Town of Reading

1
Lunenburg CWMP
Land Board Workshop September 26, 2007 Phase II
Management Techniques and Alternatives
Identification and Screening
2
Agenda

• Project Administration
• Outline completion schedule for Phase II
• Phase III Key Issues
• Phase II report comments
• Tech Memo Groundwater
• Water balance discussion
• Tech Memo - Phosphorus
• Distribution of Phase III Tech Memo 1
• Refined needs areas and viable alternatives
• Factors for needs area refinement

3
Phase II Completion

• Executive Summary (9/26)
• Respond to Comments (10/5)
• Approve at Sewer Commission Meeting (10/10)
• Reproduce/Distribute (10/19)
• Update Webpage with Phase II Report (10/19)

4
Phase II Report Comments

• Land Boards
• Clarify CWMP process
• Process is supplemented with Town Land Board
  review
• BOH
• Clarify that a conventional system is a
  traditional system
• Clarify that an I/A system is a Title 5 system
• Water District
• Concerned about the Water Conservation
  recommendations in the CWMP
• Recommendations are directly from the DEP Water
  Conservation Standards
• Sewer Commission
• Include information on retrofitting conventional
  systems with innovative alternatives
• Others?

5
Groundwater Resources

• Primarily covered by three subbasins
• Catacunamaug Brook
• Falulah/Baker Brook
• Mulpus Brook
• Water Balance calculated by subbasin
• Effluent disposal provides groundwater recharge

6
Groundwater Recharge

• Groundwater levels
• Surface water levels (7Q10)
• Bowl effect
• Effluent disposal within the bowl provides
  recharge to the subbasin
• Aquifer soaks up water like a sponge
• (Capillary effect)
• Potential effluent disposal locations will
  provide recharge to the subbasin and groundwater
  levels
• Example Potential sites around Hickory Hills
  Lake will recharge the Mulpus Subbasin

7
Lake Shirley

• Wastewater Management Needs
• Small lots, high groundwater, high perc soils,
  older homes
• Variance Trends
• Groundwater offset, distance to wetlands,
  distance to surface water, and distance to
  drinking water wells
• Due to limited septic design possibilities.
• Conventional and I/A Title 5 Systems
• Do not provide significant phosphorus removal
• Phosphorus removal components can be added to
  on-site
• Not required by Title 5
• Wastewater Management Alternatives
• Includes the benefit of phosphorus removal
• Wastewater Management only one component of
  Nutrient Management

8
Phase III - Tech Memo

• Needs Area Refinement
• Area for potential off-site solutions
• Viable Alternatives
• Onsite
• Decentralized
• Regional
• Outlines factors for evaluation
• Environmental
• Economic

9
Needs Area Refinement

• Factors Identified in Phase I
• 12 Layers
• Examples
• Depth to bedrock
• Drainage
• Lot size
• Depth to water table
• Sources, such as board of health database,
  MassGIS, Soil conservation service
• Board of Health Record Files
• Types of failures and variances
• Depth to GW
• Area trends
• Site Visit
• Area Trends for Age of Property

10
Questions and Comments
11
Water Balance

• Natural Water Balance
• Precipitation
• Evaporation
• Runoff
• Recharge
• Natural Balance
• Establishes Streamflow

12
Water Balance Impacts

• Water Withdrawals
• Drinking Water
• Industrial Process Water
• Stormwater Runoff
• Impervious Surfaces
• Nutrients
• Wastewater Discharges
• Effluent Discharge Sites
• Onsite Systems
• Sewer Collection

13
Wastewater Discharges

• MA DEP Title 5
• MA DEP Groundwater Discharge
• MA DEP/US EPA Surface Water Discharge
• Regulations determine
• Level of treatment
• Phosphorus
• Recharge within subbasins
• Stressed basins
• Comprehensive Planning
• Recommend mitigation for secondary growth impacts
• Increased residential development
• Impervious surfaces
• Manage commercial and industrial

14
Water Withdrawals

• DEP Water Management Act
• DEP Water Conservation Standards
• Comprehensive Planning
• Water Audits and Leak Detection
• Metering
• Pricing
• Residential Use
• Public Sector Use
• Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Use
• Agricultural Use
• Lawn and Landscape
• Public Education and Outreach

15
Stormwater Runoff

• DEP Wetlands Protection Act NOI
• NPDES Phase II Stormwater Management Plan
• Public Education/Public Participation
• Non-Stormwater Discharges (IDDE Bylaw)
• Construction and Post Construction Practices
  (Bylaw)
• Includes a review of peak discharge and
  infiltration rates, impervious surfaces, and low
  impact development
• Good Housekeeping

16
Groundwater Recharge
17
Drainage Basins

• Delineates ground surface area which slopes to a
  surface water body (i.e. Lake)
• Precipitation flows along ground surface into
  lake
• Precipitation recharges the soils and groundwater
  within the subbasin