The Town of South Hadley Division of Water Pollution Control conducted a baseline Water Quality Assessment of two of the tributaries of the Connecticut River located within South Hadley. This project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. The characterization was limited to the Stony Brook and Buttery Brook tributaries, both of which previously had an authorized combined sewer overflow (CSO). The CSO at
Stony Brook was eliminated by the Town in July, 2007; the CSO at Buttery Brook was sealed in December of 2007.
The scope of the Brook Monitoring Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) was limited to providing baseline data to MA DEP for use in its water quality assessment program. The project involved collecting samples at predetermined points along both tributaries, beginning immediately upstream of the former CSO on each Brook, with consecutive samples going downstream to the Connecticut River. Sample locations were selected with input from MA DEP, and all aspects of this project were described in detail in the Quality Assurance Plan which was approved by both EPA and MA DEP. Every effort was made during this project to generate data that would be usable by MA DEP under its Water Quality Assessment Program and to provide enough quality control to substantiate the data. Final determination on the
usability of the data will be the responsibility of MA DEP.
Stony Brook near Connecticut River by Marina
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