Monponsett Pond - Pollution Report and Hearing

The Town of Halifax will host a presentation and public hearing on Thursday, December 15 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the Great Hall of the Halifax Town Hall, 499 Plymouth Street by the Division of Watershed ManagementBureau of Water Resources, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection of a Draft Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for Total Phosphorus in four ponds in the Towns of Halifax, Hanson and Pembroke Massachusetts. The four ponds, West Monponsett Pond, East Monponsett Pond, White Oak Reservoir (a.k.a. ‘reservoir’) and Stetson Pond are hydraulically connected and are impaired by nutrients, specifically phosphorus. This Draft TMDL Report is required by the EPA Federal Clean Water Act section 303d and is directed at control of excessive cyanobacteria, algae and non-rooted weeds (duckweed) which impair uses in the ponds, including swimming, and aquatic life. A TMDL is essentially a “pollution budget” designed to restore the health of an impaired waterbody. A copy of this Draft TMDL Report, a complete listing of all lakes, rivers and coastal waters on the Massachusetts Impaired Waters (303d) list and further explanation of the TMDL Program, is available here:

http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dep/water/resources/a-thru-m/monponsett-pho...

The public hearing will be held to discuss and respond to any public comments on the report. Based on the comments received, the Draft Report will be rewritten and the final version sent to the USEPA for approval. All comments should refer to the report number (CN 446.0) and must be received by 5:00 pm on January 16, 2017. Please submit comments electronically to Matt Reardon, [email protected], or by US Mail to MassDEP, Attn: Matt Reardon, Watershed Planning Program, 8 New Bond Street, Worcester, MA 01606.
 

Charlie Seelig
Halifax Town Administrator
781-294-1316