnet River in respect to
navigation, industrial processing
and cooling water, recreation
and shellfish propagation.
Elimination of the waste of
water in the Nemasket River
basin; meeting water quality
standards in the inner harbor
area of the Acushnet River and
pollution control of industrial
wastes and domestic sewage
are water resources headaches
that must be solved.
(TOMORROW: New Bed-
ford's water resources
problem . . . too much water
going over the dam.)
-------
Poisoned Water — 5
Storage Necessary
to Conserve Water
—Standard-Times Staff Photo by David Crowell
WATER OVER DAM — New Bedford's water mate 60 million gallons are lest daily during
resources problem is too much water for its high water periods, flowing out of the system,
present reservoirs. State water officials esti- over a dam and down Nemaslcet River.
175
-------
(This is the fifth in a series
of articles concerning water
resources problems of tho
state assessed in terms of fu-
ture development of Greater
New Bedford.)
By TED VINCENT
Standard-Times Outdoors Writer
New Bedford's water re-
sources problems — somewhat
different from the rest of the
Northeastern region's water
difficulties — is that it has too
much water for its present re-
servoirs.
"With better storage facili-
ties," Water Department
Superintendent George H.
Brightman says, "we could just
as easily fill all the needs of
Southeastern Massachusetts."
The first step to enlarge
water storage at Great and Latfle
Quittacas Ponds was approved
at a New Bedford Water Board
meeting Oct. 5, 1866. The site
is the sole water reserve where
the city owns all shore surround-
ing water reserves.
The problem faced in all of
the Lakeville Ponds that consti-
tute the reservoir system for
Taunton and New Bedford —
Assawompsett, Pocksha, Great
Quittacas, Little Quittacas and
Long Ponds — is their shallow
depths. Plans to enlarge 'their
water storage capacity center
on one of two decisions — to
deepen their bottoms by dredg-
ing or to raise the water level
by flooding more of the land
area.
There are certain disadvan-
tages to either-choice. Dredging
might destroy the present firm
character of the bottoms and
result In a more porous condi-
tion that would fail to hold the
water reserve. Raising the
water levels would result in
flooding private property.
The Lakeville ponds water-
shed covers 47.2 square miles
with water area comprising
5,803.2 acres and land area of
2,437.2 acres. With increased
storage capacity of the reser-
voir system, New Bedford could
easily become the focal point
of regional water resources.
City Planner Robert E. Stew-
Flood Control
Termed Vital
(Continued from Page l)
art says Mayor Edward J1. Har-
rington la interested hi develop-
ing the regional aspect of maxi-
mum water supplies.
Under this plan, Stewart .said,
New Bedford would pump water
to the individual towns for stor-
age in those areas. The towns
would then shoulder the re-
sponsibility of managing water
resources including cleansing
treatment, and each town would
manage aid1 set water rates to
individual users. Under this
plan there' would be several sys-
tems within a region, Stewart
said.
Three-fold. Problem
New Bedford's water
resources problem is three-fold
State water officials estimate
60 million gallons are'lost daily,
flowing out of the system, over
a dam and down the Nemasket
River.
The dam where the river
flows out of Assawompsett Pond
is old and inadequate. Water
officials believe if the dam
broke or was opened, the result-
ing loss would lower the level
of foe water supply system two
or three feet.
Even if the dam were In per-
fect condition, the runoff could
not be prevented without expen-
sive flooding of privately-owned
property.
In May of last year at a hear-
big in Waltham, Mayor
Harrington appealed to the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers for
federal aid in overcoming New
Bedford's water supply prob-
lems.
In reply to the mayor's ques-
tion, "How long?" Brig. Gen. F.
P. Keish, North Atlantic division
engineer said, "It is impor-
tant to recognize that even for
urgent projects, a substantial
period of time will be required
for the engineering and econo-
mic analysis, for effective
coordination, and for the legisla-
tive and budgetary processes in-
volved."
Planner AtsTgn«d
Following the Waltham meet-
ing, Harrington learned that
federal planner Joseph P. Mili-
ane has ben assigned to a five-
year water resource survey to
pinpoint needs in Southeastern
Massachusetts.
One regional water construc-
tion program pushed by t the city
entails damming areas' of the
Taunton River and deepening
ponds in the New Bedford waiter
storage area. Miliano. working
out of the Corps of Engineer's
Waltham office, is expected to
gather information from "N»w
Bedford, Taunton, Fall River
and other Southeastern Massa-
chusetts communities concern-
ing current sources, where they
are located and community
needs 30-50 years from now
Miliano told the Water Board
that all the work proposed in
the five-year study plan would
he scheduled for completion
sometime around the year 2020
A $56,439 one-year grant has
been awarded to the South-
eastern Massachusetts Regional
Planning District by the Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban De-
velopment. William E. Barbour
executive director of the plan!
ning district, said a major por-
tion of the grant will be used
to finance the district's .comple-
tion of a sewer and water re-
sources master plan for the
area.
Demand to Double
„ *22$ ^ 198? 9reater New
Bedofrd's demand for water is
going to double water experts
predict. And then the demand
will almost double again by the
year 2000. 3
Because people want water
for many uses, recreational as
well as municipal and indus-
trial, public concern over water
resources is at an ail-time high
What is going on in water
resources development today
amounts in some ways to a
revolution, yet there is no great
overthrow of what existed be-
fore. Rather, the old problems
are being approached with new
concepts, new laws, new rela-
tionships. Old tasks are taking
on new complexities and old
patterns no longer apply. Everv
public official in thewateV£
sources field must take a new
look at his work.
176
-------
Management Is m» K*y
Proper water management is
the key. That means many
things: Pollution control and
pollution abatement to protect
the quality of water; transfer
of water from one river baton
to another; storage of heavy
runoffs to prevent floods and
at the same time, save water
for future use.
Water resources development
in this era is a task of the
entire community,>to be carried
out for the greatest good of
the greatest number for the
longest period of time.
It is not simply a matter of
engineering. For although the
means used in the achievement
of the common goal may be
technological, their application
is determined and decided on
the basis of civic choice and
political acceptance.
For all participants in, this
field, the seareh for the best
solution and fitting ate efforts
into it when found, is a major
— perhaps the decisive — part
of the new look in water re-
(Tomorrow: With w • t • r
storage • prim* problem,
flood control auumos • key
Issuo.)
177
-------
Poisoned Water — 6
Flood Control Is Problem
(This I* the last of • eerlee
of article* concerning water
resources problems of the
•tat* aMetied In term* of
future development of Greater
New Bedford.)
By TED VINCENT
StandardTlmei Outdoor Editor
With water storage a prime
problem in Greater New Bed-
ford, flood control assumes a
key issue in water resources
management. The protection of
inland wetlands forms a firm
foundation for both flood control
in periods of high runoff and
natural reservoirs for water
storage in times of drought.
The value of the preservation
of inland wetlands is recognized
in H.3876, the Inland Wetlands
Protection Bill. On March 26,
the House, on a voice vote,
passed H.3876 after making only
a couple of minor technical
amendments.
The bill was then referred to
the Senate Ways and Means
Committee on March 27. On the
following day, the chairman of
that committee, Senator James
F. Burke, D-Brockton, was
reported to have said that Sen-
ate Ways and Means would be
working on the budget until
June and would be unable to
get to the wetlands bill before
then.
Dragging Feet
Proponents of the Inland Wei
lands Protection Bill believe
that state legislators are drag.
ging their feet on the matter
of passing the bill, and that
the measure is being deliberate-
ly stalled in Ways and Means
by a few lawmakers who are
opposed to its passage.
A maximum long-range water
resources plan must take into
account the attitudes of decision
makers in respect to their
willingness to accept the plan.
Those who are concerned that
elimination of wetlands might
have far-reaching effects on the
ecology of the region, the main-
tenance of groundwater supplies
and the control of floods, know
the road-blocks that can be se<
up by the legislature on nicl
bills as H.3876.
Legislative attitudes should b«
regulated by the fact that watei
resources development is a task
to be carried out for the great
est good of the greatest number
for the longest period of time.
Despite a disturbing supply
and demand outlook on water
resources, the key to avoiding
a shortage is to take steps to
make all the available water
fit for use time and again be-
fore it flows into the sea or
evaporates into the air. The
best hope for avoiding a water
shortage lies in a massive, well-
planned program to clean up
municipal and industrial pollu-
tion.
Almost all industrial and
household water is used but not
consumed. It is a rough rule
of thumb among water authori-
ties that when a million gallons
of water is put into a city
approximately a million gallons
comes out again. It is then pol-
luted, of course. But this is the
handiest and largest resource
for more water.
The traditional dependence of
large cities on publicly-owned
and rigidly controlled water-
sheds for drinking water supply I
rather than on major streams
178
-------
removes an important ton** for
water quality control.
Examination Important
With the increasing stress on
the river basin-vide approach
to water resources planning, it
is important that retarding
influences he identified and ex-
amined. Many industries claim
that the cost of controlling
waste is prohibitive, but-the job
must be done.
Destruction 9f estuarine areas
by pollution, by dredging to
improve navigation channels or
harbors, or by bulkheading or
fill! n g threatens commercial
and sport fisheries and wildlife
populations. Estuaries are criti-
cally important in maintaining
the food chain of water and
water-dependent creatures.
Water quality management
and land and shoreline manage-
ment must be included in long-
range water resources planning.
In New Bedford, combined
sewers carry away both water
polluted by human use and
water polluted as it drains off
homes, streets or land during
a storm. MUCH of the combined
storu. and sanitary water by-
passes the municipal treatment
plant because of in creased
water volumes. Thus, com-
pletely untreated sewage enters
Clarks Cove during ttorm pe-
riods.
Sholifishing Stoppoa
The State Department of
Public Health has frequently or-
dered Clarks Cove, the Acush-
net River and New Bedford
Harbor closed indefinitely for
shellfishing because of pollution.
A plan to combat pollution
of Massachusetts' rivers by
establishing special river dis-
trict commissions to clean up
the waters for recreation, indus-
try and commerce has been re-
ferred to the House Ways and
Means Committee lat^ a cost
analysis.
New Bedford Is getting a
$127,000 federal grant to plan
an estimated $4.7 million sew-
age treatment plant The plan
is the key project in the city's
proposed 90-year sewer capital
Improvement program.
Preliminary plans for the plant
were completed more than
three years ago, but selection
of a site was delayed by sub-
stantial debate.
A major project in the $40*45
million sewer program involves
separation of the surface water
system from the sewer system.
No lacy Solutions
There are no easy or single
solutions to water problems, no
universal cures. The expendi-
ture of necessarily )arge sums
will not work unless science and
wisdom are engaged simul-
taneously on water resources
projects and all interests are
considered in plans for the long
range.
The healthy population growth
and industrial development of
Greater New Bedford depends
on it The regional Water re-
sources must be cleaned "up and
shared, not dismembered. Their
development and their sharing
must oe planned through
cooperation.
No considerable body of water
resources can be reserved for
any one use alone. All the mani-
fold planning and development
tasks of water resources man-
agement must be undertaken in
a spirit that wfll search for
common viewpoints and
common goals.
Our lives depend on it.
179
-------
Water Pollution
Progress Noted
WATER EXPERTS - Arthur W. Browned,
director of Massachusetts Division of Con-
servation Services, Thoma* C. McMahon, di-
rector Division of Water Pollution Control,
John D. Fiske, marin* biologist. Division of
Marine Fisheries and Malcolm E. Graf, di-
—Standard-Times Staff Photo by Ronald Rolo
rtctor of the New England River Basins Com-
mission, left to right, study the agenda of the
forum on water resource* held at Dartmouth
High School yesterday. The state water au-
thorities were panelists at the forum.
180
-------
State Control Plan
To Cost $Va Billion
By TED VINCENT
Standard-Times Staff Writer
The piecemeal efforts of local
governments to plan and man-
age water resource projects is
passe, Malcolm E. Graf, direc-
tor of the New England River
Basins Commission, with offices
in Boston, toid a conservation-
minded audience at Dartmouth
High School yesterday.
Graf, one of four panelists,
forming a forum on water re-
sources entitled, "Water, Water,
Dirty Water," cited federal and
state laws that resulted in feder-
al, state and local governmental
agencies, to work together in the
development and management
of water resources.
The increasing demands on
water supplies by an exploding
population and expanding indus-
try places new stresses on our
water supplies, Graf said.
He also noted the increased
demands on water recreation in
the 1960s, and noted that conser-
vationists are in favor of open-
ing up access to the state's great
ponds and ocean frontage until
such "access points" affect the
"do-gooders" personally. Then
they oppose "the rights" of the
public.
Public Must Be Considered
The public must be considered
in the development and manage-
ment of water resources uses,
Graf insisted.
The New England River Ba-
sins Commission was established
In 1965 by petition of the six
governors of the region, and
was the fourth such commission
to- be created in the U.S.
Graf said the commission in
cooperation with the Depart-
ment of Natural Resources, the
Department of Public Health,
the Metropolitan District Com-
mission, the Department of Agri-
culture and the Department of
Commerce and Development
acts as a clearing house for wa-
ter resource development and
management proposals. And
also directs studies designed to
meet future water needs of New
England.
Thomas C. McMahon. director
of the Massachusetts Division of
Water Pollution, outlined the
federal and state laws that es-
tablished water quality criteria
and pollution control. McMahon
told his listeners that Massachu-
setts earmarked $150,000,000 for
pollution abatement and control.
He noted that Massachusetts
had met the crisis with a bond
issue to meet state financial ob-
ligations until reimbursed by
the federal government.
State 5Hi in Nation
McMahon said that Massachu-
setts was the fifth state in the
nation to have its water quality
standards approved by the fed-
eral government. This action
followed seven public hearings
conducted throughout the state
McMahon said.
Progress has been made in
the state's water pollution abate-
ment program, McMahon noted,
in the divison's 18 months of ex-
istence. Twenty-three industries
and 130 communities have been
given grants under the division's
water pollution control project
approval plan. McMahon also
told his listeners that 96 per cent
of the industries cited for caus-
fhjT> pollution had replied and
that 95 per cent said they would
comply with recommendations
for pollution abatement.
McMahon said that it would
take five to seven years to com-
plete the divisions water pollu-
tion control program at an esti-
mated cost of $500,000,000.
State fisheries biologist John
D. Fiske showed color slides of
estuarine salt marshes and
marsh streams. Fiske comment-
ed of the value of salt marshes
in contributing nutrients to the
food Chain of marine life, and
the benefits of shellfish and
finfish to the region's economy.
He cited an example of two fish-
ermen who netted mummichogs
for bait to the sportfishing mar-
ket at an income of $10,000 a
year for each man.
Notes Estuarine Value
Fiske also noted the value of
estuarine basins as nursery
areas for food fish and shellfish.
He cited the value of softshell
clams, quahogs, and blue mus-
sells to commercial fishermen,
adding that sales of shellfish by
commercial fishermen total in
the hundreds of thousands of
dollars in many coastal towns.
Fiske outlined the provisions
of the Jones Law which protects
the coastal wetland from dredg-
ing and filling by commercial
developers. In answer to a direct
question, Fiske replied ttiat the
Jones Law has been effective in
curbing dredging and filling oi
marshes in the Cape Cod area,
and to his knowledge no* viola-
tions of the law have occurred
recently.
Using salt marshes as a dump-
ing ground is still evident around
metropolitan areas, Fiske said
and proved it with illustrations.
Brownell said that the Inland
Wetlands Bill passed in mid-June
was not the complete answer to
wetlands preservation. He rec-
ommended that town, county and
state conservation agencies ac-
quire these vital conservation
areas to assure long-range pro-
tection. He noted the role that
inland wetlands play in flood con-
trol and water storage which
preserves the water table dur-
ing periods of drought.
The water resources forum
was sponsored by the League of
Women Voters in Dartmouth and
the garden clubs of Southeast-
ern Massachusetts.
181
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THE STANDARD-TIMES, NEW lEDFOHP. MASS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH I,
Seminar Held in Attleboro
Industrialists Alerted to
New Pollution Rules
By TED VINCENT
Standard-times Staff Writer
ATTLEBORO — Beginning
July 1 there will be an nth
commandment in the land —
"Thou shalt not pollute thy
waters" — Southeastern
Massachusetts i n d u st ri a 1
management was told at an
industry sponsored water
pollution seminar.
The conference, called by
Associated Industries of
Massachusetts, focused discus-
sion on industry and water pollu-
tion in the commonwealth and
outlined what the industiral man-
agement should know cbout the
sweeping new federal, state and
local water pollution policies and
requirements.
Critical IMIM
No longer a threat and more
than a problem, water pollution
is a critical public issue,
industrial leaders were told.
Intensified national and state
concern for the preservation
and enhancement of .water
resources in not only reflected
In the strong will of the people
responsibilities imposed by tin
new federal and state "watei
quality" laws, Massachusett! i
can achieve a quality an
uantity of water to meet
responsibilities and immediai
and future needs.
William J. McCarthy
associate legal counsel o
I.M., recommended t h a
ndustry join with municipalitiei
in establishing sewage ctisposa
but in new sweeping water
quality requirements, tb-e
speaker said.
Industrial, federal and state
Authorities on water pollution
discussed the new laws from an
industrial viewpoint and offered
guidance in planning compliance
programs and how test to cope
with existing or potential
pollution problems.
Clifford I. Fahlstrom
assistant vice president ol
A.I.M., noted that by knowing
the nature and extent of water
pollution; by
acilities for the treatment of
industrial and community
wastes in a common disposal
ystem.
Because federal officials hav^
recognized Massachusetts watei
pollution abatement plans as i
model of state programs, dtji
and town pollution abatement
projects may receive as much
as 80 per cent funding by
ederal and state .agendas,
McCarthy said.
Alfred M. Peliqvrin, northeast
coordinator of the
Federal Water Pollution Control
Administration, said the federal
government had set a water
quality goal that will at last
support a fishery. He added that
by working together future
generations can be assured of
dean water for
recreational
commercial
industry.
drinking,
and
and
uses, sport
fishing
Thomas C. McMabon, director
of the state water pollution
control division, outlined the
objectives of the Massachusetts
Clean Water Act and explained
the standard of water quality
initiated by his division.
The director said that federal
available between now
1
filing state water pollution
abatement plans — is limited
and that the state is attempting
to consolidate both federal and
state grants to municipalities.
David Carpenter, A. I. M .' s
water pollution control technical
authority, outlined how a
company can determine
whether it has a pollution
problem; bow is should be
assessed, and the various
techniques for prevention,
control and abatement q f
industrial water pollution.
Among local industries
represented at the seminar
were the Revere Copper and
Brass Co., Acushnet Process
Co., Quaker Oats Co. Hathaway
Machinery Co., and Fairhaven
Marine, Inc.
182
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Water Pollution Forum
To Raise Vital Issues
The forum on water resources
and water pollution scheduled by
Southeastern Massachusetts gar-
den clubs and the League of
Women Voters in Dartmouth for
2 p.m. July 18 at Dartmouth
High School is everyone's busi-
ness.
Featuring authoritative panel-
ists on the subject "Water, Wa-
ter, Dirty Water!" the discussion
periods alloted to each speaker
may explore answers to one of
the most vital questions of the
20th Century:
Is the U.S. running out of wa-
ter? Will water troubles keep
getting worse? Isn't there any-
thing this region can do to as-
sure adequate supplies of water,
ready at the tap and free of pol-
lution?
Flood Problems
What about floods? Can water
problems be solved by trapping
flood waters and then releasinf
them later when shortages
threaten?
These and related questions
are on the minds of most of us
as water problems — drought
floods, pollution—spread across
Southeastern Massachusetts.
Water supply and watersheds
will be the topic discussed by
Malcolm E. Graf, director and
chief engineer of the Massachu
setts Water Resources Commis
sion. In April of this year, Gra
was appointed staff director o
the New England River Basins
Commission, with offices in the
Federal Building in .Jost Offic
Square, Boston. He will direc
studies designed to meet future
water needs of New England.
Proper water management
the key to the water needs o
the future. .Water sheds gover
the water-collecting potential o
ie basic supply. Graf will cover
Jiese areas of discussion.
Supply Sufficient
Basically there is sufficient
water in this region — both sur-
ace water and ground water.
Jut some of the sources have
become heavily polluted and
are no longer usable. There is
Dilution by industry, pollution
iy municipalities and there is
alt water pollution.
Thomas C. McMahon, director
jf the Division of Water Pollu-
ion Control in the Massachu-
setts Department of Natural Re-
sources, will chair the panel in
he dirty water segment of the
orum.
From 1963 until 1965 McMa-
icn served as chief of the wa-
er resources development sec-
tion, Division of Water Supply
and Pollution Control in the
U.S. Public Health Service for
New England. From 1965 to
1967 he was executive Secre-
tary of the New England later-
state Water Pollution Control
Commission, headquartered in
Boston.
Other speakers tying in with
the discussions on water re-
sources and water pollution are
John D. Fiske, marine biologist
in the Division of Marine Fisher-
ies, who will speak on coastal
wetlands, and Arthur W. Brow-
nell, director, Division of Con-
servation Services, who will
discuss inland wetlands.
The public is urged to attend
the forum sponsored by the
Aptucxet Garden Club of
Bourne, Fall River Garden Club,
Falmouth Garden Club, Garden
Club of Buzzards Bay, Garden
Club of Greater New Bedford,
Marion Garden Club and tho
Little Compton, R.I., Garden
Club.
183
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Our
Littered Landscape
TEXT: Ted Vincent
PHOTOS: Milt Silvia and Ronald Rolo
Land pollution — the festering eyesore of trash, junk
and refuse littering the landscape — is perhaps the most
repulsive trait of the inconsiderate and irresponsible human
today.
The sharpest minds in the field of exploring human be-
havior have failed to analyze the kink in the human mind
that permits people to create a public dump on the land
about them.
Most of the trash is simply careless littering. Most of
the junk is dumped by the inconsiderate and the irresponsi-
ble. The problem is littering by a careless public that does
not recognize its responsibility to keep the landscape clean
and to protect its natural beauty.
Littering, a serious national problem, begins at home.
Probably the most flagrant example of land pollution is the
open town and city dumps. Tons of trash and junk are
dumped daily in Greater New Bedford on public town disposal
areas. Most of these open dump areas carry specific restric-
tions on the dumping of garbage, but residents sidestep the
prohibition by wrapping the refuse in packages.
In New Bedford, the city incinerator handles tons of
refuse in a day's burning, but an overflow of trash and
junk spills into an open dump.
Perhaps the habit of disposing of all manner of house
hold trash on the town or city dumps contributes to the tend-
ency of people who find the landscape — no matter the beau-
ty or the public health factor — a convenient place to aban-
don an auto body, refrigerator or toss out a bag of trash.
No matter what motive underlies the slovenly practice
of the litterbug, the fact remains that our environment is
becoming a massive public dumping ground ... an open
invitation to surround us with filth, disease and
pestilence, which in some instances spills over into our
waters and adds to the problem of cleaning up water pollution
No one knows better than the sportsman how a mere
handful of discarded rubbish can deface an otherwise beau
tiful woodland setting or stream. Sportsmen should be aware
that litter prevention is an important part of conservation
and should cooperate as much as possible with anti-litter
campaigns. The nation's hunters and fishermen are among
those being hurt most by the effects of thoughtless littering
in rural areas.
184
-------
Ironicaljy, outdoor sportsmen are the least offenders,
according to a recent survey by Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Hunters and anglers accounted for only 5 per cent of the
litter in the rural areas investigated, while picnickers were
said to leave 25 per cent and passing motorists 70 per cent.
Some 1 3 states report that land is being closed to hunters
because of littering, and some .states report that littering con-
tributes to the posting of laxes and streams. Twenty-two
stated that litter is detrimental-to ffsh life.
The Keep America Beautiful survey noted that most
states are making a determined effort to combat water litter.'
An intensive campaign to clean up the public lands and
to protect their natural beauty was announced by Boyd L,
Rasmussen, director of the Interior Department's Bureau of
Land Management, speaking to the 41st annual convention
of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.
"This land is your land," Rasmussen told the writers. "It
is your land and mine and every other American's and that
makes us all responsible for cleaning it up and keeping it
clean."
Rasmussen also introduced the symbol of the new na-
tional anti-litter campaign — a lean, square-jawed outdoors-
man called Johnny Horizon — "the spirit and conscience of
every American who loves and respects the land and wants
to protect it."
Rasmussen said that use of the public lands for all kinds
of outdoor recreation continues to increase rapidly, and that
costs of cleanup of careless littering are staggering, running
into millions of dollars annually. In the natioal forests, some
$2.5 million is budgeted each year for cleanup.
Francis X. Kelly, chief of press relations in the National
Park Service, says the service does not compile the actual
cost of cleanup. Each park superintendent has a budget which
he must use to operate his park. A certain amount is required
for maintenance, including cleanup. But, said Kelly, an esti-
mated $1.75 million is used annually for cleanup in the na-
tional parks.
Obviously, something must be done on the problem of
littering the landscape, locally, statewide and nationally.
Rasmussen said we must go directly to the public own-
ers of the land, both the considerate and the inconsiderate.
We need the help of all. The considerate will do their part.
We hope the inconsiderate will develop better manners. Peo-
ple must realize it is their own "backyard" they are messing
up.
Keep America Beautiful reports the number of litter
receptacles installed along state highways is increasing yearly.
Allen H. Seed Jr., executive vice president of KAB, said pro-
viding adequate facilities for refuse disposal is a prime requi-
site for litter prevention and beautjfication.
"Most people do go straight to the litter basket with
their refuse when one is nearby," Seed said.
185
-------
This Land
KEEP IT CLEAN!
Ul. BVMnmr W TW HT«nt • WMU W LAW MMMIMDIT
NEW NATIONAL SYMBOL of anti-litter
campaign, Johnny Horizon, a lean, square-
jawed outdoorsman, is "the spirit and cons-
cience of every American who loyes and re-
spects the land and wants to protect it."
The \ew Bt4t>"4 hunting StandarJ-Tinirx —. September 1,
TOWN DUMP beside the river con-
tributes to two forms of pollution—land
and water. During flood periods buoyant
trash floats into the Acushnet River and
adds to the pollution of New Bedford
Harbor.
OVERFLOW of cans and bottles from
a filled disposal barrel litter a public
beach area. People use a disposal recep-
tacle if it is near at hand, but the barrels
present a litter problem if they are not
emptied regularly.
186
-------
OPEN DUMPING at the New Bedford incinerator illustrates the habit of
landscape pollution. The practice breeds rats and provides fuel for dump fires,
which causes another health hazard — air pollution.
LITTERING our
waters is a threat to
fish. This Spanish
mackerel was girded
by one of the plastic
rings from a six-pack
of beer. As the fish
grew, the ring cut
deeper into the body,
finally affecting the
digestive process and
killing it.
187
-------
ROADSIDE DUMP on Shawmut Avenue. When people find the gates to the
New Bedford incinerator closed, the closest open space at the entrance becomes
a dumping area. Jaycees cleaned up this road in June, but irresponsible residents
continue to dump rubbish on the road. Two wind-blown cartons can be seen bouncing
across the road in front of and to rear of the car.
188
-------
,»
JUNK TIRES, discarded oil barrels and cardboard cartons choke a small
stream on Hathaway Road near the new Holiday Inn. The stream flows into the
Paskamansett River. Stagnant water in tires is a prime mosquito breeding source.
189
-------
APPENDICES
List of Participants at Boston, Massachusetts
Public Meeting, October 8, 1968 191
List of Other Attendees at Boston, Massachusetts
Public Meeting, October 8, 1968 193
190
-------
Name
Speakers
Alperin, Irwin M.
Backoff, Frank
Blandin, Warren W.
Bumpus, Dean F.
Carriker, Melbourne R.
Cole, Dr. Charles F.
Conover, Dr. John T.
Conrod, Alfred C.
Di Carlo, Rep. Joseph C.
Harleman, Donald R.
King, James
La Roque, Paul K.
Lebourveau, John W.
Loring, Richard N.
Lyman, Henry
Address
Assistant Director, Mass. Div. of Marine
Fisheries, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston,
Mass. 02202
Mass. Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee &
Izaak Walton League, 551 W. Water Street,
Rockland, Mass.
Waterfowl Biologist, Mass. Div. of Fisheries &
Game, Field Headquarters, Westboro, Mass. 01581
Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, Woods Hole, Mass. 02543
Director, Systematics-Ecology Program
Marine Biological Lab., Woods Hole, Mass. 02543
Assoc. Prof. Fishery Biology, University of
Massachusetts, Ho Idsworth Hall, Amherst,
Massachusetts 01002
Biological Oceanographer, P. 0. Box 97,
Hyannis, Mass.
Engineer, Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology Experimental Astronomy Laboratory
Bldg. N51-311, Cambridge, Mass. 02139
State Representative, State House,
Boston, Massachusetts
Professor of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Room 48-213
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Legislative Assistant to Senator Edward M.
Kennedy, JFK Federal Bldg., Boston, Mass. 02203
Communications Director, New North River
Association, 35 Felt Street, Salem, Mass.
Environmental Engineer, New England Electric
System, 441 Stuart Street, Boston, Mass.
Vice President, Aquacultural Research Corp.,
P. 0. Box 597, Dennis, Massachusetts
Publisher, Salt Water Sportsman
10 High Street, Boston, Massachusetts
191
-------
Name
Speakers
Marshall, Roger
Mofenson, David
Moore, Johnes K.
Morgan, Allen H.
Nason, Benjamin W.
O'Leary, Gerald F.
Saltonstall, Sen. William L.
Saphir, Mrs. Nelson R.
Sirianni, Rep. Ralph E.
Smith, Mrs. Sherman L.
Tenenbaum, Oscar
Trafford, Miss Stella
Walke, Mrs. Roger
Address
Chairman - Eastern New England Group,
The Sierra Club, 33 Linnaean Street,
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Democratic Candidate - State Representative
13th Middlesex District, 780 Chestnut St.,
Newton, Massachusetts
Ass't. Professor, Salem State College
Salem, Massachusetts 01970
Executive Vice President, Massachusetts
Audubon Society, Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773
Executive Director, Massachusetts Forest &
Park Association, One Court Street, Boston,
Massachusetts
Boston City Council, City Hall, Government
Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02201
State Senator, 3rd Essex District,
State House, Boston, Massachusetts
Representing Mayor James R. Mclntyre - City
of Quincy, City Hall, Quincy, Massachusetts
State Representative, 257 Winthrop Street
Winthrop, Massachusetts
Representing Neighborhood Residents
196 Idlewell Blvd., Weymouth, Massachusetts
Meteorologist in Charge, Dept. of Commerce,
ESSA, Weather Bureau, Logan International
Airport, East Boston, Massachusetts
League of Women Voters, 221 Beacon Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
State Water Chairman, League of Women Voters
Randolph Avenue, Milton, Mass. 02187
192
-------
Name
Attendees
Abelson, Mark
Archibald, Frank L.
Avery, Mrs. Abigail
Barbour, William E.
Bates, Mrs. Howell A.
Belcher, C. Francis
Bergen, Lawrence J.
Bergin, Francis T.
Black, Mrs. K. Charlton
Black, K. Charlton
Boschetti, Mario M.
Bryant, Edward A.
Burke, Mrs. Roger M.
Callaghan, T. P.
Address
Regional Coordinator, U. S. Dept. of the
Interior, Room 2003, J. F. Kennedy Federal
Bldg., Boston, Massachusetts 02203
Environmental Engineer, Boston Edison Company
800 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts
02199
Conservation Committee Chairman, Appalachian
Mountain Club, 5 Joy St., Boston, Mass.
Executive Director, Southeastern Massachusetts
Regional Planning District, 123 N. Main Street,
Fall River, Massachusetts 02720
President, League of Women Voters of Mass.
120 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 02116
Executive Director, Appalachian Mountain Club
5 Joy Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108
Water Resource Engineer, Basin Planning Section
Corps of Engineers, New England Division,
424 Trapelo Road, Waltham, Massachusetts
Sanitary Engineer, Met. Dist. Comm.,
20 Somerset Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Commissioner, Wayland Conservation Comm.,
97 Lincoln Road, Wayland, Massachusetts 01778
Treasurer, Scientific Analysis Corporation
33 Sudbury Road, Concord, Massachusetts
Environmental Engineer, Massachusetts Dept. of
Public Health, Room 511, State House,
Boston, Massachusetts
Associate, Tippetts-Abbott-McCarthy-Stratton
375 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022
Secretary, Massachusetts Conservation Council
P. 0. Box 315, Lincoln Center, Massachusetts
Ass't. to Executive Director, Massachusetts
Port Authority, 470 Atlantic Avenue,
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
193
-------
Name
Address
Attendees
Centori.no, James J.
Clancy, James P. Mrs.
Collins, Mayor Francis X.
Conrod, Mrs. Vera
Corrieri, Marylou
Courtney, Joseph F.
Curran, Robert E.
De Hart, Donald M.
De Mariano, Paul
Dimes , Richard
Dimond, Mrs. F. Reginald
Dinsmore, A. F.
Donheiser, Dr. Alan D.
Fabuss, Dr. Bela M.
Folger, Commander W.
Gehling, Raymond L. Jr.
Associate Professor, Salem State College
Loring Avenue, Salem, Massachusetts
Neighborhood Residents, 209 Idlewell Blvd.,
Weymouth, Massachusetts
Mayor of Salem, Salem, Massachusetts
Local Chairman (Arlington) LWV-Disposal
Committee, 19 Windemere Ave., Arlington,
Massachusetts 02174
Negotiator, Alice Sias Mem. Lab., 211 Summit
Avenue, Brookline, Massachusetts 02146
Director, Area Development Center, Boston
University, 398 Andover Street, Wilmington,
Massachusetts 01887
President, New North River Association
55 Dearborn Street, Salem, Massachusetts
Executive Director, New England Aquarium
Central Wharf, Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Ass't. to T. P. Callaghan, Massachusetts Port
Authority, 470 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Mass.
Former Selectman, Winthrop Citizens Group
105 Johnson Avenue, Winthrop, Massachusetts
Water Committee Chairman, League of Women
Voters, 1580 Wampanoag Trail, Harrington, R. I.
Hydraulic Engineer, Gibbs & Hill, Inc.,
150 Causeway Street, Boston, Mass. 02114
Arthur D. Little, Inc., Cambridge, Mass. 02140
Technical Director, Lowell Technical Institute
Research Foundation, 450 Aiken St., Lowell,
Massachusetts
Chief Int. & Law Enforcement, U. S. Coast Guard
c/o Commander 1st Coast Guard District,
JFK Federal Bldg., Boston, Mass. 02203
Senior Supervisor of Conservation Education
Mass. Dept. of Ed., 182 Tremont St. Boston, Mass,
194
-------
Name
Address
Attendees
Gray, Walter J.
Johnson, Mrs. N.
Kennedy, Charles F.
Knox, C. E.
Kuh, Peter H.
Lach, M. J.
Larson, Charles
Larson, Peter W.
Leffel, R. E.
Lewis, Mrs. Frank M.
Lord, Sabin M. Jr.
Lyman, Mrs. G. H.
Lynde, Robert E.
Magill, John
Mayfield, G. B.
Director, New England Marine Resources Infor-
mation Program, University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, Rhode Island
Secretary, G. C. Me Leod Sea-Farm Res.,
181 West Street, Waltham, Massachusetts
Director and Chief Engineer, Massachusetts
Water Resources Commission, 100 Cambridge St.,
Boston, Massachusetts
District Chief, U. S. Geological Survey
2300 J. F. K. Federal Bldg., Boston, Mass.
Executive Secretary, Water Pollution Advisory
Board, U. S. Dept. of the Interior, Rm, 4140
18th & C Streets N. W., Washington, D. C.
Manager Technical Analysis, Eastern Gas & Fuel
Associates, 27 West St., Charlestown, Mass.
Sanitary Engineer, U. S. Public Health Service
1401 J. F. K. Federal Bldg., Boston, Mass. 02203
Coordinating Director, Charles River Watershed
Ass'n., 460 Main Street, Walpole, Mass. 02081
Vice President, Camp, Dresser & McKee Intl.,
Inc., One Center Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts
Conservation Comm., Garden Club Fed. of Mass.,
200 Boston Post Road, Weston, Mass. 02193
Senior Sanitary Engineer, Commonwealth of Mass.
Dept. of Natural Resources, Div. of Water
Pollution Control, 100 Cambridge St., Rm. 1901
Boston, Massachusetts
280 Dudley Street, Brookline, Mass. 02146
Marine Forecasting Specialist, U. S. Weather
Bureau, Logan Airport, E. Boston, Mass. 02128
Quality Assurance Manager, The Quaker Oats Co.,
Hillman & Water Sts., Box 810, New Bedford,
Massachusetts
Ass't. to Director, Avco Everett Research Lab.
2385 Revere Beach Pkwy., Everett, Mass.
195
-------
Name
Attendees
McCall, Gerald W.
McCann, James A.
Miller, David
Miller, Dr. Mary Emily
Morcom, Mrs. Margaret
Moss, Sanford A.
Nealom, Thomas F.
Nickerson, Kenneth R.
Nordstrom, Robert D.
O'Donnell, Joseph W.
O'Rourke, Hugh F.
Pelletier, Octave Daniel
Pentz, N. E.
Persson, Norma
Putnam, John W.
Address
Sanitary Biologist, Division of Sanitary
Engineering, Massachusetts Dept. of Public
Health, 165 Hampshire Road, Methuen, Mass.
Leader, Mass. Coop. Fish Unit, Bureau of Sport
Fisheries & Wildlife, University of Mass.
Amherst, Massachusetts
Curator, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Associate Professor, Salem State College
Salem, Massachusetts 01970
League of Women Voters, Dexter Building
Boston, Massachusetts
Assistant Professor, S. E. Mass. Tech. Inst.,
Biology Department, North Dartmouth, Mass.
Quality Control Supt., Monsanto Company
Chemical Lane, Everett, Massachusetts
Director of Research, The Gorton Corporation
327 Main Street, Gloucester, Massachusetts
Staff Assistant to Congressman Hastings Keith
of Massachusetts, Town Hall, West Bridgewater,
Massachusetts
Regional Resource Development Agent, Coopera-
tive Extension Service, 460 Main Street,
Walpole, Massachusetts
Executive Secretary, Boston Fisheries Ass'n.
Fish Pier, Boston, Massachusetts
Chairman, Algae Control & Conservation Comm.
404 Briggs Road, Westport, Massachusetts
Manager, Mechanical Engineering, Quaker Oats
Company, Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago,
Illinois 60654
P. 0. Box 214, Sandwich, Massachusetts 02563
RFD #1, Concord, Massachusetts 01742
196
-------
Name
Address
Attendees
Reed, Dr. Roger J.
Reynolds, John T.
Rice, Prof. David A.
Richards, Cheryl
Rogers, William
Russell, Mrs. Henry D.
Russell, Henry D. PhD.
Schields, Miss Wilma
Segal, Mark
Smith, Donna P.
Smith, Paul Ferris
Smith, Sherman L.
Stanley, LCDR H. E.
Steffek, Edwin F.
Stotler, Thomas
Tatlock, Richard
Ass't. Unit Leader, Massachusetts Cooperative
Fish Unit, Bureau of Sport Fisheries & Wildlife
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.
Associate Professor (Microbiology)
Clark University, 950 Main Street,
Worcester, Massachusetts
Assistant Professor, Boston University School
of Law, 765 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass.
Student, 63 Elmhurst Road, Newton, Mass.
Plant Manager, The Quaker Oats Company
Hillman & Water Streets, New Bedford, Mass.
Board Member, Charles River Watershed Ass'n.
Springdale Avenue, Dover, Massachusetts 02030
Marine Biologist, Springdale Avenue,
Dover, Massachusetts 02030
Head, Science Dept., A.I.B.S., 316 Hancock St.,
North Quincy, Massachusetts 02171
Inst. Agri. Indust. Microbiology, University
of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts
Editor, North Shore '68, Essex County News-
papers, Inc., 23 Liberty Street,
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Oceanographer, Geodyne Div., EG&G, Int.,
10 Water Street, Woods Hole, Mass. 02543
Idlewell Sec. of Weymouth, 196 Idlewell Blvd.,
Weymouth, Massachusetts
Deputy Group Commander, USCG Captain of the
Port, 427 Commercial Street, Boston, Mass.
Editor "Horticulture" Massachusetts Hort. Soc.
300 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, Mass. 02115
Director Continuing Education, Massasoit
Community College, North Abington, Mass. 02351
Research Associate, Harvard School of Design
1430 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, Mass. 02138
197
-------
Name
Address
Attendees
Taylor, Janet D.
Tiffney, Wesley N.
Toomey, John J.
Ullman, Mrs. James R.
Velte, Richard G.
Watson, Clinton E.
Weber, Mrs. Judith
West, Dr. Arthur J. II
White, Mrs. Janet C.
Wilder, Erwin S.
Yeomans, Mrs. Frank E,
Zottoli, Robert
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
44 School Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Professor of Biology, Boston University
2 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Director, Health Department, 5 Broad Street
Salem, Massachusetts
League of Women Voters, 168 Marlborough Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
Mechanical Engineer, NEGEA Service Corp.,
130 Austin Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02139
Resources Planner, Division of Water Resources
100 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Research Aide, Senator John J. Moakley,
State House, Room 312, Boston, Massachusetts
Dean, Div. of Natural Sciences, New England
College, Henniker, New Hampshire 03242
Barrington League of Women Voters, 44 Massasoit
Avenue, Barrington, Rhode Island
State Council of Sport Clubs of Mass., Inc.,
319 Linwood Street, Lynn, Mass. 01905
Secretary, Quincy Conservation Comm.,
115 Winthrop Avenue, Quincy, Massachusetts
Associate Professor, Fitchburg State College
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
198
-------
INDEX
199
-------
Alperin, Irving 42
Appalachian Mountain Club 127
Aquacultural Research Corporation 106
Archibald, Francis L. 134
Audubon Society (Massachusetts) 46
Avery, Mrs. Abigail D. 127
Backoff, Frank 89
Harbour, William E. 117
Bates, Congressman William H. 32
Bates, Mrs. Howell A. 53
Becker, E. Brooks 164
Belcher, C. Francis 127
Black, K. C. 115
Blandin, Warren 96
Boston Edison Company 134
Brooke, Senator Edward W. (Massachusetts) 31
Bumpus, Dean 34
Cape Cod Planning & Economic Development Commission 135
Carriker, Melbourne 85
Clancy, Mrs. James 92
Cole, Charles F. 80
Collins, Mayor Francis (Salem, Mass.) 39
Conover, John 98
Conrod, Alfred C. 97, 154
Conroy, Joseph L. 164
200
-------
Conroy, Ruth F. 164
Cultured Clam Corporation 106
David, James F. 164
Davidson, Robert G. 130
Davis, E. Fletcher 135
Davis, James E. 164
Di Carlo, Representative Joseph C. 17
Donahue, Senator Maurice A. (Massachusetts) 34
Fabuss, B. M. 160
Faux, Jaques A. 164
Foster, Charles H. W. 109
Harleman, Donald R. F. 58, 122
Izaak Walton League 89
Kanter, Thelma 164
Kennedy, Charles 41
Kennedy, Senator Edward (Massachusetts) 3
King, James 3
Klashman, Lester M. 1, 11, 15, 24, 37, 43, 89, 97
La Roque, Paul K. 61
League of Women Voters (Beacon Hill Chapter) 98
League of Women Voters (Massachusetts) 53
201
-------
Lebourveau, John W. 65
Lindberg, Clifford, Jr. 164
Lindberg, Jane A. 164
Loring, Richard 106
Lowell Technological Institute Research Foundation 160
Lyman, Henry 70
Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) 85
Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee 89
Marshall, Roger 92
Massachusetts Conservation Council 46
Massachusetts Cooperative Fishery Unit 81
Massachusetts Dept. of Natural Resources (Division of Fisheries & Game) 96
Massachusetts Dept. of Natural Resources (Division of Marine Fisheries) 42
Massachusetts Forest & Park Association 103
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Civil Engineering Dept.) 122
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Dept. of Aeronautics &
Astronautics) 154
Massachusetts, University of 81
Massasoit Community College (Natural Resources) 161
Mclntyre, Mayor James R. (Quincy, Mass.) 26
McMahon, Thomas 41
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Boston, Mass.) 130
Metropolitan District Commission (Boston, Mass.) 124
Moakley, Sanator John J. (Massachusetts) 39
Mofenson, David 39
202
-------
Moore, Johnes K. 56
Morgan, Allen H. 46
Nason, Benjamin 103
New England Aquarium 74
New England Electric System 65
New North River Association 63
O'Leary, Gerald F. 63
O'Neal, Frederick 164
Ottaway, James H., Jr. 166
Pahren, Herbert 44, 53, 55, 91
Peloquin, Alfred E. 15, 79
Russell, Henry D. 46
Ryther, John H. 119
Salem State College 56
Salt Water Sportsman 70
Saltonstall, Senator William L. (Massachusetts) 11
Saphir, Mrs. Nelson R. 26
Scientific Analysis Corporation 115
Sierra Club 92
Sirianni, Representative Ralph E. (Massachusetts) 9
Smith, Mrs. Sherman 92
Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Planning District 117
203
-------
Souza, George 151
Sprout, Gerald 164
Standard-Times (New Bedford, Mass.) 166
Tenenbaum, Oscar 106
Trafford, Miss Stella 98
U. S. Dept. of Commerce, ESSA, Weather Bureau 106
Vinal, William 161
Vincent, Ted 167
Walke, Mrs. Roger 53
Weymouth Neighborhood Residents 92
Whitmore, Howard, Jr. 124
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 119
Yasi, Robert 41
Zabriskie, Albert 41, 44, 69, 95
204
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