Environmental Justice and Related Issues

Transcription

1 Environmental Justice and Related Issues April 5th, 2016 Presented by the Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG)

2 The Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG) is about bringing sustainability-minded professionals together to share, to learn, to make connect, and to further the work of sustainability. Join the Boston Area Sustainability Group online:

3 Guest Speakers Kerry Bowie, Managing Partner, Masada Partners, LLC Sam Lipson, Director of Environmental Health, Cambridge Public Health Department. Stephen Estes-Smargiassi, Director of Planning & Sustainability, MA Water Resources Authority Rebecca Herst, Senior Climate Project Manager, UMass and the Boston Harbor Association

4 Guest Moderator Arnold Sapenter, MBA and LEED GA Recent Director of Sustainability & Past Director of Diversity and Program Monitoring Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

5 Environmental Justice O Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. O It will be achieved when everyone enjoys: the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.

6 Environmental Justice O The National Executive Order on Environmental Justice was signed in 1994 by President William Clinton. O The U.S. EPA celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Environmental Justice in O community-voices-environmental-justice O massdep/service/justice/

7 Massachusetts Water Resources Authority MWRA Fair, Effective and Sustainable Boston Area Sustainability Group April 5, 2016 Stephen Estes-Smargiassi Director of Planning and Sustainability

8 Who We Are -- MWRA provides wholesale water and wastewater services to over 2.5 million customers in 61 communi<es On average, MWRA delivers an average of 200 million gallons per day to its water customers, with a peak demand of 350 million gallons MWRA collects and treats an average of 350 million gallons of wastewater per day, with a peak capacity of 1.2 billion gallons

9 A New Agency Was Needed Because the Old One Had Failed! In 1982 and 1983, civil suits were filed against the MDC and other state agencies claiming that the MassachuseLs Clean Waters Act had been violated as a result of discharges of untreated and par<ally treated sewage from Nut and Deer Islands

10 How is MWRA Different from Flint Equitable and Effec<ve Harbor Clean Up Looking to the Long Term Green Power Climate Change Adapta<on 11

11 Press coverage raising ques<ons about water safety around the country MWRA customers have ques<ons about their water Images from nightly news broadcasts, newspapers, the internet, blogs, and periodicals are everywhere

12 Indications Of Problems In Flint Went Unheeded Public is more sensi<ve than ever to changes in water quality Need to take complaints seriously Respond quickly Provide good customer service Maintain customer s confidence in the safety of the water we provide

13 MWRA Takes Customer Concerns Seriously Water quality hotline: LEAD Tracks complaints received from community water departments A minimum of weekly calls to each community Provides assistance to communi<es in resolu<on of complaints Inves<ga<on support Sample collec<on Chemical/biological analysis Consults with regulators and public health officials

14 Flint Changed Source Water And Treatment MWRA has high quality source reservoirs Treatment has been stable for years Quabbin Reservoir, above, and Wachuse< Reservoir, below, have well protected watersheds and provide high quality water to MWRA treatment Thorough review of any treatment changes Bench and pilot tes<ng Expert panel review DEP and EPA involvement in review and approval Over 85% Naturally Protected Forests and Wetlands

15 Flint Did Not Implement Corrosion Control Treatment MWRA modern corrosion control treatment in place since 1996 Conducted by well- trained licensed treatment plant operators Sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide added to reduce corrosivity and improve stability State approved Op<mum Water Quality Parameters met consistently The John J Carroll Water Treatment Plant (center) and Interim Corrosion Control Facility (foreground) provide con@nuous corrosion control treatment since 1996

16 Water Quality Data In Flint Was Not Made Public 80 90% Lead Levels (ppb) in MWRA Fully 71 Served Communities Since Lead / Copper Rule in Place Lead Action Level = 15 ppb Lack of informa<on undermined public confidence Ci<zen groups gathered their own data In contrast, MWRA publishes water quality data on mwra.com Data that can be found on MWRA website: Raw water, treated water, and distribu<on system data All lead compliance sample results since 1992 Easily understood summary charts

17 MWRA Believes in Transparency With Lead Sample Results 18

18 Transparency With Lead Results Lots of Data on Line 19

19 Over Half The Homes In Flint Have Lead Service Lines In comparison about 5 percent of services in MWRA communi<es are lead Important to maintain and update community inventories of lead service lines Risk of lead in water remains as long as lead service lines exist MWRA Adopted $100 million zero- interest community loan program to fund replacements Community September 2015 Number of Services Estimated Lead Services MWRA System 6.22 Ppb Community Estimate in Black MWRA Estimate in Red Arlington ,585 0 Bedford 4,613 0 Belmont ,745 1 Boston ,638 3,567 Brookline , Cambridge 15,486 0 Canton 7,162 0 Chelsea , Dedham/Westwood 13,304 0 Deer Island TP Everett 1 8, Framingham ,147 4 Lexington , Lynnfield ,427 0 Malden ,815 5,205 Marblehead ,065 0 Marlborough 10,303 1,238 Medford ,706 2,231 Melrose , Milton , Nahant ,634 0 Needham 10, Newton ,071 1,161 Northborough ,234 0 Norwood 7.6 8, Peabody 13,539 5,687 Quincy ,750 1,310 Reading 4.3 7, Revere , Saugus 2.6 9,331 0 Somerville ,423 2,298 Southborough ,210 0 Stoneham , Stoughton 7,387 0 Swampscott ,485 0 Wakefield 8, Waltham ,732 0 Watertown ,165 0 Wellesley 8,324 1 Westboro State Hospital 1.52 Weston ,613 0 Wilmington 7,469 0 Winchester 7,215 0 Winthrop ,480 1,400 Woburn 11,447 2 Chicopee 3.8* 16,527 0 South Hadley F. D. #1 5.4* 4,827 0 Wilbraham 1.4* 3,347 0 TOTAL 519,270 26,014 * Most recent data from 2012/2013

20 BWSC is Already Has Public Inventory Of Lead Service Lines 21

21 Over 90% Reduction In Lead Levels MWRA water system has now been below the lead Ac<on Level of 15 parts per billion 20 straight rounds In 1992, 24 communi<es were above the AL, in 2015, only 2 communi<es are above the AL. 22

22 Key Message - - Shared Responsibility for Lead Water is the universal solvent There is no lead in MWRA source water or local water mains Lead can leach from lead service lines, lead solder, brass pipes and fixtures Key issues: Lead Service Lines Stagnant Water Simple message to public We treat the water to reduce leaching. You should flush your tap before using. Get the lead out Lead Line:

23 Best Drinking Water In The Country 24

24 Raw Sewage Pouring Into Boston Harbor Daily 25

25 On The Wastewater Side The 15- year, $3.8 billion Boston Harbor Project was completed in 2001 About 380 million gallons of wastewater is treated at the new Deer Island Treatment plant every day, with a peak capacity of 1.2 billion gallons Treated wastewater is discharged 9.5 miles out into the deeper waters of MassachuseLs Bay 26

26 The Harbor Continues To Recover Water quality in Boston Harbor con<nues to improve drama<cally Sewage solids discharged from Deer Island have been reduced by 85% Toxic pollutants have been reduced by 90% Water is three <mes as clear 27

27 Combined Sewer Overflow Control Program Five communi<es - Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea and Somerville - have combined sewer systems that connect to MWRA's sewer system CSO Program Funded by all 43 MWRA Sewer Communi<es 28

28 Largest Investment Was in North Dorchester Bay Beaches Total Capital Cost: $906.6 million 29

29 South Boston Beaches -- CSO Storage Tunnel South Boston Beaches (N. Dorchester Bay) $228,401,000 CSO Ou;alls: BOS081, 082, 083, 084, 085, 086, 087 Frequency of Discharge (typical year) CSO: Before project: 17 With project: 0 Stormwater: Before project: 93 With project: 0 Annual Discharge Volume (typical year) CSO: Before project: 8.6 mgal With project: 0 Stormwater: Before project: 144 mgal With project: 0 CSO ReducPon by Volume: 100% 30

30 Dramatic Improvements In Water Quality Even In Wet Weather (Before Secondary Treatment and South System transfer) (ATer Secondary Treatment and New Ou;all) Average Enterococcus counts in Boston Harbor in wet weather The lighter the blue, the be-er 31

31 Boston Now Has Some Of The Cleanest Urban Beaches In The Country 32

32 And We Love Being Green! Of our $40 million annual energy budget, $22 million comes from renewable sources 33

33 Gravity is Our Friend! About 85% of the water is delivered by gravity Carroll Water Treatment Plant 34

34 Hydroelectric Power 35 35

35 Methane Utilization At Deer Island 98+% of methane is u<lized 36

36 Solar Power 37

37 Wind Power 38

38 Impact of Global Warming: 100 Year Storm and Sea Level Rise In Year My Office Data sources: Flooded area IPCC, ground elevapons determined by LIDAR. 39

39 A Rising Sea Impacts The Hydraulics Of The Outfall Tunnel The effluent from the sewage treatment plant is discharged by gravity to the 9.5 mile To maintain hydraulic capacity and protect the plant, plant eleva<on raised 1.9 feet and tunnel diameter was up- sized from 24 to feet 40

40 Reviewed Every Coastal Facility for SLR Vulnerabilities Using Scheduled Rehabilitation Projects to Address Southwest Facility View Backup Generator 41

41 Stephen Estes- Smargiassi

42 Does Having Safe Drinking Water and a Safe Environment Depend on Race and Class? Kerry Bowie Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG) Forum 05 APR 16

43 4/10/16 44

44 4/10/16 45

45 4/10/16 46

46 Environmental JusPce (EJ) Challenges Lack of transparency Informa<on asymmetry Decision- making process Response to complaints 4/10/16 47

47 4/10/16 48

48 4/10/16 49

49 Very limited engagement due to transac<onal nature of permiung process GOVERNMENT Mul<ple engagements due to transac<ons across various regions and states COMMUNITY X Oven no meaningful or very defensive engagement due to lack of trust, communica<on, and/or mutual respect PROJECT PROPONENT 4/10/16 50

50 Environmental JusPce Resources Water Resources Grants & Financial Assistance Water Infrastructure Water Management Act Watersheds & Water Quality Sec<on 319 Nonpoint Source Grants Sec<on 604 Water Management Quality Planning State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) Program Title 5 Sep<c Systems General Execu<ve Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs Environmental Jus<ce Policy MassachuseLs Department of Environmental Protec<on Environmental Jus<ce Page Department of Public Health MassachuseLs Environmental Public Health Tracker US Environmental Protec<on Agency (EPA) EJ SCREEN 4/10/16 51

51 EPA Plan EJ 2020 Through EJ 2020, EPA will emphasize, over the next four years, making a visible difference in overburdened communi@es. Goals of EPA s Plan EJ 2020 follow: Deepen environmental jus<ce prac<ce within EPA programs to improve the health and environment of overburdened communi<es. Collaborate with partners to expand our impact within overburdened communi<es. Demonstrate progress on outcomes that maler to overburdened communi<es. Related Efforts: o Promo<ng climate adapta<on and resilience and greenhouse gas reduc<on co- benefits will be an important part of the EJ 2020 Ac<on Agenda o EPA will advance its program rela<ve to the implementa<on of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act through a comprehensive, long- term Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Strategic Plan, which OCR is currently developing. 4/10/16 52

52 ExecuPve Order 552 On Tuesday, November 25, 2014, an Order requiring Secretariats to take in environmental was signed. The Order requires new environmental strategies that promote impacts in environmental and focus on several environmental Order 552 requires the following Required EEA to con<nually staff a Director of Environmental Jus<ce Established the Governor s Environmental Jus<ce Advisory Council Required EEA to review and revise its EJ Policy and post it online within 60 days of EO being signed Required EEA to review and revise the defini<on of Environmental Jus<ce Popula<on Required each Secretariat to designate and EJ Coordinator and develop EJ strategies specific to the mission of each secretariat Required the establishment of an Interagency EJ Working Group made up of Secretariat EJ Coordinators 4/10/16 53

53 Q & A 4/10/16 54

54 Contact InformaPon Kerry Bowie Managing Partner Msaada Partners, LLC 50 Milk Street, 17 th Floor Boston, MA (o) /10/16 55