I have been involved in the Boston Harbor project since it began. 

 That project, including the Massachusetts Water Resources Au- 

 thority Outfall under discussion at this hearing, has been subjected 

 to intensive and painstaking environmental review. In fact, I know 

 of no other project which has received this much attention from en- 

 vironmental agencies at the State and Federal levels. EPA's envi- 

 ronmental reviews have demonstrated that the continued dis- 

 charges of MWRA effluent into the shallow waters of Boston 

 Harbor cause unacceptable environmental impacts on our coastal 

 waters. There is a compelling environmental need to end these dis- 

 charges as soon as possible. The new MWRA outfall is, therefore, 

 an important part of the Boston Harbor Project. Its operation will 

 improve water quality throughout the harbor, especially along the 

 shores of Quincy, Winthrop, Hull and Nahant, which are most di- 

 rectly affected by the existing discharges. 



As demonstrated by multiple environmental studies, the outfall 

 will effectively eliminate these near shore impacts with minimal 

 impact on the bay. Study after study has found that the Boston 

 Harbor Project will produce great improvements in water quality, 

 not only in the harbor, but in Massachusetts Bay as well. After all, 

 there is no wall between the harbor and the bay. The pollutants 

 which now flow into the harbor are carried into the bay on the out- 

 going tide. 



We are pleased at the recent biological opinion issued by the Na- 

 tional Marine Fisheries Service which corroborates the conclusions 

 of these earlier reviews, in particular, the conclusion that the out- 

 fall is not likely to jeopardize endangered or threatened species. 



The harbor project has already produced noticeable benefits. 

 New pumping facilities at Deer Island have reduced discharges 

 from combined sewer overflows. The discharge of sewage scum into 

 the harbor ended in 1988, and the discharge of sludge was termi- 

 nated in 1991. Further improvements will come as the new Deer 

 Island treatment plant begins to come online, starting with the 

 first half of primary treatment next summer. 



It is important to understand EPA's role in this process. As a 

 plaintiff in the Clean Water Act enforcement case against the 

 MWRA and the Commonwealth, and as a Federal Regulatory 

 Agency, EPA's role is to ensure compliance with the nation's envi- 

 ronmental laws. It is our responsibility to make sure that the facili- 

 ties needed to clean up the harbor and the bay are constructed. We 

 do not design or construct those facilities ourselves. Our mandate is 

 to review the facilities designed by the MWRA and to ensure that 

 they will achieve compliance with the Clean Water Act and other 

 environmental laws. 



EPA began its review of the proposed MWRA outfall in 1986. We 

 conducted an intensive study of the potential impacts of the outfall 

 on the Massachusetts Bay ecosystem. The study examined the po- 

 tential for effects on water quality, sediments, plankton, fish, 

 marine mammals, endangered species and other aspects of the 

 marine environment. 



As part of this process, EPA initiated a consultation with the 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service, concerning impacts on endangered species. During that 

 consultation, EPA notified NMFS in writing of a plan to incorpo- 



