See
pictures of NepRWA's
latest River Cleanup.
View
the 2007 River Art Fall Family Festival.
Restoring the Neponset River through Dam Modification
Historically
the Neponset River supported tremendous spring runs of
herring, shad, smelt and other anadromous and catadromous
fish species. These runs have been nearly eliminated since
the river was dammed for waterpower. The Neponset contains
an abundance of high quality (though inaccessible) spawning
habitat. Some species still spawn in the Neponset below the
first dam. If fish could get past the two most downstream
dams on the Neponset—the Baker Dam in Milton/Dorchester
and the T&H Dam in Hyde Park—they would have access to
more than 17 miles of habitat. For approximately 10 years,
NepRWA has been advocating for the complete or partial
removal of these two dams, both of which are owned by the
state. Through our partnership with the Department of
Conservation and Recreation and the Riverways Program of the
MA Department of Fish and Game, we have engaged the US Army
Corps of Engineers to study the feasibility of removing
these two structures. Further investigations of sediment
quality by the US Geological Survey indicate that the
Neponset is contaminated with carcinogenic PCB’s
(polychlorinated biphenyl’s), particularly in the Hyde
Park area. Removing these two dams and remediating the PCB’s
are NepRWA’s top advocacy priorities. Learn
more about restoring the river. For further
information, contact Ian Cooke, Executive Director, at cooke@neponset.org
or 781-575-0354.
Planning
the Quincy
Riverwalk
Working
with the Quincy Environmental Network, NepRWA has persuaded
Mayor Phelan to help design and obtain approval for a "Riverwalk"
along the shores of the Neponset River Estuary. NepRWA has
already convinced four private waterfront property owners to
build portions of the Riverwalk and allow public access
across their land (Adams Inn, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Boston
Scientific, and a new residential development at 2 Hancock
St. in Quincy). View a conceptual
plan for the Riverwalk. Learn more by contacting Steve Pearlman,
Advocacy Director, at pearlman@neponset.org
or 781-575-0354.
Dealing
with Infiltration
& Inflow: Fixing the Leaks!
NepRWA
has just 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.
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 Laura Hallowell, CWMN Assistant and Willett Pond Manager, at hallowell@neponset.org
or 781-575-0354, or Bill Guenther, Environmental Scientist,
at guenther@neponset.org
or 781-575-0354.
Planning
the Installation of Tree-Filter
Boxes
NepRWA
is working towards installing tree-filter-boxes in the Town
of Milton to treat polluted stormwater runoff from streets.
Tree-filter-boxes use the same technology as a bioretention
cell, but are prefabricated and easy to install with little
or no permitting. Each box consists of a precast concrete
box filled with a specialized mix of soil and an appropriate
tree or shrub. The box is installed at the curb-line, right
along the gutter, just uphill of an existing catchbasin.
Learn more by contacting Ian Cooke, Executive Director, at cooke@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.
Getting
Our Feet Wet with Neponset Wetlands & Streams Restoration
NepRWA
is producing a program to restore
damaged wetlands and dammed streams in the Neponset
Watershed. Funded by a seed grant, NepRWA is selecting one
or more wetland sites to restore by reviewing the January 2000
report Restoring Wetlands of the Neponset River Watershed: A
Watershed Wetlands Restoration Plan published by the
Wetlands Restoration and Banking Program of the MA Executive
Office Environmental Affairs, considering data from our own dam survey,
and communicating with local conservation commissions,
residents and environmental organizations. One or more final sites will be
selected – and then restoration will
begin! Learn about local
wetland restoration projects. Learn more by contacting Carly Rocklen, Outreach
Director and Restoration Manager, at rocklen@neponset.org
or 781-575-0354.
Older
Projects
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.
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.
