The Environmental Cleanup Agency is poised to dump hundreds of billions of tons of toxic wastewater into the bay, according to a leaked memo obtained by Buzzfeed.
The EPA is planning on releasing nearly $5 billion of wastewater into Chesapeake waters from two of its three sewage pumps, according the document.
The documents outline plans to dump nearly 4 billion gallons of toxic water, or about 1.2 billion gallons, into the Bay of Fundy, a shallow estuary off the coast of Maine.
The wastewater will be dumped from the two water-supply wells on the west side of the bay.
The memo states that the wastewater is expected to enter the water at two of the two pump stations in the bay as well as from a third station in the vicinity.
It also suggests that the water is being pumped in an “unconventional” way that would allow the wastewater to seep into the bedrock, as opposed to being dumped into the water.
The water will enter the bay from an underground facility that would be located in a tunnel beneath the bay that would have a “unique geologic, geological, and geophysical characteristic,” according to the EPA.
The report notes that the “unique features” of the tunnel could be used to “explore geologic processes associated with subsurface water intrusion” and that the EPA has “significant experience” in treating wastewater from the Bay.
The project will be the largest wastewater disposal project in the nation, and it is expected that more than 5 billion gallons will be used by the end of the year, according EPA officials.
The agency said it was “committed to protecting the health and safety of the Cheshire Bay and the people who live and work in its communities,” and the project is expected “to improve access to clean drinking water for residents, protect and improve habitat for fish and wildlife, and help reduce pollutants in the water supply.”
