Climate Change

Climate change will affect the Neponset Watershed land, water, people, and wildlife -- and create a new "normal" for all of us.

Drought impacts are visible at the Neponset River at Paul’s Bridge in Milton. August 2022.

NepRWA is committed to reducing the impacts of climate change by assisting our communities with resiliency efforts and helping to make adaptations where feasible.

Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program grants awarded in August 2022, have allowed us to begin work on two climate adaptation projects in the Neponset Watershed.

 

  1. Neponset Climate Adaptation Collaborative: www.neponset.org/climateadapt
  2. Stoughton Climate Resilience Project: www.neponset.org/stopflood

Please email NepRWA Advocacy Director, Kerry Snyder, with any questions about the projects or if you have any suggestions or would like to get involved.

The effects of an extreme rain event are visible in Norwood Center. June 2018.

NepRWA uses “Nature-Based Solutions” when working to conserve water, reduce water pollution, and improve the environment.

 

  • We work with towns to plant trees, rain gardens, and natural basins to filter dirty water from street runoff, and help prevent water pollution. We call these projects, BMPs, for Best Management Practices.
  • We encourage water conservation by teaching people to use drought-tolerant, native plants in their landscapes.
  • We also work to improve the health of waterways by removing dams to restore fish passages; control and remove invasive species to give native plants a chance to thrive; and restore salt marshes to help with flood control.

The removal of Mill Pond Dam in Norwood restored a fish passage along Traphole Brook and reduced downstream neighborhood flooding. February 2020.

Read about climate impacts in the Watershed:

 

 

A “bomb cyclone” flooded the Boston seaport with freezing seawater. January 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

How can you help reduce the impacts of climate change?

 

  • Use fewer fossil fuels to reduce the amount of heat-trapping emissions that we add to the atmosphere.
  • Help wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to climate change by reducing the amount of natural resources we use (i.e., conserve water and energy, and follow the reuse/reduce/recycle philosophy).
  • Reduce impervious surfaces around your home and business so that water can filter into the ground, rather than flood the area and cause polluted stormwater runoff.
  • Protect streams from polluted stormwater runoff by using fewer chemicals in your landscape, keeping yard waste away from stormdrains and water bodies, fixing leaky vehicles, picking up your dog’s waste, and planting a rain garden).
  • Enhance the landscape for local wildlife with drought-tolerant, native plants.