The
Neponset River Watershed Association works with watershed
communities to reduce town-wide water use to a sustainable
level, to ensure that local aquifers, wells, streams, ponds,
lakes, wetlands and the Neponset River have enough water to satisfy a variety of needs
over time - such as town water
supply, wildlife habitat, public health, water quality,
aesthetics, property values, and more.
NepRWA
Water Conservation Coordinator Nancy Fyler works closely with
towns to make town-wide water conservation a reality. For
several years, she has been working closely with the Town of
Sharon to implement such a program, and more recently she has
begun to work with the Towns of Walpole and Milton. Nancy
works with municipal government departments to implement public education initiatives and to make
high-efficiency, water-saving appliances available to
residents at discounted prices. She also works with
teachers to integrate water conservation, river watershed and
hydrology information into the curriculum. Nancy works
directly with students and teachers in classrooms, produces informational
brochures for distribution to town residents, and produces and
sites informational signage around town, among other
activities. Learn more about Sharon's
water conservation program. Contact
Nancy Fyler for more information about town-wide water
conservation initiatives at 781-575-0354 x307 or fyler@neponset.org.
Conserving
local water also can take the form of treating wastewater
on-site and using it to recharge local groundwater. Septic
systems are an example of on-site wastewater treatment
systems, whereas sewers are not. Whereas a septic system
treats a building's wastewater on the property and allows the
filtered water to seep back into the ground to recharge the
groundwater, sewer systems pipe wastewater away, to be treated
elsewhere, and usually do not return the filtered water to the
town. The use of sewers - as opposed to septic systems - can
significantly reduce local groundwater and therefore local
water supplies. Lowered groundwater levels can become visible
as lowered water levels in wells, streams, rivers, lakes,
ponds, and wetlands.
Several
years ago, NepRWA worked with the Town of Walpole to ensure
that local, on-site wastewater treatment systems (e.g., septic
systems) were maintained properly by residents so that they
would last as long as possible and work effectively, as
opposed to failing and causing residents to hook-up to the
sewer system. Septic systems that are not maintained
appropriately can pollute local water supplies. Systems must
be pumped-out regularly; those that are not can leak sewage
into the ground, groundwater, surface water and the home.
NepRWA and Walpole partnered to educate town residents about
proper septic system maintenance, distributing brochures
town-wide and starting a septic system maintenance reminder
system.
Another
way to conserve local water is to make sure that stormwater
(e.g., street runoff) filters back into the ground to recharge
local groundwater supplies. A town might facilitate stormwater
recharge by building bioretention
cells, rain gardens, or other
stormwater treatment structures.
Learn more about stormwater treatment by contacting NepRWA
Environmental Scientist Bill Guenther at 781-575-0354 x302 or guenther@neponset.org.
Learn
how to reduce your water
use.
