Charles River Ecosystem
Campus BuildingsDiscarded materials which are poured down a sink or floor drain into the sewer system
end up at DeerIsland treatment plant. The treatment plant can only remove certain types of contaminants. Anything else ends up in the BostonHarbor.
pH TreatmentSome buildings at MIT have pH treatment systems that adjust the pH levels of wastewater before discharging it to the sanitary sewer system. Most chemicals are prohibited from being released into the sanitary sewer system.
Sanitary SewerWaste discarded from the MIT campus through floor drains, sink drains, or toilets flows through the sanitary sewer system to the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Storm Drain(s)Discarded materials from the MIT campus that go down storm drains end up directly in the Charles River. Stormwater pollution continues to be a major impediment to restoring the river. Stormwater is defined as storm runoff, snow melt runoff, or surface runoff and drainage that can transport a variety of chemicals (for example, fertilizers and pesticides), biologicalcontaminants, and litter to the storm system. Storm drains on the MITcampus must be protected from any contaminants that may harm the environment.
Charles River Ecosystem (continued)
Charles RiverThe Charles River is one of the busiest recreational rivers in the world. The lower Charles is lined with boat houses, jogging paths, sports fields, and performance facilities that are used by hundreds of thousands of city dwellers each year. The river suffers from pollution problems, particularly after heavy rains which wash bacterial contaminants into the river from sewer overflows, illegal sewer connections, and stormwater runoff. In 2001, the river was clean enough for boating 82 percent of the time, up from 39 percent in 1995, and met swimming standards 54 percent of the time, compared to 19 percent in 1995 according to the EPA.
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Boston HarborBoston Harbor, one of the oldest working harbors in the U.S., no longer supports the vital fishing industry that was part of its past. MWRA has been actively involved in cleaning up the harbor. However, the DeerIsland treatment facility can only remove certain contaminants. Other toxins or contaminants may be released into the BostonHarbor environment despite treatment.
SPCC Checklist
Prevent:Actions to prevent an oil spill from occurring.Storage Area
∙Maintain lighting sufficient to detect a leak.∙Check that area is free of spills or leaks.
∙Secure critical storage areas/master flow valves from unauthorized access.
Storage Equipment
∙Verify that containers are in good condition and labeled correctly.
∙Ensure pumps and piping are free of leakage and in good working order.
∙Keep containers closed.
Prepare:Actions to take to be prepared for an oil spill.
Secondary Containment
∙Keep containers within secondary containment area.∙Ensure that secondary containment blocks access to drains.
∙Verify that secondary containment is intact.
∙Plug floor drains or equip with collar if within potential spill area.
Spill Materials
∙Keep proper spill cleanup materials accessible/assure ease of deployment.∙Know how to use spill clean up materials.
∙Keep spill cleanup materials well stocked.
Other
∙Maintain alarm system/assure fire pull is accessible.
∙Keep emergency spill contact numbers clearly posted and accessible.
∙Understand and document spill countermeasures.
∙Maintain oil/water separator in good condition (if applicable).
Respond: Actions to take when there is an oil spill.
∙Determine if spill is major or minor.∙If it is minor, proceed with clean up and then report to EHS.
∙If it is major, immediately contact Campus Police at x100 from a campus phone or call FIXIT at 617-253-4948. / A Minor Spillis one in which ALL of the following conditions are met:
∙The responsible party is at the scene.
∙The material spilled is known.
∙The material spilled is not highly toxic.
∙The quantity spilled is small.
∙There is no fire hazard present.
∙The spill is completely contained inside a building.
∙The material has little or no potential to reach the environment (for example, via a floor drain).
∙The spill is not in a common area (for example, a hallway) or other area accessible to the general public.
∙Advanced personnel protective equipment (that is, more than gloves and a half-face respirator) is not needed to respond to the spill.
A Major Spill is one in which ANY of the following conditions apply:
∙The responsible party is unknown (it’s an “orphan” spill).
∙The material spilled is unknown.
∙The material spilled is highly toxic.
∙A large (or undetermined) quantity was spilled.
∙A significant fire hazard may be present.
∙The material has the potential to reach the environment (for example, via a floor drain).
∙The spill is in a common area (for example, hallway) or other area accessible to the general public.
∙Advanced personnel protective equipment (more than gloves and a half-face respirator) is required to respond to the spill.
∙A responder is unsure whether the spill should be considered “Minor” or “Major.”
Glossary
Sorbents / Materials that soak up liquids. They can be used to recover oil through the mechanisms of absorption, adsorption, or both. Absorbents (see Absorbents) allow oil to penetrate into pore spaces in the material they are made of, while adsorbents attract oil to their surfaces but do not allow it to penetrate into the material. Once sorbents have been used to recover oil, they must be removed from the water and properly disposed of or cleaned for re-use. Any oil that is removed from sorbent materials must also be properly disposed of or recycled. See for more information.Absorbents / Materials (See Sorbents) which allow oil to penetrate into pore spaces in the material they are made of. See for more information.
Containment / Any of various types of barriers which in the event of a spill, can prevent spilled materials from reaching the environment.
Surface Containment / Any of a variety of systems to prevent the spread of oil over the surface of a body of water. For example, a containment boom. (See boom.)
Boom / Containment booms are used to control the spread of oil to reduce the possibility of polluting shorelines and other resources, as well as to concentrate oil in thicker surface layers, making recovery easier. In addition, booms may be used to divert and channel oil slicks along desired paths, making them easier to remove from the surface of the water. Although there is a great deal of variation in the design and construction of booms, all generally share the following four basic elements:
∙An above-water "freeboard" to contain the oil and to help prevent waves from splashing oil over the top of the boom.
∙A flotation device.
∙A below-water "skirt" to contain the oil and help reduce the amount of oil lost under the boom.
∙A "longitudinal support," usually a chain or cable running along the bottom of the skirt, that strengthens the boom against wind and wave action; the support may also serve as a weight or ballast to add stability and help keep the boom upright.
See for more information.
Combined Sewer / A sewer system that carries both sewage and stormwater runoff. Normally, its entire flow goes to a waste treatment plant, but during a heavy storm, the volume of water may be so great as to cause overflows of untreated mixtures of storm water and sewage into receiving waters. Stormwater runoff may also carry toxic chemicals from industrial areas or streets into the sewer system.
Dredging / Removal of mud from the bottom of water bodies. This can disturb the ecosystem and causes silting that kills aquatic life. Dredging of contaminated muds can expose biota to heavy metals and other toxins.
Hazardous Waste / By-products of society that can pose a substantial or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly managed. Possesses at least one of four characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity), or appears on special EPA lists.
Glossary(continued)
Major Spill / A spill in which ANY of the following conditions apply:∙The responsible party is unknown (it’s an “orphan” spill).
∙The material spilled is unknown.
∙The material spilled is highly toxic.
∙A large (or undetermined) quantity was spilled.
∙A significant fire hazard may be present.
∙The material has the potential to reach the environment (e.g., via a floor drain).
∙The spill is in a common area (e.g., hallway) or other area accessible to the general public.
∙Advanced personnel protective equipment (more than gloves and a half-face respirator) is required to respond to the spill.
∙A responder is unsure whether the spill should be considered “Minor” or “Major.”
Minor Spill / A spill in which ALL of the following conditions are met:
∙The responsible party is at the scene.
∙The material spilled is known.
∙The material spilled is not highly toxic.
∙The quantity spilled is small (less than approximately 1 gallon).
∙There is no fire hazard present.
∙The spill is completely contained inside a building.
∙The material has little or no potential to reach the environment (e.g., via a floor drain).
∙The spill is not in a common area (e.g., a hallway) or other area accessible to the general public.
∙Advanced personnel protective equipment (i.e., more than gloves and a half-face respirator) is not needed to respond to the spill.
Oil / Defined in the federal regulations as “including, but not limited to petroleum, fuel oil, sludge, oil refuse and oil mixed with wastes other than dredged soil.”
Outfall/Outflow / The place where effluent is discharged into receiving waters.
Overflow Rate / One of the guidelines for design of the settling tanks and clarifers in a treatment plant; used by plant operators to determine if tanks and clarifiers are over or under-used.
Pollutant / Generally, any substance introduced into the environment that adversely affects the usefulness of a resource or the health of humans, animals, or ecosystems.
Sanitary sewer / 1. Liquid and water-carried human and domestic wastes from buildings, exclusive of ground, storm and surface water.
2. In a separated system, pipes that carry only domestic or commercial sanitary sewage as opposed to rainwater runoff.
Secondary containment / The general strategy for preventing releases to the environment by containing a spill in the general area until the material is removed.
Spoil / Dirt or rock removed from its original location (destroying the composition of the soil in the process) as in strip-mining, dredging, or construction.
Storm Sewer / A system of pipes (separate from sanitary sewers) that carries water runoff from buildings and land surfaces.
Storm Drains (MIT) / Discarded materials from the MIT campus that go down storm drains end up directly in the Charles River.
Stormwater / Defined as storm runoff, snowmelt runoff, or surface runoff and drainage that can transport a variety of chemicals (e.g. fertilizers and pesticides), biological contaminants, and litter to the storm system. Storm drains on the MIT campus must be protected from any contaminants that may harm the environment.
Wastewater / The spent water of a community, which may be a combination of the liquid and water-carried domestic or industrial wastes from buildings, together with any groundwater and storm water that may be present.