MassDEP Orders Gloucester to Fix Treatment Plant's Drain to Alewife Brook
August 2007 Release Involved 90 Gallons of Caustic Sodium Hydroxide Solution

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has penalized the City of Gloucester $34,500 for Clean Water Act violations after 90 gallons of concentrated caustic chemical used at its water treatment plant was discharged to Alewife Brook. Gloucester will begin immediate steps to connect an emergency drainage line to the sanitary sewer to prevent similar incidents.

On August 29, 2007, as part of a repair project at the city's water treatment plant, a caustic wash was released due to a drain plug that reportedly was not secured. Measurements taken by the city's consultant detected a high pH in the stream, indicating an alkaline discharge had occurred.

"The discharge of this solution was preventable and the city has agreed to quickly address this situation and prevent it from happening again," said Richard Chalpin, director of MassDEP's Northeast Regional Office in Wilmington.

Prior to the incident, on February 12, 2007, Gloucester entered into an Administrative Consent Order with MassDEP agreeing on a number of system-wide repairs to the West Gloucester Water Treatment Plant, including plans to connect the plant to the sanitary sewer system.

It was during the corrections to the plant, that MassDEP issued a letter to the city on April 12, 2007 specifically raising the issue of the drainage line, asking the city to evaluate whether discharges from this drainage line posed a potential source of contamination to Alewife Brook. The city responded on June 5, 2007 that it was investigating the matter. Several months later, the sodium hydroxide release occurred through that same drainage line. 

Within 30 days, the city will submit a plan to connect the plant's drains to the sanitary sewer system. MassDEP has agreed to suspend $32,500 of the penalty pending compliance with the terms of the consent order.

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