State agrees to upgrade fish hatchery over pollution fears

New Hampshire has agreed to make upgrades at its largest fish hatchery as a part of a proposed settlement following allegations that the power was polluting close by waterways, the U.S. Division of Justice introduced Thursday.

The state will take motion to cut back phosphorus in its discharges from the Powder Mill State Fish Hatchery to the Merrymeeting River.

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As a part of the settlement, the state agreed to assemble a brand new wastewater therapy techniques. It additionally agreed to reconfigure the power’s tanks to advertise the settling of solids containing phosphorus so it could possibly meet allow limits by Dec. 31, 2025.

“This settlement demonstrates that the Division of Justice and Environmental Safety Company are dedicated to addressing dangers to water high quality in our nation’s rivers and streams,” Assistant Legal professional Normal Todd Kim, of the Justice Division’s Surroundings and Pure Sources Division, mentioned in an announcement. “This settlement will result in important reductions in phosphorus discharges to the Merrymeeting River and downstream ponds and assist scale back dangers to anybody fishing or coming into contact with these waters.”

David Money, the regional administrator for EPA’s New England workplace, mentioned the settlement additionally addresses issues about dangerous algal blooms that are on the rise within the area.

The settlement comes almost 4 years after the Conservation Legislation Basis sued the state over the difficulty. In its federal lawsuit, the inspiration accused the state Division of Fish & Sport, which owns and operates the hatchery, of degrading the Merrymeeting River with fish waste it discharges, resulting in dangerous algae blooms, decreased property values and restricted recreation.

The state Division of Fish & Sport and Environmental Companies had argued that the hatchery has been in compliance with its allow that was years overdue for an replace.

The state has carried out short-term adjustments to enhance discharge together with altering to lower-phosphorus fish meals, transferring some fish to different hatcheries, and storing waste for land utility as fertilizer as a substitute of placing it into the river.

Michael Garrity, a spokesperson for the state lawyer normal’s workplace, mentioned the announcement “memorializes the State of New Hampshire’s dedication to proceed its important progress over the past a number of years to cut back phosphorus discharges on the Powder Mill Fish Hatchery and obtain compliance with its lowest-in-the-nation phosphorus focus restrict imposed by EPA in late 2020 to guard water high quality within the Merrymeeting River.”