Below are several issues currently receiving considerable attention at NEIWPCC. To explore all of NEIWPCC’s areas of focus and our activities related to them, we encourage you to browse the pages accessible through the menu on the left side of this website.
Mercury
The presence of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, in the water bodies of NEIWPCC’s member states has led the states to issue advisories warning people of the dangers of eating mercury-contaminated fish. But advisories can be missed, misunderstood, or ignored. The ultimate goal must be to reduce the mercury to safe levels.
On October 28, 2008, NEIWPCC, on behalf of our member states, filed a petition under Section 319(g) of the Clean Water Act asking U.S. EPA to convene a conference with a specific purpose—to forge an agreement to reduce the amount of mercury that enters our states’ waters from sources outside the region. We are pleased to report that the petition process is moving forward, and that in early 2009, NEIWPCC and state staff held a constructive meeting with EPA about our objectives. The 319(g) petition filing came in the wake of our first major action on mercury—the Northeast Regional Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)—which EPA approved in January 2008. To read more about the mercury problem, and our efforts to find a solution, visit our mercury web page. For more information, call NEIWPCC’s Susy King at 978-323-7929 ext. 253.
Climate Change
For those who care about our precious water resources, the challenge posed by climate change is daunting. Potential water-related effects in our region include increased water demand, altered streamflow, degraded water quality, saltwater intrusion of coastal aquifers, drought, and coastal flooding. It is a frightening list, and it reinforces the need for our member states to work together to reduce the levels of greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the climate change that scientists say is inevitable, regardless of any progress on greenhouse gases.
To keep our states informed and to provide a vehicle for cooperation, NEIWPCC launched our Climate Change Initiative in 2007. Through the initiative, we formed a Climate Change Workgroup, made up of state water program and climate change program staff, as well as staff from federal agencies including EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey. We also developed an extensive climate change section on our website. For more details on our efforts, call NEIWPCC’s Sarah Peters at 978-323-7929 ext. 228.
Plant Staffing
Modern wastewater treatment plants are marvels of applied science and technology, but they do not run on their own. Smart, experienced, well trained operators are needed to ensure wastewater facilities are run safely, efficiently, and effectively. The trouble is, even in good economic times, wastewater treatment plants must run lean when it comes to personnel. (Towns tend to want their plants to employ no more staff than they absolutely need.) In a tough economy, the need to be efficient with human resources is only further magnified. That pressure can prompt a plant to run too lean, and employ too few operators—the potential result being permit non-compliance and a deterioration of the investment in a facility.
How can a plant strike the right balance and get it right on staffing? For decades, state regulatory agencies and plant managers relied on EPA’s 1973 guide Estimated Staffing for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities. But changes in the wastewater industry seriously diminished the EPA guide’s usefulness. To address the need for a new, improved systematic approach to staffing, NEIWPCC developed The Northeast Guide for Estimating Staffing at Publicly and Privately Owned Wastewater Treatment Plants. It includes charts that allow a user to calculate the number of staff hours required each year to complete a wide variety of plant tasks, from maintaining aerated grit chambers to removing snow. Contact NEIWPCC to order a printed copy, or download an electronic version of the Northeast Guide for Estimating Staffing at Publicly and Privately Owned Wastewater Treatment Plants free of charge.
