CRWA in the News
Keeping stormwater out of the Charles
By Anna Eleria
Newton Tab, Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Stormwater pollution, also referred to as
non-point source pollution, is one of the most significant sources of
pollution of the Charles River today. CRWA is taking the lead in reducing
it with a new volunteer program called the Charles River “Find It and
Fix It” Stormwater Program.
For the next two and a half years with funding from the Massachusetts
Environmental Trust, the “Find It and Fix It” Program will recruit and
train volunteers to assist in inspecting the river through visual
surveying and water quality monitoring in order to identify areas in need
of repair. Their reports will direct CRWA scientists to areas with
pressing problems and help pinpoint the areas needing further study or
initiate immediate calls for action so that municipalities and landowners
can fix the problems.
CRWA
volunteers from Newton and other watershed communities will be conducting
“shoreline surveys” or visual monitoring along a 45-mile river
corridor from Farm Road in Sherborn to New Charles River Dam in Boston.
This spring, river surveyors will assess the river’s baseline physical
conditions and identify current or potential problems in the river, along
its banks, and within the riverfront area. Volunteers will survey by
canoeing or walking a half to two-mile stretch of river looking for areas
of environmental degradation, erosion, and non-point source pollution.
They will note the characteristics of the water, such as color, odor, and
flow, in-stream and shoreline vegetation, nearby land use, and fisheries
and wildlife habitat conditions. They will photograph their survey area,
and they will map and characterize stormwater pipes discharging to the
river.
Finding every source of pollution is a big
job. The visual survey information will provide the basis for CRWA’s
next steps in dealing with stormwater pollution. After compiling and
reviewing this essential baseline data of river conditions, our staff will
identify and prioritize the areas of most concern and determine the next
steps for addressing problem areas, which may include water quality
monitoring by CRWA.
The water quality monitoring will allow us
to focus on wet weather problems and specific sources of pollution,
including stormwater pipes and other source-specific sampling locations
areas, using a new set of ears, noses and eyes to pinpoint problems.
Pollutants of most concern in the urbanized Charles River watershed
include- but are not limited to- bacteria and viruses from combined
sewage, waterfowl waste and pet waste, sediment and sand from winter
de-icing applications and erosion, gasoline and oil and grease from
vehicles, fuel dispensing stations and vehicle maintenance stations, and
nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from fertilizers, detergents
and wastewater.
The ‘fix it’ step of the program
involves sharing the results of our shoreline survey and water quality
monitoring work with municipalities and other responsible parties and
working closely with them to develop specific remediation measures, such
as removing illicit connections to stormwater pipes, reducing use of
pollutant products or equipment that generate pollutants, implementing
stormwater best management practices, educating the public about
stormwater impacts to the river and recommending measures to reduce them.
CRWA’s extensive monitoring efforts,
including the volunteer monthly monitoring program, habitat assessments
and fish studies, have shown that stormwater pollution causes degradation
of water quality, wildlife and fisheries habitat, recreational uses and
aesthetic beauty. With help from a network of more than 70 volunteers, we
monitor the health of the river on a monthly basis at 37 sites along the
80-mile long river.
Our data indicate that the river’s water
quality is generally very good over its entire length when no rain falls
prior to sampling. However, during and after a rain event, water quality
conditions in the river degrade and the river violates the state bacterial
standards for swimming and boating. The problem is acute in Newton and
other middle and lower watershed communities where urbanization and
development invariably mean more impervious surfaces (i.e., buildings,
streets, parking lots, driveways, etc.). This causes rainwater to flow
over paved surfaces, instead of recharging into the ground, picking up
manmade pollutants before flowing into storm drains that discharge into
the Charles River and other bodies of water.
“The Find It and Fix It” program will
get us one step closer to achieving our goal of a swimmable-fishable
river.
Prospective volunteers should contact
Pallavi Mande via email, or (781) 788-0007 x 232 or see www.charlesriver.org/projects/METwMyRWA/METFF.html.
For tips on what you can do to keep the river clean, see
Anna Eleria, MS, CRWA Engineer, manages
the “Find It and Fix It” Program and the Charles River Targeted
Watershed Initiative Projects.