Phosphorus and ammonia pollution are the primary reasons why the river has long suffered from excessive algae growth and reduced oxygen levels which, in turn, are harmful to various types of fish and other aquatic life.
Ammonia can also be toxic to aquatic life.
The draft permits are for the Upper Blackstone wastewater facility in Millbury, which serves Worcester and several nearby communities, and municipal wastewater plants in Grafton, Millbury, Uxbridge and Northbridge. A similar draft permit for the Woonsocket, R.I. wastewater plant is expected to be issued in the next several weeks. And we fully expect once the permits are in place and being complied with, that the river will meet water quality standards under the Clean Water Act. While bacteria levels in the river have been greatly reduced in recent years due to earlier wastewater plant upgrades, vast stretches of the river are still heavily impacted due to excessive oxygen-demanding pollutants such as phosphorus and ammonia. Phosphorus and ammonia are contained in human waste, but until now there were virtually no permitting requirements for wastewater plants to reduce such discharges.