Water Quality and Marine Ecology Expert Services

Water Quality Permit Negotiations with the USEPA

Ambient Engineering was retained as a water quality and marine ecology expert by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) as part of negotiations with the EPA and the City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Map Source: The Great Bay Stewards
CLF challenged the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the City of Portsmouth’s wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) located on the Piscataqua River. The WWTF currently operates at only a primary treatment level and the new permit would not require secondary treatment for a number of years.

The facility discharges into the Great Bay Estuary, a large and complex estuary which provides a variety of habitats.

Ambient developed and presented evidence that the Great Bay Estuary and the Piscataqua River are impacted by elevated nitrogen levels and by Total Suspended Solids deriving in part from the facility’s discharges.