Presentation on Projects and Programs. WRWA works to document and improve water quality in the Westport River, Westport, MA.

1. Water Quality
Improvements
Roberta Carvalho
Science Director
Westport RiverWatershed Alliance
email– water@wrwa.com

2. Making a Difference
Swimmable and ShellfishableWestport River
• Shellfishing – the MA Division of Marine Fisheries began testing in the 1960s
in theWestport River – shellfish beds were increasingly being closed in the
River due to fecal coliform contamination.
• WRWA sampling program begins 1991.
• In 2006WRWA established aWatershed Improvement Fund (WIF) to provide
partial funding for projects that make a significant contributions to improving
the health of the Westport River watershed.
• Priority was given to projects that addressed major pollution problems.
• Since the implementation of multiple best management projects,WRWA has
observed improvements in water quality parameters at the Head ofWestport
area.
• This presentation describes some of the watershed improvement projects and
details water quality improvements seen at the Head ofWestport.
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport2

3. Pathogens –Waste Related Bacteria
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport3
Bacteria.
Bacteria do not generally damage the ecosystem, but can
make people sick when they eat tainted seafood, or swim
in contaminated water.They are also a marker to identify
the possible presence of other pathogens that come from
the same fecal sources. Cesspools do not do an adequate
job of treating bacteria. Functioning traditional septic
systems (TitleV approved) are effective at treating
bacteria. High bacteria counts are why shellfish beds
and/or beaches are closed.
Bacteria in the river comes from human wastewater and
domestic and wild animal waste.The majority of bacteria
are conveyed to the River via stormwater, although
ground water is significant, too, particularly during wet
weather.

4. Pathogens - Bacteria
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport4
• What is measured – the number of bacteria
colonies present in the water sample.
• Indicator species = fecal coliform indicates the
presence of bacterial pathogens in the water
• How to measure – place 1 ml of water on an agar
petri dish, incubate for 24 hours. Count bacteria
colonies.
• Desired range –
• Drinking water 0/100 ml
• Swimming < 200/100 ml
• Boating < 1000/100 ml
• Naturally present in ecosystems
• Comes from– animal waste, sewage
• In 1960 the state (DMF) began testing fecal
coliform levels and used the data to open and
close shellfish areas

5. Making a Difference – Decreasing Pollution
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport5
There are two main types of
pollution in the river – 1)
bacteria, an indicator of sewage –
which can make you sick and
close shellfish beds and beaches,
and 2) nutrients, which fuel algae
growth and create unhealthy
ecosystems.
These two issues are often
confused.

6. WRWA monitors bacteria weekly June-August
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport6
Map the data
Put results on
our wesbsite
and facebook
page each
week

7. Pollution at the Head ofWestport
• This part of theWestport River is on the 303d list AKA
Clean Water Act’s dirty waters list
• Direct discharge of untreated road runoff built in the
1960’s
• Bacteria pollution (fecal coliform) at levels of in the
hundred-thousands (not suitable for recreation activities).
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport7

8. Timeline of AreaWatershed Improvement Projects
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport8
1
3
4
5
2
1. Ferry Farm Retention Ponds installed in
2001.WRWA donated $12,000 of
watershed improvement funds to help
offset construction costs.
2. Install catch basins and route road
runoff to vegetated area.Work done by
Westport Highway Department as part
of a MA DEP funded 319 grant written
in partnership with WRWA.
3. Constructed wetland built byWestport
Highway Department as part of a MA
DEP funded 319 grant written in
partnership with WRWA. WRWA
supported the project with$41,000
funds and volunteer efforts to plant and
maintain since 2006.
4. Raingardens—second 319 grant to
reduce polluted runoff from municipal
properties (WMS) built in 2012.
5. Larger raingardens built in 2013 at the
Westport Middle School complex to
treat parking lot, roof and road runoff.

9. Ferry Farm on Gifford Road –
Retention Ponds
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport9
1.Ferry Farm Retention Ponds were built in 2001. WRWA donated
$12,000 of watershed improvement funds to help offset
construction costs.
Retention
ponds
The retention
ponds prevent cow
manure and other
polluted runoff
from leaving the
farm and draining
into the River.

10. GrantWriting – working with State and Federal
Agencies to fund solutions
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport10
In the early 2000’s WRWA worked with Buzzards Bay National Estuaries Program
(Dr. Joe Costa – Director) to write a series of grants for the Town of Westport to
assess and remediate polluted stormwater runoff at the Head of Westport.
Multiple grants were written for engineering services and BMP (Best
Management Projects) to engineer design stormwater solutions for the area
This series of grants segued into a successful grant application to the MA DEP –
319 Grant program – these funds were to implement the designs.

11. Work with theWestport Highway Department
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport11
2. Work with the Westport Highway Department to install catch basins on Gifford Road and
change the road runoff area to drain to a vegetated area. Work done by Westport Highway
Department as part of a MA DEP funded 319 grant written in partnership with WRWA. The total
grant was $264,332.

12. Grant funds
build a wetland treatment system
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport12
2. Constructed wetland built by Westport Highway Department and
contractors as part of a MA DEP funded 319 grant written in
partnership with WRWA. WRWA supported the project with $41,000
of funds to design, plant and maintain since 2006.

13. Wetland Pond cleans polluted runoff
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport13
This system has been treating polluted runoff since 2006. Native
wetland plants help slow down and clean up road runoff.

14. Tweaking the System—Operation and Maintenance
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport14
4. In 2012, $4,500 in WRWA funds were
used to buy equipment for the Town to fix
and improve the road drainage at the
Head of Westport into the constructed
wetland. WRWA worked with the
Westport Highway Department to
implement the project.

15. Raingardens—
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport15
4. WRWA worked with the
Town to secure a second 319
grant to reduce polluted runoff
originating on municipal
properties, beginning at the
then Westport Middle School, a
series of bioretention gardens
were designed and then built in
phases in 2012-13. The total
grant for this project was
$233,930

16. Raingardens—
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport16
4.WRWA worked to secure a second 319 grant to reduce polluted runoff from municipal
properties, beginning at the then Westport Middle School, this series of bioretention
gardens were built in 2012.

17. Raingardens—
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport17
5. More engineered Raingardens were engineered by a environmental firm and constructed by the Westport
Highway Department, this was also funded by the 319 grant to reduce polluted runoff from municipal
properties (Westport Middle School) built in 2013.

18. Raingardens—
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport18
5. After construction by theWestport Highway Department, the area was planted byWRWA
volunteers.The plants and vegetation were paid for byWRWA ($7k cost).

19. WRWATesting Results - Head ofWestport 2001-2015
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport19
y = -0.5555x + 22914
R² = 0.0234
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
90000
7/24/1998 4/19/2001 1/14/2004 10/10/2006 7/6/2009 4/1/2012 12/27/2014 9/22/2017
CFUper100ml
Dates

20. WRWATesting Results – Average and Geomean
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport20
y = -178.79x + 359887
R² = 0.339
y = -15.54x + 31365
R² = 0.3572
-1000
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
FecalColifomConcentration(cfu/100ml)
Year
Average and Geometric Mean of Fecal Coliform Samples at the Head ofWestport 2000-2015
AVG
Geomean
Linear (AVG )
Linear (Geomean)
A geometric mean,
Mathematical
definition: The nth
root of the product of n
numbers. unlike an
arithmetic mean,
tends to dampen the
effect of very high or
low values, which
might bias the mean.
This is helpful when
analyzing bacteria
concentrations,
because levels may
vary anywhere from 10
to 10,000 fold over a
given period.
Geometric mean is
really a log-
transformation of data
to enable meaningful
statistical evaluations.

21. WRWATesting Results – Average and Geomean
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport21
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
AVG Geomean
Retentions
Ponds at Ferry
Farm Built
Gifford Rd
catchbasins
and swales
improved
Constructed
Wetland
planted and
online
Raingardens
built at Middle
School

22. Rough estimation of total spent on remediation
work near the Head ofWestport
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport22
12,000
264,332
41,000
4,500
233,930
7,000
TOTAL =$562,762
Funding Source
WRWA
319 Grant
WRWA
WRWA
319 Grant
WRWA
WRWA provided
almost $65k in
cash and also
hundreds of hours
in staff time.

23. WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport23

24. Next big issue:
NutrientTMDL
How to address nutrient loads in the watershed

25. Nutrients - Nitrogen
WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport25
• WRWA works with the Buzzards Bay Coalition
to monitor nutrient levels in the River.
• What is measured – Nutrients (dissolved and
particulate nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite,
ammonia, phosphorus at freshwater sites)
• Comes from– septic systems, fertilizers,
agriculture
• Nitrogen levels will continue to increase until
communities decide to reduce source inputs.
• How to reduce input?
• Stop development?
• Revise septic rules?
• No new nitrogen?

26. WRWA - Water Quality Improvement at the Head of Westport26
• Municipal wastewater treatment (SewageTreatment Plants)
are first to have requirements for limiting nitrogen inputs
(Westport does not have these)
• Rhode Island has a property inspection and cesspool phase
out requirements in certain management areas began in
2007
• TitleV Septic systems do not remove nitrogen from effluent
which leeches into groundwater and eventually the River
• The Massachusetts Estuaries Report and draftTMDL report
have determined how much nitrogen needs to be removed
from the Westport River to ensure that it is a healthy
ecosystem –The amount is close to 19%
• A Comprehensive Water Management Plan is needed to
guide theTown (watershed) on how to proceed with nutrient
reduction.