Is the Ipswich River polluted?
There are some water quality problems in the Ipswich River. These are reported on the S. 303(d) list of impaired waters in Massachusetts, issued by the Department of Environmental Protection. The listed waters do not meet state or federal water quality standards. The largest problem remains flow impairment, which affects the Ipswich River from its sources in Wilmington throughout its course to the sea in Ipswich. In the Ipswich River, water quality and water quantity cannot be considered independently. The upper reaches of the river often do not meet water quality standards for dissolved oxygen (DO), especially during low-flow periods. On several occasions during the past 5 years, DO of 0-1 mg/l has been recorded and verified; the standard is 5 mg/l. An investigation of the factors which result in low dissolved oxygen is being done by the Ipswich River Watershed Association, to try to identify how DO is affected by low-flows, oxygen-demanding pollutants, high temperatures and other hum
