The Other Faces of Public Outreach

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)
Battelle is contracted by the MWRA to conduct an extensive monitoring program associated with their sewage treatment facility and outfall in Massachusetts Bay. The Outfall Monitoring Science Advisory Panel (OMSAP) was created by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and EPA to assist in evaluating monitoring results, developing appropriate revisions to the monitoring plan, and ensuring the use of the best possible science. Battelle participates in OMSAP meetings as MWRA’s technical advisor, presenting the monitoring program data to the Panel for review. In support of OMSAP, last fall Battelle organized a two-day workshop targeted at scientific and public interests, with platform and poster sessions to present a comprehensive review of the status of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays relative to outfall issues.

EPA Technical Support
Battelle has long provided technical support to the Oceans and Coastal Protection Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and much of the support Battelle provides involves communication of science to the public. For example, Battelle is currently finalizing an educational brochure about overboard discharge of sewage. The brochure, targeted at recreational boaters, explains the environmental, economic, and human health impacts of untreated sewage discharged from boats.

Photo courtesy of Barataria-Terrebonne NEP

National Estuary Program
Battelle has assisted with the creation of a number of Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans (CCMP) for estuaries participating in the National Estuary Program (NEP). Established in 1987, the NEP promotes the development of comprehensive management plans for estuaries of national significance threatened by pollution, development, or overuse. Under the Clean Water Act, the purpose of a CCMP is to “restore and monitor the … integrity of the estuary,” including water quality, native fish and wildlife, and recreational activities, and to protect designated uses of the estuary.

The development of a management plan requires the participation of diverse environmental, social, and economic interests. Battelle has assisted with the creation of CCMPs for many estuaries, including Morro Bay Estuary in California, Peconic Estuary in New York, and Corpus Christi Bay in Texas. Battelle is currently working with New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay Estuary Program.

Battelle has provided varying levels of outreach support to the NEP, from helping the estuary management committee prepare the draft CCMP, to facilitating public meetings, to incorporating public comments on the draft into a final CCMP. For the Barnegat Bay Estuary Program, Battelle will prepare an additional public document, written for a nontechnical audience, that presents a more basic and easily understood overview of the objectives and priorities of the Program.

Battelle’s support of these EPA programs facilitates the communication of scientific information, thereby increasing environmental awareness and understanding.