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Stormwater
STORMWATER
Non-Point Source "Find It and Fix It" Program in the Charles River
and Mystic River Watersheds
Project Background |
Project Overview |
Project Tasks |
Report a Pollution Problem | Stormwater
Project Background 
Water
quality in the Charles River has significantly improved since 1995 when EPA Region-1 launched an ambitious effort
based on CRWA science to restore the Charles to fishable and swimmable
conditions by 2005. While much progress has
been made over the past ten years, especially in eliminating point source
discharges and reducing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the river, water quality improvements have plateaued.
Long-term monitoring
conducted by CRWA shows that water quality in
the river continues to suffer from pollutant-laden discharges that cause
widespread violations of the Massachusetts Surface Water Quality
Standards. Combined sewer
overflows (CSO), illicit sewer connections and
stormwater continue to impair the river’s water quality.
Project Overview
The
Massachusetts
Environmental Trust
awarded both CRWA and the Mystic
River Watershed Association (MyRWA) funding to identify,
monitor and help eliminate non-point source (NPS) pollution still
threatening the health of the two rivers. This program has six major
goals:
- Identify potential sources of non-point source
pollution problems
- Track and monitor reported
or suspected non-point source pollution "hot spots"
- Guide the remediation of non-point source
pollution problems
- Guide water quality enforcement, as needed
- Engage and educate the public on non-point
source pollution issues
- Transfer project knowledge to others
This
program is currently entering its third and final year. Read more
about our project tasks to learn what CRWA
has done to accomplish these goals!
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Project Tasks
CRWA's work to find and fix non-point source pollution consists of
four major projects tasks:
Visual
Monitoring
The
first step in the program was to conduct comprehensive
shoreline surveys from Farm Road in Dover to the mouth of the
Charles at the New Charles River Dam. The visual monitoring effort covered over
half of the 80-mile river corridor
For
a map of the project area, click
here. These surveys were to act as a baseline assessment,
noting unmapped outfall pipes, erosion problems and other indicators of
NPS pollution problems and help identify and prioritize problems of an
urgent nature requiring immediate action.
In the spring and summer of 2006, over 60 volunteer
surveyors helped to complete this visual survey. Volunteer
surveyors used a combination of maps, photographs and written
surveys to identify areas needing follow-up visual monitoring, water quality sampling and/or
mitigation. Click here
to see what visual shoreline survey teams observed!
We are currently conducting shoreline surveys of some
of the Charles River tributaries and follow up surveys of area where
problems were observed.
Click
here to learn more about volunteering for the visual monitoring
program.
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Water
Quality Sampling
Sewage smells, objectionable floatables, and
questionable pipe discharges into the Charles River that are noted in the
shoreline survey reports or reported to CRWA's pollution hotline will be investigated
and sampled by
trained staff and volunteers
in both wet and dry weather for bacteria, nutrients, oil and grease and/or
other non-point source pollutants.
Additionally,
because
many of the tributaries in the middle and lower watershed have been
transformed over time as storm sewer drainage areas, partially culverted
or buried underground with numerous stormwater pipes discharging directly
to them, CRWA is also focusing our water
quality monitoring efforts on these smaller streams. Water quality
monitoring of tributaries may provide indications of where the pollution
to the Charles River comes from. Sampling for water quality indicators is an important tool to begin
work to "fix" the health of the river and its tributaries.
Click
here to see water quality sampling results.
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Working
With Municipalities and Other Agencies to Fix Problems
Based on the results of the surveys, CRWA provides
periodic memorandum reports to dischargers, regulatory agencies, and
technical advisors describing the results of the observations and
monitoring and conduct meetings to discuss possible specific "fix-it"
steps, and follow up on previously identified problems. CRWA also
offers various educational opportunities for municipal officials looking
to learn more about stormwater best management practices.
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Write
and Publish an NPS Guidebook
The combined experiences of CRWA and MyRWA during
this project will provide a valuable model for other environmental
organizations upon which
to base non-point source pollution reduction programs. CRWA will
write and publish a guidebook to provide detailed logistical information
on how to better manage key aspects of the program. We
anticipate this guidebook will be published Fall, 2008.
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Public
Outreach
All aspects of the program involve outreach,
including efforts to recruit and train field reconnaissance teams, manage
volunteer monitors, publicize findings, and to encourage residents to
reduce non-point source pollution.
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Pollution Problems on the Charles
As
always, remember to report any suspicious discharges in the Charles River watershed to
CRWA at (781) 788-0007. To report water quality issues
in other watersheds or waterways, contact MA Department of Environmental
Protection's Strike Force at (617)
556-1000 or toll free (888) 846-5283.
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Stormwater Pollution
To
learn more about non-point source pollution and its impact on our local
waters, visit CRWA's Stormwater web pages.
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Non-Point Source Project Partners
Click on the logos to view our partner organizations.
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