White Plastic Disks Escape Hooksett Wastewater Treatment Plant

Posted on March 14, 2011

Last week, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services issued a press release warning the public to be on the lookout for “round white plastic disks” released by a malfunctioning wastewater treatment plant located somewhere along the Merrimack River. We now know the disks escaped from the Hooksett Wasterwater Treatment Plant.

Since then, “sewer disks” have been washing up on beaches as far away as Hampton Beach in New Hampshire and Crane Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Several beach closures have been reported.

How many disks were released is not yet known. NHDES puts the number in the hundreds of thousands. Salem News reports the Hooksett Wastewater Treatment Plant holds up to 9-10 million of the disks.

Photo of the “sewer disks”

The New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership has created a Google Map to help track the impact of the spill. Anyone with a Google account can help to update this map by posting locations where the disks have been spotted. This map should serve as a reminder of the fact that when it comes to pollution from sewage treatment plants, we all live downstream.

Exclamation point icon shows the location of the Hooksett Wastewater Treatment Plant. Thumb tack icons point to locations where “sewer disks” have been sighted.

Public Health Risk?

“The preliminary results of the most recent sampling of disks in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts indicate no bacterial contamination with e. coli,” NHDES stated in a press release this week.

This claim contradicts an earlier report published by the Union Leader:

Jim Martin, spokesman for New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, said two disks collected tested positive for E. coli, but the public health risk is “somewhat low.”

Whatever the actual risk, NHDES is urging the public to treat the disks as if they were contaminated:

• The disks may be collected into plastic bags and disposed in a landfill as solid waste.
• Children should not be allowed to play with the disks, and should not play in areas where the disks have appeared until the areas have been cleaned.
• E coli and enterococcus are very common bacteria and they are among many different bacteria that are found in fecal matter.
• Coming into contact with E coli on your skin is not infectious unless you put your fingers in your mouth, eat, drink or smoke or touch your eyes before washing your hands. E coli can cause serious infection for infants or individuals with weakened immune systems, but this is a rare infection and generally requires exposure to high numbers of bacteria.
• People who may already have handled these disks and then washed their hands afterwards are at minimal, if any, risk of illness. As with any potential exposure to bacterial, if fever, abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea should start to occur in the 2-5 days after exposure, medical attention should be sought.

• Do not allow pets such as dogs and cats to come in contact with the disks. If a pet has ingested a disk or part of disk, concerned pet owners may consult with their veterinarian.

Guidance for Clean Up:

• For those involved in clean-up of these plastic disks, careful hand hygiene should be practiced, including use of plastic or latex gloves for the pick up, followed by thorough hand washing with soap and water after the gloves are removed. Gloves (such as latex gloves) should be worn for picking up and disposing of disks as described above. No additional equipment or clothing is required. (Hand gels may be used and do kill these bacteria but hand washing with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds is preferred)
• Disks should be disposed of in the normal solid waste stream, including placing in trash bags or in dumpsters if provided.
• Clothing worn during the cleanup work should be laundered as normal.

For more information or to report seeing these disks, please call Jim Martin, DES Public Information Officer at 603 271-3710.

Volunteer Cleanup Planned for Thursday, March 16, 2011

DES and the Blue Ocean Society are coordinating a volunteer effort on Thursday from noon until 5 p.m. to remove the disks from the following areas:

• North Hampton Beach
• Hampton Beach
• Seabrook Beach

Stations will be staffed, and the public is welcome to participate. More information about these efforts will be posted on both the DES website at www.des.nh.gov or the Blue Ocean Society’s website www.blueoceansociety.org.

Hope to see you there!

About the New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership

The New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership is a Portsmouth based nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the natural resources of the Granite State’s coastal watershed. You can support our work by making a tax deductible online donation for any amount online via Paypal:

Contact us:

Questions or comments about this web page should be directed to David Anderson, Project Coordinator at info@nhcoast.org