In 1998, NepRWA began
the “Water BUDGETS” project, a multi-year effort to
develop a volunteer-based approach to assess and manage the
impacts of streamflow depletion on aquatic life.
The Water
BUDGETS project builds on the success of traditional
volunteer water-quality monitoring, and applies these
principles to the challenging task of managing streamflows.
In its first phase, Water BUDGETS involved
coordinating more than 75 volunteers to take daily
measurements of stream depth, evaporation, precipitation and
a host of other parameters. The project has also involved conducting
formal public opinion surveys, evaluating methods to
restore stream base flows, and building broad coalitions for
implementation of these actions.
NepRWA’s early work on Water BUDGETS
highlighted the significance of Inflow and Infiltration as a
major source of interbasin transfer and streamflow depletion
– prompting the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission
to adopt new guidelines for the review of applications for
water diversions under the Interbasin Transfer Act.
The Water BUDGETS project attempts to answer
the following questions: How much water needs to be kept in
the river to protect human health and welfare? To protect fish and wildlife?
To protect recreational uses of the river?
Our
approach marshaled the energy of more than 100 volunteers
to collect data on: water levels, riparian habitats, aquatic
macroinvertebrates, the current fish assemblage compared to
historical fish populations, precipitation, evaporation and
a host of other factors. The energy of the volunteers was
combined with the expertise of an interdisciplinary panel of
experts who evaluated the volunteer data and made their own
field observations. This work, which will culminate in a
recommended set of streamflow thresholds for which the
watershed should be managed, is now nearing completion, and
will be available in early spring 2003 to support the
planning and decision-making process for this RFR.
NepRWA staff is also nearing
completion of a parallel process to understand how various
influences affect current water levels in selected
subwatersheds. For example, some subwatersheds are more
industrial than others, thus diverting water in larger
quantities, but returning greater amounts to the river via
treated wastewater discharges. Other subwatersheds may be
more residential, with larger single-family lots (and
driveways), and may have excessive water withdrawals during
summer months for landscape-watering. Each of the
subwatersheds within the Neponset Basin is unique
in terms of the demands that its residents place on its water
resources, and thus each subwatershed may require different
conservation techniques to most effectively and efficiently
meet the needs of the people and the local environment. In
order to establish an effective water management plan that
can meet the unique needs of each subwatershed, NepRWA has sought to gain an understanding of these
influences as well as how each
subwatershed affects water levels in the Neponset River
itself.
In
addition to studying these water use “trends,” NepRWA expanded
its investigations beyond the biological and
hydrological to incorporate interviews with key local decision-makers and a formal public opinion survey. Recognizing that
the “social” component is a critical factor in the
success of any restoration program, NepRWA conducted a community
assessment within the communities of the Neponset
Watershed's East
Branch Subwatershed in order to determine not only how
people use water, but whether these individuals understand the dynamics
of the water cycle, if they know the origin of their tap
water, and if they would be
willing to undertake various water conservation efforts to
protect the River.
NepRWA has learned that 75% of
respondents in our survey think it is very or extremely
necessary to conserve water at home and for town
governments to conserve water. Likewise, many respondents
expressed a willingness to try suggested conservation
techniques such as redirecting downspouts, utilizing drought-tolerant plants in
yards, and participating in toilet retro-fitting programs.
However, the community assessment also revealed significant
differences in attitude among different segments of the
population. This finding will influence the future design of
implementation programs.
With our
community assessment now completed, NepRWA can take on the challenge of
encouraging water conservation in our watershed communities,
with a more effective set of tools.
