Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Boston, Mass., is not only the second largest such facility in the country. It is part of one of the greatest environmental success stories since Congress passed the 1972 Clean Water Act.
The plant is part of a precedent-setting cleanup effort, surrounded by engineered landscaping that makes it one of Boston’s key recreational assets. It has become a showcase for the city and a much-loved resource for many of its residents.
A beneficial project
In 1985, a Boston lawyer, disgusted at the polluted state of Boston Harbor, sued the city for violating the Clean Water Act. He won, and a federal judge mandated what became a $3.8 billion project to bring the city into compliance. A significant element of the project, known as the Boston Harbor Cleanup, was the construction of a new secondary treatment plant on Deer Island.
Last updated in the 1950s and ’60s, the plant had provided only primary treatment. It wasn’t enough to keep harbor water safe, and eventually most marine life either died off or left. Fish and shellfish that did remain weren’t safe to eat.
“Having a federal judge oversee this project was one of the best things that could have happened, because it created a real schedule with interim reports and deadlines,” says Marianne Connolly, program manager for regulatory compliance with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), which oversaw the project and now runs the plant. Connolly managed the creation of Deer Island’s public access plan.
During the cleanup, the National Park Service studied Boston Harbor as a potential protected area. The late Congressman Gerry Studds helped pass legislation in 1996 creating the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (NRA).
Ultimately, the NRA designation provides protection for all assets inside its boundaries. Though located on Deer Island, the plant retains its autonomy. The park service simply adds a layer of credibility in securing federal funds that might become available for historical, archaeological or security efforts.
Getting to work
MWRA sold bonds to fund the capital improvement projects. It also secured assistance from ratepayers and through federal grants. Deer Island’s actual construction work started in the late 1980s.
The project eliminated daily near-shore discharges of primary treated wastewater. Flows were redirected to giant submerged sprinkler heads at the end of a 9.5-mile, 24-foot-diameter tunnel that outfalls into the 100-foot-deep waters of Massachusetts Bay.
The outdated plant was razed. Contractors moved many glacial drumlins to make room for the new plant. Every part of the island was cleared and bulldozed, except the pump house from the original 1930s plant. It was renovated and slightly remodeled to provide office and educational space for tour groups.
Today, two-thirds of the island’s 210 acres are occupied by the plant, which can treat more than a billion gallons of wastewater per day from 43 Greater Boston communities with a population of 2.5 million.
Public access comes to life
The public access component of the facility emerged early in the environmental review process. MWRA staff were able to help shape and expand that effort, led by then-director Doug MacDonald. The public got involved through MWRA public outreach, which sought endorsement, input and plan modification.
“We also got involved with the budding community of Winthrop, which bore most of the plant construction impacts,” recalls Connolly. “They are perhaps the biggest users and beneficiaries of the park.” A narrow spit of land connects Deer Island to the mainland at Winthrop. The Great Hurricane of 1938 deposited so much sand there that it filled in the waterway, formerly known as Shirley Gut, which separated the two.
Several designers and contractors created the green areas outside the fence surrounding the plant’s buildings. Primary landscape designers were Carol R. Johnson Associates. “Given that the soil was so virgin, we weren’t sure how things were going to work,” says Connolly.
The Deer Island staff worked with the designers and an agronomist to determine optimal soil mixtures for the best drainage properties, so root systems from new plantings wouldn’t become inundated and drown.
A 60-acre public access area is open year-round, from sunrise to sunset. It includes 2.6 miles of paved, handicapped-accessible pathways that wind around the island’s perimeter. Ten overlooks, landscaped with native plants similar to those found on the other Harbor Islands, allow people to capture views into the plant itself or look out across the harbor. Interpretive signage provides information about what they see.
The site also has mooring space for six boats and interpretive signage. On average, as many as 15,000 people enjoy the recreational space each year. MWRA has a public access groundskeeping contract with an outside vendor at Deer Island. The three-year commitment covers $263,900 worth of services — small change for the amount of public pride and goodwill it produces.
