Research, grant efforts target stubborn problem: Water pollution

LOWELL -- A series of grants announced this week could put a small dent in what can be a big problem - pollution caused when rainwater sweeps into public watersheds carrying with it agricultural agents, bacteria from pet and waterfowl waste, and oil and grease deposits left behind by humans.

The grants come as researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell separately try to more specifically determine how severe coastal storms contribute to water pollution, using shoreline site sensors to measure groundwater flow and track how storms may affect the amount of saltwater in beach aquifers.

The Department of Environmental Protection announced the grants on Wednesday, with Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides saying the federal funding will help communities tackle unregulated pollution sources that transport contaminants through rainwater and snow melt and pose a "serious challenge to water quality in our waterways and wetlands."

At the local level, the new funds include $259,000 for the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts, which plans to work with farmers to reduce pollution in western Massachusetts water bodies and the Connecticut, Deerfield and Westfield River watersheds.

The largest grant - nearly $499,000 - will go to the Mystic River Watershed Association for a project involving the installation of 50 infiltration trenches along streets in Arlington, Medford and Winchester.

Smaller projects that will receive funding in early 2021 include an effort to reduce pollution from runoff discharging into the Steep Hill Brook watershed in Stoughton, a $257,000 effort in the town of Holland to address runoff from two roads into the "impaired" 413-acre Hamilton Reservoir, and a $225,000 initiative through the Maunchaug Pond Foundation to protect a nearly 4,300-acre watershed stretching through the towns of Oxford, Sutton and Douglas.

"To keep communities healthy, we must help them maintain a clean and safe system of water resources," said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. "These water protection grants will help local and regional officials identify stormwater issues and address them promptly."

Saltwater Intrusion

Researchers at UMass Lowell on Tuesday also promoted work related to water pollution that will be funded by a $784,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. A team led by UMass Lowell assistant professor James Heiss, working with researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, will analyze the effects of powerful coastal storms on groundwater flow and the mixing patterns between seawater and fresh groundwater in beach aquifers.

The goal of the work is to better understand the movement of groundwater in connection with major storms, since groundwater can carry contaminants such as nitrates, phosphorous, mercury and other chemicals.

"Large-scale intrusion of saltwater is a major problem in many coastal communities and large cities that rely on groundwater as a source of drinking water. In beach aquifers, the increasing salinity will also likely influence the aquifers' ability to remove pollutants before flowing into the ocean," Heiss said.

Excess nitrogen in coastal waters can cause algae blooms, mass die-offs of fish and the loss of biodiversity, said Heiss, and red tides, blue-green algae and cyanobacteria can release toxins that are harmful to humans, pets, fish and shellfish, marine mammals and birds.

The shoreline sensor experiments will be conducted beginning in the summer of 2021, ahead of hurricane season, at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck, N.C., home to a research pier with specialized equipment that extends from the dune line into the Atlantic, according to UMass.