Environmental Scientist Bill Guenther runs an optical brightener test to find sewage pollution along Unquity Brook in Milton.

Projects

Current Projects

Boston Harbor Watershed Protection - On-line 

This past summer, the Watershed Association began to work with a committee of institutions, organizations and state government agencies to produce an on-line, interactive, digital map of Boston Harbor and its watershed lands. The Digital Coastal Habitat Atlas will represent the characteristics and quality of coastal habitats in the Boston Harbor region, and identify and prioritize sites for ecological restoration. The Atlas also will indicate how to access natural resources data. The Atlas will cover the land and waters of Boston, Milton, Quincy, Braintree, Weymouth, Hingham, Hull, Swampscott, Nahant, Lynn, Saugus, Revere, Winthrop, Chelsea and Everett. The project steering committee, consisting of Urban Harbors Institute of the University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts Bays Program, NepRWA, and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, recently convened a meeting of potential Atlas-users and data-providers to introduce the project and gain feedback. Attendees included town conservation commissions; the state Departments of Ecological Restoration, Marine Fisheries, Environmental Protection, and Conservation and Recreation; river watershed associations; the MWRA; U-Mass Boston Green Harbor Project; EPA Region 1; Save the Harbor / Save the Bay; National Park Service; The Nature Conservancy; Mass Audubon; Metropolitan Area Planning Council; MassPort; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center; and Metro Boston universities and colleges, among others. Dubbed the Boston Harbor Habitat Coalition, this diverse group will help to shape the Atlas into its most usable and useful form. Learn more about this project by contacting Restoration Manager Carly Rocklen at 781-575-0354 x303 or rocklen@neponset.org. (Update: September 2010)

With the support of grant funding, five Neponset Watershed towns have hired NepRWA to site potential stormwater-cleaning structural "BMPs" (Best Management Practices). Learn more about these structures. Contact project manager Bill Guenther, NepRWA Environmental, at 781-575-0354 x306 or guenther@neponset.org. This project has been financed partially with Federal Funds from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (the Department) under a s. 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant. (Update: September 2010)

Restoring Local Wetlands through Biological Control

NepRWA is working to restore damaged wetlands in the Neponset River Watershed using a biological control method to reduce the presence of the exotic, invasive perennial plant "Purple loosestrife." During the spring and summer of 2008, NepRWA began a five-year Purple loosestrife biocontrol project based in the Fowl Meadow and at Brookwood Farm in the Blue Hills Reservation, partnering with the MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation and with the guidance of the MA Coastal Zone Management Wetland Restoration Program. Come volunteer for this project! Learn more.

Modifying & Removing 2 Dams to Restore the River

Historically, the Neponset River supported healthy (and remarkable!) spring runs of herring, shad, smelt and other anadromous and catadromous fish species. However, the runs nearly have been eliminated since the river was dammed for waterpower. If fish could get past the two most downstream dams on the Neponset—the Baker Dam in Lower Mills (Milton/Dorchester town line) and the T&H Dam in Hyde Park—they could access more than 17 miles of habitat. Just imagine how re-establishing a flux of diverse fish and other aquatic animals to our river could rehabilitate our local wildlife - and the quality of human life along the river?! NepRWA has been advocating for the modification of these two dams, to restore water flow and fish passage, working with the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, the MA Division of Ecological Restoration (formerly the Riverways Program of the MA Department of Fish and Game), the US Army Corps of Engineers, and local civic associations. Learn more. Or, for further information, contact Ian Cooke, Executive Director, at cooke@neponset.org or 781-575-0354.

Planning the Quincy Riverwalk

For several years, now, NepRWA has been working to develop a multi-use trail and boat access to the Neponset River Estuary along the Quincy riverbank. Learn more. Contact project manager Steve Pearlman, NepRWA Advocacy Director, at pearlman@neponset.org or 781-575-0354 x304.

Organizing the Citizen Water Monitoring Network ("CWMN")

CWMN is NepRWA’s volunteer-based water quality monitoring program. CWMN collects water quality data on the river and its tributaries to determine the overall quality of the river system, to locate and prioritize water quality "hot spots," to design water quality improvement projects, and to evaluate the effectiveness of past water quality restoration efforts. CWMN brings together a wide array of resources from volunteers, the private sector, local state and federal agencies and donors. Volunteers record observational data and field measurements and collect water samples. NepRWA and various laboratories then assess the water samples, and the data generated are reported back to the volunteers and to the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the MA Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP), local municipalities and other interested parties. Learn more here, or contact Bill Guenther, Environmental Scientist, at guenther@neponset.org or 781-575-0354.

Neponset Reports, Comment Letters & Newsletters

Six times each year, NepRWA publishes a newsletter that we mail to our membership and colleagues. The newsletter includes descriptions of projects, environmental legislation updates, event listings, volunteer opportunities, and more. NepRWA posts comment letters, reports and water-testing data. Learn more by contacting Carly Rocklen, Outreach Director and Restoration Manager, at rocklen@neponset.org or 781-575-0354.

Past Projects

Westwood Station

NepRWA worked with the developers of Westwood Station to integrate water conservation, stormwater treatment, and groundwater recharge measures into the development's building plans. Learn more about this effort and its outcome by contacting NepRWA Advocacy Director Steve Pearlman at pearlman@neponset.org or 781-575-0354 x304.

Dealing with Infiltration & Inflow: Fixing the Leaks!

NepRWA completed a Municipal Handbook entitled Minimizing Municipal Costs for Infiltration & Inflow (I/I) Remediation for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs. "Infiltration" refers to groundwater that seeps into cracked sewer pipes. "Inflow" refers to illegal stormwater connections to sanitary sewers. "I/I" not only costs sewer ratepayers millions of dollars, it also can cause overflows of sewers into streets and wetlands during rainstorms. MWRA estimates that I/I diverts an annual average of 6.6 billion gallons of water per year from the upper Neponset River Watershed to Boston Harbor via the Deer Island Treatment Plant. View this handbook. Learn more by contacting Steve Pearlman, Advocacy Director, at pearlman@neponset.org or 781-575-0354 x304.

See pictures of NepRWA's last river cleanup.

Protecting Buckmaster Pond

NepRWA worked to conserve the ecosystem of Buckmaster Pond in Westwood by working with concerned Westwood residenets against a possible draw-down by the Town of Norwood in preparation for the Pond to serve as a secondary water supply. Learn more about this effort by contacting NepRWA Executive Director Ian Cooke at 781-575-0354 x305 or cooke@neponset.org.

Educating Watershed Residents About Septic System Maintenance

NepRWA and the Walpole Board of Health have been working together to keep local water clean through proper septic system maintenance. As a part of this project, a public education program was initiated concerning septic system maintenance, and the possibility of a town-wide septic utility was reviewed. Why the focus on septic systems? Septic systems act like water-recyclers, treating wastewater from our homes and returning it to local groundwater. Problems occur, however, when septic systems are not properly maintained – for example, when a homeowner waits too many years to schedule a pump-out of the septic tank. A septic system that has been neglected can contaminate local water with untreated sewage, creating a public health hazard and an ecological mess. Learn more about septic system maintenance here, contact your local Board of Health, or find a septic hauler in the phonebook. Questions? Contact Carly Rocklen, Outreach Director and Restoration Manager, at rocklen@neponset.org or 781-575-0354 x303.

Working with the Advocates for Wetlands & Watersheds

NepRWA was a founding member of Advocates for Wetlands and Watersheds (AWW), a coalition of environmental and watershed associates that lobbies state environmental agencies for strict regulations and policies to protect these resources. Other active members of AWW include MassAudubon, the New England Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Mystic River Watershed Association, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Learn more by contacting Steve Pearlman, Advocacy Director, at pearlman@neponset.org or 781-575-0354.

Partnering to Protect Pine Tree Brook

NepRWA, the Milton Department of Public Works, and the Pine Tree Brook Neighborhood Association have been working together to improve the water quality in Pine Tree Brook in Milton. Applying progressive stormwater treatment techniques has been a key aspect of this project. Bioretention cells have been constructed along the edge of the brook, adjacent to a walking path. Runoff diverted from adjacent streets now drains into these cells and also into a wooded wetland. The stormwater is filtered by the soil, plants and microorganisms before entering the brook. A public education program has also been implemented to encourage residents to pick-up after their dogs and use fewer chemicals on their lawns. There has been an informational canvas of the neighborhood, application of decals on catchbasins, and installation of signage and mutt mitt stations. Learn more by contacting Carly Rocklen, Outreach Director and Restoration Manager, at rocklen@neponset.org or 781-575-0354.

Inventorying & Assessing Neponset Dams

While NepRWA is advocating for the removal of the two most downstream dams on the Neponset River, we are also investigating the other 100+ dams in the Neponset Watershed. The purpose of the Dam Inventory and Assessment Project is to conduct a basic inventory of dams and other obstructions to fish movement in the Neponset Watershed. Amazingly, during the pilot phase of the project, 87 structures were found in just the East Branch watershed! Read about our dam survey volunteers' work. Learn more by contacting Carly Rocklen, Outreach Director and Restoration Manager, at rocklen@neponset.org or 781-575-0354.

Water BUDGETS Project

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 built on the success of traditional volunteer water-quality monitoring, and applied 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 also involved conducting formal public opinion surveys, evaluating methods to restore stream base flows, and building broad coalitions for implementation of these actions. Learn more.

Daylighting the Neponset River in Foxborough

As you travel downstream from the Neponset Reservoir in Foxboro, you will notice the Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. It was during the Stadium's construction that almost one-third-mile of "dead" Neponset River was brought back to life. Learn more.

Removing Exotic, Invasive Asian water chestnuts

In 2002, more than a dozen volunteers gathered at Ellis Pond to remove the invasive Asian water chestnut (Trapa natans). Learn more.

Protecting Forbes Woods from Development

In 2002, NepRWA worked with local residents to get a very special parcel of wooded land in Milton protected. Learn more.

Protecting the Biodiverse Fowl Meadow from Highway Development

In 1967, local people worked hard to prevent what we know today as the "Fowl Meadow" (have you walked the Burma Rd. path in the Blue Hills Reservation?)  from becoming a highway. Learn more.