The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation awarded the Southern Windsor Regional Planning Commission a taxpayer-funded grant of $49,110 to support the Springfield Illicit Discharge and Detection Elimination Study.
Springfield — The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation awarded the Southern Windsor Regional Planning Commission a taxpayer-funded grant of $49,110 to support the Springfield Illicit Discharge and Detection Elimination Study.
The prevalence of contaminated, non-stormwater flows–so called illicit discharges–to the Black River and its tributaries in Springfield has never been studied in detail.
The Windsor RPC will hire a subcontractor to locate the sources of non-stormwater contamination and eliminate bacterial, nutrient, and hazardous material discharges, if found.
The project will involve the inspection of Springfield and North Springfield’s stormwater outfalls and other discharge points for what environmental scientists term dry weather flows.
Each dry weather discharge will be tested for the presence of chemicals, such as ammonia, to identify wastewater discharges from laundry facilities, failing septic systems, leaking sanitary sewers, industries and any other cross-connections with the stormwater system.
Water samples will also be collected for E. coli bacteria and nitrogen analysis.
The RPC will work with the Town of Springfield to conduct the study. If illicit discharges are found, the town will also be responsible with help in implementing corrective measures.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID