June 21, 2004

Deer Island Treatment Plant Wins National Award for Peak Performance

The Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Boston has received a prestigious Gold Peak Performance Award for 100% compliance with federal discharge limits in 2003. Built and operated by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Deer Island facility serves as the centerpiece of the Boston Harbor Project, which has dramatically improved water quality in Boston Harbor.

The Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) issues the performance awards annually to recognize public wastewater treatment facilities for their outstanding compliance records. AMSA recognized the Deer Island facility, the only facility in Massachusetts to receive the award, at its annual ceremony recently in Washington, D.C.

The award is a real tribute to the hard work of the operators, engineers, scientists, and managers running the complex Deer Island facility on a daily basis, said MWRA Executive Director Frederick A. Laskey. MWRA is required to meet a very strict discharge permit issued by the federal EPA and state DEP, and we take this responsibility very seriously, said John P. Vetere, Director of Wastewater Treatment.

"The Deer Island plant is an outstanding example of environmental efforts. AMSA is honored to showcase the achievements of the MWRA and our nation's public wastewater utilities through the Peak Performance Awards Program," said Ken Kirk, AMSA's Executive Director.

The Deer Island facility has a 1.27 billion gallon per day capacity and is the second largest in the country. MWRA transports wastewater from 43 communities to Deer Island for treatment with the plant's treated effluent sent through a deep rock tunnel 9.5 miles out to deeper waters for discharge in Massachusetts Bay. MWRA conducts extensive water quality monitoring in the bay and harbor. The plant's sludge is converted into EPA Class A fertilizer pellets at a facility in Quincy.

For more information on MWRA's water quality efforts and the Deer Island facility, contact the Public Affairs office at (617)-788-1170 or check on-line at www.mwra.com