AWWA ACE59912

The Taunton River Desalination Plant will be the first desalination facility to be permitted in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The plant is being designed to provide up to 5 mgd of water for several cities in southeastern Massachusetts. This area of Massachusetts has suffered chronic water shortages over the last several decades and existing freshwater surface and groundwater supplies are overstressed. The proposed facility will be located on the shores of the Taunton River in the town of Dighton, Massachusetts. This lower reach of the river is tidally influenced. During the months of July to November, salinity levels in the river typically exceed drinking water thresholds, thus desalination is required. The remainder of the year, the river water will receive membrane based ultrafiltration treatment. Because the facility will be the first desalination facility to be permitted in the Commonwealth, the proposed project has received a significant amount of scrutiny as it has proceeded through the planning and design phases. Both the regulatory and public interest communities have had a number of concerns regarding the operation of the facility, particularly with regard to potential effects of the intake structure on fisheries, and potential impacts of the freshwater withdrawal and discharge of brine concentrate on salinity levels in the river. The project team has addressed these concerns through design of an intake structure specifically targeted to control against entrainment and impingement of aquatic organisms, through modeling of the impact of the freshwater withdrawal on the movement of the salt wedge in the river, and through design of a blended brine discharge program. In addition, the project team has developed a comprehensive water quality, fisheries, and vegetation monitoring program to satisfy the requirements of permit conditions. Coordination with the regulators and public interest groups has been an important element of the design and permitting effort. While some concerns remain to be addressed, this coordination and communication has been critical in addressing fundamental concerns about the operation of the proposed desalination facility on the Taunton River, a sensitive freshwater estuary. Includes 3 references, tables, figures.