Oct. 2008 Update

October 2008 update on cleaning up PCBs in the downstream portion of the Neponset River that are making freshwater fish inedible as far upstream as Sharon and Walpole, and removing 2 dams in Boston and Milton that prevent ocean fish like herring and shad from laying their eggs for 17 miles up the river:

Status of Funding

Although NepRWA was unsuccessful in getting funds for Neponset Restoration specifically earmarked in the recently enacted Environmental Bond Bill, there is still plenty of money in the Bond for this type of project which may (at the Governor’s discretion) be spent on the Neponset Restoration Project. We have been assured that “the Patrick Administration is supportive of restoration of the Lower Neponset River ” and “will give full consideration to the recommendations” of the Lower Neponset River Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) [described below]. Once the CAC issues these recommendations, said the Administration, “we will explore all the federal and state funding sources that might be appropriate for the project.”

The Lower Neponset River Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). As you may know, some people in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester , where the Baker Dam is located, are opposed to removing the dam, largely for aesthetic, sentimental and historical reasons. (Far fewer people in Lower Mills Milton, on the other side of the river, seem to object and practically nobody opposes removal of the upstream Tileston & Hollingsworth Dam, which is practically invisible from streets of Hyde Park and Milton .). In order to get the political support to move the Lower Neponset Restoration Project to fruition, NepRWA believes we have to achieve a general, if not complete, consensus with folks in Lower Mills on how to proceed.

Last spring, therefore, NepRWA reached out to local associations in all the neighborhoods near the Neponset River in Boston , Milton and Quincy , as well as some regional organizations like the Mass Striped Bass Association. We established a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) on Lower Neponset River Restoration made up of representatives of 23 groups. With grant funding, we hired the Consensus Building Institute to facilitate the work of the CAC. We also convinced a wide variety of agencies and groups to co-sponsor the “CAC,” including the state Departments of Fish & Game and Conservation & Recreation, the City of Boston , the Town of Milton , and the Lower Mills ( Dorchester ) Merchants Association.

The CAC has had 4 monthly meetings so far and we expect it to hold 2 or 3 more. Members of the CAC are working beautifully together without rancor or grandstanding, and are clearly trying in good faith to reach a consensus. This could, for example, consist of lowering of the dam and constructing a “rock ramp” to allow fish to pass over it. It’s not clear, however, that this solution would work for the fish, so we’ll also be looking at ways to fully or partially remove the Baker Dam while trying to maintain at least some of the “mill pond” that currently lies behind it. There may be other feasible alternatives, as well.

STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE “ACTION ALERTS” FROM NepRWA and please let us know if you’d be willing to work with other citizens who want to restore the Neponset River . And thanks for your past expressions of support!