LYNN — The Lynn Water and Sewer Commission, working with the King’s Beach Steering Committee, sent a letter to the state’s Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rebecca Tepper requesting $25 million to disinfect King’s Beach with UV rays.
King’s Beach, located between Lynn and Swampscott, is frequently polluted with sewage-mixed groundwater discharge. The letter states contaminated runoff spews a quantity of bacteria approximately 800 times greater than the levels deemed safe for swimming.
The King’s Beach Steering Committee, comprised of state officials and local government officials from Lynn and Swampscott, determined that ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection would be “the most cost-effective and time-efficient” way to combat the health risks associated with the beach’s bacterial discharges.
“We’re basically going to zap the wastewater through a manhole in a building,” said Water and Sewer Commission Executive Director Daniel O’Neill. “That’ll clean the water.”
The requested funding would be spent on construction of a 1,550-square-foot building, along with necessary equipment and staffing levels.
At a Water and Sewer Commission meeting Monday night, environmental engineer Eric Kelley said that CCTV pipe inspections showed a number of grease and fat leaks in the pipes near Gilbert Street, which could lead to contaminated runoff. Next, he said, crews will inspect and repair pipes at Adams Street and Stacey’s Brook.
“That one (Stacey’s Brook) is going to take a little bit more prep work just due to the depth of it being the main frontline sewer through the whole watershed,” Kelley said.
If funded, O’Neill said that the UV disinfection center would likely be up and running in three to four years.
Lynn Water and Sewer Commission Deputy Director Bob Fennell said that given the large amount of funding requested, and the fact that Tepper was only recently appointed Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, it’s unknown whether or not the request for funding will be approved.
“This is a brand new secretary, she’s just been appointed. So she has to come up to speed with all the issues that are going on in the state, not just in Lynn and Swampscott,” Fennell said.
While the city is working to clear out contamination sources on land, the committee wrote in the letter that to make King’s Beach swimmable, these efforts would have to be supplemented with UV disinfection.
“Even with successful elimination efforts, the UV solution would be necessary to address polluted runoff and keep King’s Beach open and swimmable for longer periods of time,” the Steering Committee wrote.