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Sasco Brook Improves Due to Bacteria Source Reductions
Waterbody Improved
Connecticut's Sasco Brook has been restored to meet recreational
water quality standards. The six-rnile-long coastal stream in the
Southwest Coast Basin of Connecticut is an important tributary to Long Island Sound. Its waters
feed valued shellfishing grounds and bathing beaches. High bacteria levels caused the Connecticut
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to add the brook to the Clean Water Act
(CWA) section 303(d) list in 1998. The Sasco Brook Water Pollution Abatement Committee (SBWPAC)
and its partners, specifically Fairfield County Hunt Club, Harbor Watch, DEEP, and the towns of
Westport and Fairfield, collaborated to mitigate the largest sources of bacteria to the stream, which
allowed DEEP to remove Sasco Brook segment 01 from the 2018 list of impaired waters for bacteria.
Problem
DEEP added Sasco Brook segment CT 7109-00_01 to
the CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 1998
(Figure 1), Testing showed that it failed to meet the
bacteria water quality standards (WQS) for recreation,
which require that the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria
geometric mean values not exceed 126 colony-forming
units (cfu) per 100 milliliters (mL). DEEP completed
a total maximum daily load (TMDL) analysis in 1999
(revised in 2005), which established that bacteria loads
in segment 01 must be reduced by 58 percent to meet
WQS for recreational use.
Sasco Brook's water quality is influenced by runoff
from commercial and residential development,
livestock and wildlife, and septic systems. Stormwater
flows in the area of the Fairfield County Hunt Club
were suspected as one of several likely sources of
bacteria in runoff. Large horse shows are typically
held twice during each summer season at the facility.
Rainfall events during large horse shows have resulted
in spikes in E. coli counts in Sasco Brook.
Story Highlights
The Town of Westport and DEEP have worked with the
Fairfield County Hunt Club for over 20 years to reduce
bacteria loads to Sasco Brook. Projects have included
installing new septic systems for the facility, educating
staff and clients about the problems, adding infiltration
and catch basins, and improving manure management
and horse washing practices.
Figure 1. Map of Sasco Brook watershed showing
location of segment 01.
A 300-foot-long infiltration basin constructed in 2012
collects, treats and infiltrates surface runoff (Figure 2).
Sanitary wastewater, including from horse washing,
is directed to infiltration system. Manure is picked up
daily and placed in sealed containers. Extra staff have
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Figure 2. A stormwater runoff infiltration swale system
was installed in 2012.
been hired to rigidly monitor and enforce guidelines,
provide outreach materials, and implement new pro-
cedures year round, but especially during large horse
shows. The Hunt Club enacted an events management
plan, which is strictly enforced. Procedures include
reviewing procedures with staff and clients to minimize
polluted runoff, posting signs and labeling containers
"For Manure Only," prohibiting wetlands encroachment
and erecting silt fences to protect wetlands, placing
hay bales around catch basins, and developing and
monitoring drainage controls for temporary use areas.
Using CWA section 319 funds, the SBWPAC collabo-
rated with stakeholders to develop a watershed-based
plan for Sasco Brook. Water quality updates are
provided at meetings, and timely action is taken
to address identified problems and prevent new
problems. Education and outreach activities related
to the plan included both a student-run, door-to-door
nonpoint source (NPS) pollution survey of homeown-
ers and a video to educate watershed residents about
NPS water pollution problems. Students have also
participated In Harbor Watch monitoring activities.
Results
As a result of management actions, data collected in
2018 showed a mean E. coll level of 104 cfu/100 mi in
segment 01, indicating that the segment now meets
WQS and the TMDL target for E. coli bacteria, and is
fully supporting its designated use of contact recre-
ation. As a result, DEEP removed it from Connecticut's
2018 list of impaired waters. Long-term commitment
by SBWPAC members has shown that collaborative
partnerships can solve NPS pollution problems.
Partners and Funding
The watershed has been targeted for a collaborative
water quality restoration partnership for over 20
years between the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), DEEP, U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and
municipal NPS programs as an example of a mixed
urbanized watershed without point source discharges.
The Fairfield County Hunt Club has voluntarily spent
over $1.5 million to implement pollution prevention
measures at their facility. They have attended SBWPAC
Committee meetings, and have consistently demon-
strated eagerness to improve operations to prevent
water pollution. Their leadership on proper manure
management has provided valuable outreach and
education to clients, neighboring horse facilities, and
horse owners regionally.
Westport has played a key role in maintaining focus
on restoring water quality in Sasco Brook through the
SBWPAC's activities. Prominent long-term partners
that have met regularly for over 20 years include the
towns of Westport and Fairfield, Fairfield County Hunt
Club, DEEP, NRCS, Westport-Weston Health District,
Harbor Watch, Connecticut Department of Agriculture
(Aquaculture), the Southwest Conservation District
and concerned citizens.
Harbor Watch at EarthPlace has conducted ambient
water quality monitoring and pollution source track-
down work in the Sasco Brook watershed, as needed,
for 18 years. DEEP CWA section 319 and Westport
have contributed funding to sustain the monitoring
and track-down program. The towns of Westport and
Fairfield have conducted follow-up with property
owners to remove pollution sources in areas found to
have high E. coli counts.
DEEP has provided CWA section 319 funds for two
projectssince 2008 in the watershed: a Watershed
Based Plan and a Microbial Source Tracking Project.
CWA 319 grants plus DEEP staff time have amounted
to roughly $86,000. Local and private match has been
over $1.6 million—a leveraging of approximately $1 of
federal funding per $18 of local and private funds.
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PRO^°
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©
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-19-00100
November 2019
For additional information contact:
Christopher Malik, Connecticut DEEP
860-424-3959 • christopher.malik@ct.gov
Alicia Mozian, Town of Westport
203-341-1089 • amozian@westportct.gov
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