NAHANT — Scientists on the tip of town need more seawater for their experiments. But how to draw the water — and then safely return it to the ocean — is the question.
The Northeastern University Marine Science Center withdrew its proposal to dramatically increase seawater intake for research on Monday after it was met with strong opposition from residents and fishermen.
“I’ve spent my entire life working on protecting the environment, the last thing I want to do is come across as someone who wants to harm it,” said Geoff Trussell, director of the Marine Science Center. “After some discussion, we have elected to withdraw our ENF for this project so that we can go back to the drawing board and be in a better position to address any concerns.”
The proposed addition would have led to an almost five-fold increase in the amount of water collected. The existing system isn’t enough to support the center’s work, Trussell said.
“In a nutshell, we don’t have enough water to feed our experiments,” said Trussell.
The Center will bring an unrelated proposal for a building to house research and class space to the town within the next month.
Following a meeting with The Item on Monday morning, the team decided to withdraw the Environmental Notification Form (ENF) filed with the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. They will respond to the concerns they’ve heard from neighbors and submit a new plan in February, said attorney Stephen Smith.
“We will work internally to see what other questions need to be answered before we refile,” said Smith. “We want the revised ENF to respond to some of the concerns raised by the reviewing agencies and public at the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act meeting.”
How the proposed system works
Seawater flows through a system of pipes extending from the ocean to a supply building on the 23-acre site, which provides filtered water throughout the facility for various research purposes. The University wants to increase the amount of seawater it is capable of taking in from 500 gallons per minute to about 2,400 gallons.
To do that, developers proposed the addition of two new 20-inch intake lines that would extend about 400 feet into Nahant Bay in the same direction as the existing lines. The design was completed by Rick Galat, who has designed systems for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Roger Williams University, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The existing seawater intake, distribution, circulation, and discharge system includes two 6-inch intake pipes that extend about 350 feet from the seawall into Nahant Bay, secured to the sea floor with anchor blocks and rock clamps.
A pump house pumps about 350 gallons of water a minute to two 20,000 gallon storage tanks. The water is quickly moved by gravity to the laboratories and 32 100-gallon containers outdoors.
A new 2,400-square-foot pump house would be constructed at the south end of the laboratory. The pump house would be in the basement level, making it safer and more efficient, said senior project manager for design and construction Matt Cate. Seawater would be pumped to the existing storage tanks, and new distribution lines would be installed. The ground level would serve as a boathouse for three research vessels.
Fishermen are opposed
Neighbors objected to the plan, saying the system would dump warmer water into the ocean and that the new intakes would suck up fish eggs and other organisms. Some were concerned the new building would house students, though that was not part of the proposal.
Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, Inc., sent a letter of concern on behalf of 1,800 members who oppose any introduction of warm water into the Gulf of Maine ecosystem, which the university proposed as part of a plan to conserve energy.
“We are troubled at the prospect of allowing 144,000 gallons per hour and/or 3.5 million gallons per day of cool seawater to be taken into a facility and expelled 2-10 degrees warmed back into the ecosystem when there (are) alternative cooling systems available,” Casoni wrote in the letter.
At a meeting on Monday, Trussell said the plan to deposit warmer water into the ocean had been eliminated.
Justin Mahoney, a second-generation commercial fisherman who has fished for lobster around Nahant for more than 30 years, said the existing system has already had an impact.
The intake site is proposed to be next to Shag Rocks, which is home to large egg-bearing lobsters and is a top destination for striped bass, flounder, and mackerel, he said.
“As the university has increased the current system in the last 10 years, the lobsters and fish have moved away from this area,” he said in a letter to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office. “The area of proposed new intake is positioned in a very special geographical location where upwelling and downwelling is constantly taking place. The Gulf of Maine is already warming at an alarming rate and to add more warm water to this already fragile ecosystem will only negatively impact all marine life.”
Mahoney said he is opposed to the expansion and believes the current system should be monitored more closely.
In a letter ,Vi Patek, president of non-profit Nahant Safer Waters in Massachusetts, said the proposal lacked data. She suggested the university hire a third-party consultant to examine the plan and provide the data.
Trussell said the MEPA meeting and public outreach “should have been handled better.” He plans to work closely with the community moving forward.
Representatives from the University will attend a Board of Selectmen meeting on Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
