How do wastewater discharges impact groundwater and surface water levels?
Wastewater discharges include both sanitary wastewater and industrial wastewater, and these are discharged either directly to surface waters, or into the ground, usually through leachfields or other methods of releasing water slowly into soils. Soils provide additional treatment for numerous pollutants, thus helping to protect water quality. There are very few surface wastewater discharges in the Ipswich River Watershed. The only large discharges are the Bostik-Findley Corporation discharge (cooling water, now almost entirely discontinued thanks to implementation of a closed loop cooling system) and the Ipswich Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge into Greenwood Creek in the Ipswich River estuary. Use of on-site wastewater treatment systems (including conventional septic systems and alterative systems) and small-scale (cluster) systems can allow treatment and discharge of wastewater effluent within the watershed. So long as these systems are properly sited, designed and maintained, the
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