EPA further restricts pollution of Blackstone

BOSTON – The New England office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new regulations for the discharge of phosphorus and nitrogen into portions of the Blackstone River.
Affected is the Upper Blackstone Water Abatement District – the Massachusetts communities of Auburn, Holden, Millbury, Rutland, West Boylston and Worcester, plus the Cherry Valley Sewer District – which the agency said has the largest municipal wastewater treatment plant along the river.
New technology will be needed to meet the limits in the new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. As a result, sewer-district fees in the region will rise by about $10 per month for the average household, the EPA said. &#8226