[Federal Register: January 5, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 2)]
[Notices]               
[Page 286-288]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05ja09-53]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-New England Region I--EPA-R01-OW-2008-0921; FRL-8760-2]

 
Massachusetts Marine Sanitation Device Standard--Receipt of 
Petition

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice--receipt of petition.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a petition has been received from 
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requesting a determination by the 
Regional Administrator, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, that 
adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of 
sewage from all vessels are reasonably available for the waters of 
Revere, Saugus, Lynn, Nahant, and Swampscott.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by February 4, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-R01-
OW-2008-0921, by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     E-mail: rodney.ann@epa.gov.
     Fax: (617) 918-0538.
    Mail and hand delivery: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency--New 
England Region, One Congress Street, Suite 1100, COP, Boston, MA 02114-
2023. Deliveries are only accepted during the Regional Office's normal 
hours of operation (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
legal holidays), and special arrangements should be made for deliveries 
of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-R01-OW-
2008-0921. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless the comment includes information

[[Page 287]]

claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit 
information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through 
www.regulations.gov, or e-mail. The www.regulations.gov Web site is an 
``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through www.regulations.gov your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copy-righted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the U. S. Environmental 
Protection Agency--New England Region, One Congress Street, Suite 1100, 
COP, Boston, MA 02114-2023. Such deliveries are only accepted during 
the Regional Office's normal hours of operation, and special 
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The 
Regional Office is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number is (617) 918-1538.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Rodney, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency--New England Region, One Congress Street, Suite 1100, 
COP, Boston, MA 02114-2023. Telephone: (617) 918-1538, Fax number: 
(617) 918-0538; e-mail address: rodney.ann@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that a petition has 
been received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requesting a 
determination by the Regional Administrator, U. S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, pursuant to Section 312(f)(3) of Public Law 92-500 
as amended by Public Law 95-217 and Public Law 100-4, that adequate 
facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage 
from all vessels are reasonably available for the communities of 
Revere, Saugus, Lynn, Nahant, and Swampscott.
    The proposed No Discharge Area for Revere, Saugus, Lynn, Nahant, 
and Swampscott are:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Waterbody/general area             Latitude          Longitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Revere and Winthrop         42[deg]23'30'' N   70[deg]58'50'' W
 municipal boundary (northern edge
 of the Boston Harbor NDA)........
North along the Revere and           42[deg]24'28'' N   70[deg]57'33'' W
 Winthrop municipal boundary
 (northern edge of the Boston
 Harbor NDA)......................
Arc south along the Winthrop and     42[deg]23'13'' N   70[deg]55'28'' W
 Nahant municipal boundary........
Arc east along the Winthrop and      42[deg]23'04'' N   70[deg]54'04'' W
 Nahant municipal boundary........
Arc northeast along the Winthrop     42[deg]23'32'' N   70[deg]51'28'' W
 and Nahant municipal boundary....
North to the Marblehead/Swampscott   42[deg]26'33'' N   70[deg]49'05'' W
 town line (southern edge of the
 Salem Sound NDA).................
West along the Marblehead/           42[deg]28'43'' N   70[deg]52'45'' W
 Swampscott town line (southern
 edge of the Salem Sound NDA).....
Inland on the Pines River, Rt. 107  42[deg]25'51.93''  70[deg]59'50.28''
 Bridge...........................                  N                  W
Inland on the Saugus River,          42[deg]27'34.7''   70[deg]59'20.6''
 Lincoln Ave. Bridge..............                  N                  W
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The proposed NDA includes the Commonwealth and municipal waters of 
Revere, Saugus, Lynn, Nahant, and Swampscott.
    There are marinas, yacht clubs and public landings/piers in the 
proposed area with a combination of mooring fields and dock space for 
the recreational and commercial vessels. Massachusetts has certified 
that there are two pumpout facilities within the proposed area 
available to the boating public. The facilities are connected to the 
municipal sewage system. A list of the facilities, phone numbers, 
locations, and hours of operation is provided at the end of this 
petition.
    Massachusetts has provided documentation indicating that the total 
vessel population is estimated to be 1222 in the proposed area. It is 
estimated that 660 of the total vessel population may have a Marine 
Sanitation Device (MSD) of some type.
    The proposed area contains the state recognized Rumney Marshes Area 
of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The ACEC and many other areas 
of the Lower North Shore contain important salt marsh (approximately 
2,274 acres), eelgrass and estuarine habitat that is utilized by 
migratory and native birds such as the snowy egrets, great blue heron, 
terns, glossy ibis, buffleheads, black ducks, snowy owls, sandpipers, 
and plovers. Fish such as alewife, blueback herring, rainbow smelt, 
American eel, striped bass, and several others migrate and/or live part 
of their lives within the Lower North Shore. Shellfish inhabitants 
include ribbed mussels, soft-shell clams, and razor clams.
    The Northeastern University Marine Science Center is located in 
Nahant and requires clean waters for the study of the local coastal 
ecology and for its seawater intakes for its indoor experiments. There 
are numerous beaches, marinas, boat launches and shellfish harvesting 
areas, including 230 acres of clam flats, within the proposed area. 
This area is also a popular destination for recreational and commercial 
boating, sailboat racing, windsurfing, swimming, and recreational and 
commercial fishing. Due to its natural environmental diversity, 
economic value, and recreational value the Lower North Shore would 
benefit from a No Discharge Area.

[[Page 288]]



                              Pumpout Facilities Within Proposed No Discharge Areas
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                                                                                                Mean low water
              Name                     Location          Contact info.           Hours               depth
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                                  REVERE, SAUGUS, LYNN, NAHANT, AND SWAMPSCOTT
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Seaport Landing Marina..........  Lynn Harbor.......  781-592-5821; VHF   8am-7pm April 15-   20 ft.
                                                       9,13,16.            Nov. 1.
Revere Harbormaster.............  Revere............  207-967-2511, VHF   On Call...........  NA
                                                       9.
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    Dated: December 19, 2008.
Robert W. Varney,
Regional Administrator, New England Region.
[FR Doc. E8-31300 Filed 1-2-09; 8:45 am]

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