Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis
G - Environmental Problems
There is one known hazardous waste site being studied at this time in East
Bridgewater. This site is located on West Union Street at the site of the Precise
Engineering Company.
The Town landfill on Bridge Street is in the process of being capped. There is a
recycling center located at the Town landfill. The Town’s refuse is being handled by
BFI, a private solid waste disposal company with a site on Thatcher Street. This site is
expected to be filled soon, which will create a greater expense to residents for future
waste disposal somewhere else. this problem has not been solved but is being worked on
by a committee in the town.
The Town is abundantly graced with waterways and the topography provides
meandering lazy rivers which tend to keep erosion to a minimum. Activity along the
brooks, in particular, construction of developments, tends to create siltation until exposed
surfaces have been established with grass. There are requirements to provide erosion and
sedimentation controls on developments by both the Planning Board and the
Conservation Commission. Even so, the speed of construction, the lack of proper
maintenance of the controls, and a general lack of recognition of their importance results
in silt laden stormwater run-off entering nearby streams. Good government anticipation
has avoided chronic flooding for the most part. Development has been restricted by the
Flood Plain and Wetland Protection District by-law in known problem areas.
Construction in these areas must receive a Special Permit from the Zoning Board
of Appeals. The development in these areas must meet specific performance standards
such as mitigation of run-off and compensatory storage. In complying with these
requirements, developments have prevented flooding of homes in the development and
those that are downstream.
Development, even under controls established by the Planning Board and
Conservation Commission, tends to impact the Town only if incrementally. Homes built
on the fringe of the wetlands impact the wetlands when homeowners unwittingly expand
their backyards for gardens, lawns, pools and other amenities that go with living in
suburban towns.
Also, septic systems designed and built in compliance with the latest Title 5
Regulations still impact on groundwater by adding nitrate to the water. There isn’t a
conventional design of a septic system that will remove nitrates. Even some of the
alternative technologies being allowed by DEP can not remove all of the nitrates. They
do, however, reduce the nitrates which is a help in keeping the drinking water quality
within the standards required by the State and Federal Governments.
Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis
G - Environmental Problems (continued)
The “green” suburban lawn is a standard that most homeowners living in new
subdivisions try to achieve. In order to accomplish this standard, many contract with
lawn care companies who fertilize the lawns on a regular basis. The nitrogen in the
fertilizer converts to a nitrate and the part that is not taken up by the plant, washes down
through the soil to the water table. Heavy watering and natural precipitation speeds the
travel of the nitrates into the water table.
Incrementally, each septic system and fertilized lawn in the town is contributing
to higher nitrates in the aquifer. If the levels of nitrates reach unacceptable levels
(10ppm) the Water Department will have to provide a water treatment plant to remove
the nitrates before allowing the water into the municipal water system.
As residential, commercial and industrial development occurs, more impervious
surfaces are created. These surfaces take the form of roofs, roads and parking. In
addition, the creation of lawns and other conventional landscaped areas around the
development, reduces the ability of these surfaces to infiltrate water from what it was
when it was covered with the natural vegetation. The net result is an increase in the
volume of run-off. Even if the rate of runoff is controlled to prevent flooding as required
by the Town’s current regulations, there is a loss of recharge to the groundwater. The
speed at which the stormwater run-off reaches drainage systems; which discharge to the
various natural water courses; which eventually leave the area by rivers; which empty
into the ocean; means that less water is being recharged into the ground. Too much of
this loss of recharge will dry out wetlands, streams, rivers and aquifers. The wetlands,
streams and rivers alone can not make up for the loss of recharge. The land area of these
water resources is less than the upland land area. Also, water in wetlands, marshes,
streams and rivers flows relatively quicker than water recharges downward through the
soil.
The Town must develop standards for development that will assure proper
recharge of ground water when impervious surfaces are created. These steps will help to
maintain goo quality of drinking water, and maintain an adequate supply of ground water
which feeds the wetlands, marshes, streams and rivers.
Surface water pollution occurs at all points of discharge of old street drainage
systems in East Bridgewater. The water from these systems are discharged to surface
water resources by people creating ditches or channels from the edge of paved areas to
allow water to drain away from road surfaces. In areas where there are catch basins, the
water from them generally discharged to the surface water. On those streets where there
are no formal methods of collecting stormwater, the water finds its way to the low spots
in the road and runs over the edge and enters a ditch, swale, wetland or brook. Almost
every road in Town has one or more of these described drainage systems.
Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis
G - Environmental Problems (continued)
Stormwater from streets can contain pollutants in the form of sediments, heavy
metals, trash, bacteria from animal wastes and bacteria and pathogens from septic
systems. The rain can wash these items from adjacent lawns and driveways into the
street. There, the water picks up pollutants dropped by passing vehicles. Even in the best
case, the water contains sediments from erosion of exposed gravel surfaces adjacent to
the street. In the winter, the water contains sediments and salts from sand spread to
control icy conditions.
The newer developments are being designed with stormwater management
regulations. These regulations require the quality of the drainage water being discharged
to water resources to meet certain standards. The Town must work to identify the areas
where the old systems continue to discharge directly into surface water resources and
mitigate the affects as much as possible. In addition, the Town should test areas where
know septic run-off and overflow pipes discharge to the street drainage system. Those
systems polluting the drain water must be identified and the systems brought into
compliance. In addition, inspections along most water courses will identify illegal drain
pipes from commercial and residential properties. These too must be corrected.
Non-point water pollution occurs when water flows off agricultural fields and
deposits animal wastes and sediments into nearby water resources. With only a few
working farms in the Town, this is not a major problem. However, the impact of septic
systems that are failing or not working properly in the Town are sources of non-point
water pollution. Robins Pond has been identified as receiving pollution from failing
septic systems. As properties are sold, many of them will be upgraded to comply with
the current Title 5 regulations. Even so, to Town must require systems to be built the
required distance above the seasonal high water table (including perched water) to
provide for proper treatment of the septic effluent. If properly designed and constructed,
the upgraded systems will mitigate the non-point pollution of Robins Pond.
While the Town can take its own steps to identify sources of pollution, regulate
development, control sedimentation and prevent flooding, the fact remains that six
streams that flow through the Town have their headwaters outside of Town. The
pollution of the Salisbury Plain River and Matfield River is a problem difficult for East
Bridgewater to control. Even so, the Town should work with the abutting towns to
develop a strategy for preventing further environmental impacts on these water resources.
Perhaps the
Section 4 - Environmental Inventory and Analysis
G - Environmental Problems (continued)
cooperation effort will prevent situations such as Brockton polluting two major rivers in
East Bridgewater. With periodic monitoring, inspections and active oversight of these
rivers, coalitions can be formed with neighboring communities to augment their
development regulations and land use planning regulations. Stronger measures must be
developed and a greater awareness of the incremental affect we all have on each other in
order to protect the environment both in East Bridgewater and our neighboring towns.