RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

CRWA's Recent Accomplishments

Charles River, CRWA Win World's Top Prize for Environmental Excellence

The Charles River is the 2011 winner of the International Riverprize, the world’s most prestigious environmental award! The International RiverFoundation’s (IRF) Thiess International Riverprize, is awarded for visionary and sustainable excellence in river management. This is a trophy for all of us who live and work in the communities that comprise the Charles watershed, and for everyone who loves this river. Read more.

American Shad Return to Charles

On June 29th the MA Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released an additional 330,000 American shad fry into the Charles River. On the same day, adult  shad,  marked when they were put into the Charles as fry in 2006, were discovered returning to spawn.  The return of these pollution sensitive, native fish marks a great accomplishment in the rejuvenation of the Charles River. Read more.

Water Monitoring by CRWA Shows that Water Quality Remains Good

EPA announced that the Charles River received a grade of B+ based on 2010 data as the Charles River Swim Club hosted an annual swim in the Charles River celebrating the improved water quality. The river met boating standards 86% of the time and swimming standards 66% of the time based on data that CRWA took during 2010. Charles River Watershed Association volunteers helped collect the data the EPA used to determine this grade. Water quality has remained consistent despite increasing development in the watershed. The work to improve water quality must continue. Read more about the EPA grade here.

CRWA Recieved EPA Environmental Merit Award

The Charles River Watershed Association was recognized with an Environmental Merit Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on May 11th for its creative settlement with Conservation Law Foundation of a discharge permit for the Kendall power plant in Cambridge, MA.   Also receiving this “team” award are Conservation Law Foundation, which represented CRWA in the permit challenge, GenOn Kendall, LLC, the plant owner, and MassDEP.  EPA’s award is given for exceptional work and commitment to the environment in 2010. View the press release about the award and read more about the settlement.

CRWA Negotiates Innovative Solution fro Green Genon Kendall Plant

Years of negotiations between CRWA, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and GenOn Kendall Power Plant concluded this week with an innovative, energy saving, river friendly solution!

EPA personnel servicing water quality buoy with Cambridge Power Plant visible in background. Photo by Roger Frymire

CRWA, Longfellow Bridge Task Force Make Recommendations

The Longfellow Bridge Task Force, on which CRWA participated, recently issued its final recommendations for the reconfiguration of the deck of this century old landmark bridge. Many of the Tasks Force's recommendations focus on improving safety and traffic flow over the bridge for bikers and pedestrians. Improved connections to the parklands on both sides of the river and an elegant new handicapped-accessible pedestrian bridge to the Esplanade are also being proposed. 

Click here to read coverage of this story in the Boston Globe.

CRWA Receives Two New Grants to Continue Groundbreaking Work

CRWA received a 319 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to continue our work to develop and implement a phosphorus trading program. This program will help three watershed municipalities comply with the Charles River Nutrient TMDLs by allowing stormwater to be treated in the optimum manner on the optimum site, ultimately reducing costs. Many watershed municipalities, as well as municipal and regional environmental officials across the country, await the outcome of this project.  

Additionally, CRWA received a grant to investigate “smart sewering” opportunities in the Town of Littleton. This project will examine the possibility of selectively adding sewer service to certain urban neighborhoods as a method of promoting growth in those areas while at the same time limiting sprawl in others. Contact Nigel Pickering for more information about these exciting projects.

CRWA is Building Blue in Franklin

CRWA's stormwater management plan for Spruce Pond Brook subwatershed

CRWA and the Town of Franklin worked together to produce a stormwater management plan for a small subwatershed to be brought into compliance with the Upper/Middle Charles River Nutrient TMDL. Click here to read more about this project. Click here to read about project implementation. Click here to see photos of rain garden construction.

Four Stormwater Tree Pits Installed in Chelsea as part of CRWA's Blue Cities^TM Initiative

CRWA and the Mystic River Collaborative partnered with the City of Chelsea to bring four stormwater tree pits to Chester Ave. in Chelsea, MA. These systems which were funded by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust will treat stormwater runoff and beautify this dense urban street.

Click here to see a photo album showing various stages of tree pit construction. Click here to read more about CRWA's Blue Cities^TM work. Click here to read about this project in Green Streets Systems' October Newsletter.

River Protection Lawsuit Successful in Massachusetts Superior Court

After more than three years of legal battles, the Superior Court issued a landmark decision this summer affirming the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) broad authority to impose conditions to protect streamflow in water withdrawal permits. The Court ordered DEP to develop a scientifically sound method for determining the safe yield of a river basin and to re-determine the safe yield of the Ipswich River basin. The case, argued by CRWA’s General Counsel Margaret VanDeusen, sets the stage for improved water management and permitting in the Charles and across the state, and buys time to allow us to address necessary water infrastructure changes without further damaging the water environment. 

“Water friendly” Development Projects 

Harvard University’s Allston Campus -Working closely with Harvard’s Allston Development Group for over two years, CRWA has helped make water a focus of the University’s Science Complex and in the new Institutional Master Plan. The new campus will include green roofs, rain gardens and water recycling, as well as public greenways providing access through the campus to the Charles River.

Green Streets - CRWA is working with the City of Boston to create the City’s first “green street” designed to use plants and soils to absorb and clean runoff from the roadway and sidewalks. The Dorchester Peabody Square project will include permeable pedestrian plazas, street trees that absorb and clean runoff, and rain gardens. CRWA also worked with the Allston-Brighton Greenspace Advocates to develop draft Green Street Guidelines, and organized neighborhood workshops on greening Everett, Market and Brook streets in Allston and Brighton. 

Water Budgets

CRWA is completing a Charles watershed-wide water budget analysis. This ground-breaking work in water budgeting began in the Charles River watershed, but is applicable in other watersheds as well. A water budget, comparable to balancing a checkbook, accounts for the amount of water that enters or leaves a watershed while quantifying human impacts on streamflow. Maps of streamflow stress will aid in prioritizing restoration efforts and could form the basis for initiating a trading program using water banking.

Phosphorus Loading Analysis

CRWA has just completed a five year analysis of the Charles from Echo Lake in Hopkinton to the Watertown Dam that determines the impacts of the nutrient phosphorus on the river, and then, via a complex computer model, assesses where the phosphorus pollution comes from. Under contract to the MA Department of Environmental Protection, CRWA is the first nonprofit in the nation to undertake this sort of analysis. Using the computer model to test land use solutions to the phosphorus problem, state and federal regulatory agencies (working with CRWA and Conservation Law Foundation) will be able to require dramatic reductions in phosphorus loading that will help restore the river and sustain water supplies.

Constant Vigilance

In many cases, CRWA is the only voice for the environment in the state’s environmental review process for development and redevelopment in the watershed. This year, CRWA advocated for stronger statewide water policy and protection of the Charles, and a reduction of stormwater impacts. We also brought attention to the Department of Environment Protection’s policies regarding the Water Management Act.  When the state issued the draft Charles River Bacteria TMDL, CRWA convened the technical advisory committee for this effort and assisted with field work and technical commentary. Throughout the year, we have also commented on developments happening around the watershed, including proposals for docks under Chapter 91, Stone Ridge in Milford, and Chestnut Hill Square. Project proponents’ plans were changed in many cases to reflect our recommendations to minimize pollution and to recharge aquifers connected to the Charles. 

Finding Solutions to Stormwater Problems

CRWA and over 100 volunteers identified stormwater-related problems by conducting shoreline surveys and water quality monitoring of 40 river miles and eight tributaries to assess river corridor conditions, identify potential sources of pollution, and document pipe conditions. All of the visual and water quality monitoring results, as well as recommendations to remediate the problems, were provided to the responsible  communities, landowners and federal and state regulators. In addition, CRWA developed an in-depth case study of three towns in New England that have developed stormwater utilities to help fund stormwater clean-ups. South Burlington, Vermont, and Reading and Newton, MA now have reliable, regular income to pay for regulatory compliance and pilot programs. CRWA shared the case study report with all 35 towns in the watershed, and is advocating for the development of dedicated funding programs for stormwater management.