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STORMWATER


 

 

Project Completed 2008

 

 

 

Project Overview | Project ResultsConduct your own "Find It and Fix It!" Program| Report a Pollution Problem

Project Background and Overview

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.

In 2005, 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 had 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 completed.  Read more about our project results to learn how CRWA accomplished these goals!

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Project Results

CRWA's work to find and fix non-point source pollution  was accomplished through five major tasks:

Visual Monitoring

CRWA conducted 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 (map).  These surveys act as a baseline assessment, noting locations and conditions of outfall pipes, erosion problems and other indicators of non-point source pollution problems and help identify and prioritize problems of an urgent nature requiring immediate action.

Click here to see what visual shoreline survey  results in Google Earth™!    

Complete results, including some results not available via our website are also available in the Find It and Fix It Stormwater Program in the Charles and Mystic River Watershed Final Report.  To obtain a copy of this report please contact Julie Wood

 

Water Quality Sampling

CRWA staff assessed the water quality of ten tributaries, many of which we previously possessed minimal, recent water quality data.  For this project, CRWA targeted the tributaries found to be historically polluted.  Selection of these tributaries was based on visual shoreline survey results, CRWA’s historical water quality data of these tributaries, and recent water quality data collected by USGS, MassDEP, EPA, and CRWA volunteer Roger Frymire.  At each tributary specific sampling locations were selected based on previous data, shoreline survey results, accessibility and location of outfalls discharging into the brook.  Sampling sites were designed to capture a complete picture of the entire tributary as well as to investigate certain areas as potentially high pollutant loading.

Samples were collected at each site for various stormwater pollutants including E. coli bacteria, total phosphorus, total suspended solids, surfactants and petroleum products.  Monitoring was conducted during dry weather to establish baseline conditions of these locations and then followed up with wet weather monitoring.  Sampling was typically conducted from upstream to downstream, unless field conditions required a different procedure.

Click here to see water quality sampling results. 

Complete results, including some results not available via our website are also available in the Find It and Fix It Stormwater Program in the Charles and Mystic River Watershed Final Report.  To obtain a copy of this report please contact Julie Wood

 

Working With Municipalities and Other Agencies to Fix Problems

Through our visual and water quality monitoring, CRWA was able to identify specific water quality issues requiring further investigation and/or remediation.  After problems were identified, CRWA worked to guide the remediation of non-point source pollution by working with municipalities, other land owners, and river partners.  CRWA called extensively upon our past experiences with watershed municipal officials to guide remediation efforts.  In all cases, CRWA brought the problems identified to the attention of local and, if relevant, state or federal agencies through written data reports.  CRWA also made every effort to meet with municipal officials to discuss potential remediation steps.

Finally, CRWA researched intelligent remediation strategies and facilitated educational opportunities for others to learn about these opportunities.  CRWA researched numerous low impact development (LID) stormwater best management practices and created educational printed materials to share with municipal officials and the general public.  CRWA also held educational seminars and field trips for municipal officials in our watershed and beyond.  These programs were designed to educate municipal officials, specifically those who work on stormwater issues.

Download presentations from CRWA's Urban Stormwater Management Seminar held on March 13, 2008.

Download copies of Low Impact Development Best Management Practice Information Sheets shared with municipal officials through this and other projects.

Complete results, including some results not available via our website are also available in the Find It and Fix It Stormwater Program in the Charles and Mystic River Watershed Final Report.  To obtain a copy of this report please contact Julie Wood

Write and Publish Guidebook

The combined experiences of CRWA and MyRWA during this project provide a valuable model for other environmental organizations upon which to base non-point source pollution reduction programs.  CRWA and MyRWA published a guidebook to provide detailed logistical information on how to better manage key aspects of the program.  

The Stormwater Assessment and Assisted Remediation Program (SAARP) Guidebook is available for download in Adobe Acrobat. If you have trouble downloading this guidebook please contact Julie Wood

Click on the link below to download the SAARP Guidebook and appendices.

Stormwater Assessment and Assisted Remediation Guidebook

Appendix

Appendix Table of Contents

Appendix 1: Shoreline Survey Data Sheet

Appendix 2: Sample Letter to River Abutters

Appendix 3: Sample Map and Table for Municipalities

Appendix 4: Sample Water Quality Monitoring Data Sheet

Appendix 5: Sample Data Report

Appendix 6: Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Practices Info Sheets

Appendix 7: Phosphorus in the Charles River: What You Should Know!

Appendix 8: Guide to Organizing a River Cleanup

Public Outreach

Many aspects of this program involved 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. The finals task, however, focused especially on informing the public about non-point source pollution in the Charles. 

Results from visual and water quality monitoring highlighted the effects of non-point source pollution in the
watershed.  Numerous water quality impairments and riparian area issues were observed, however; one issue that was consistently observed to be a problem was nutrient loading.  Shoreline survey volunteers observed many areas where algae growth appeared to be choking stream corridors, bright green lawns were abutting rivers and streams, and grass clippings were being disposed of in rivers and brook.  Water quality monitoring revealed high total phosphorus concentrations along every tributary CRWA monitored. None of these tributaries have any point source discharges of phosphorus, such as waste water treatment facility, therefore; CRWA assumed this impairment to be solely the result of non-point sources. Additionally, many nonpoint sources of phosphorus can be reduced through lifestyles changes. For these reasons CRWA chose to dedication much of our efforts in public outreach campaign to educating the public about the nutrient loading problem in the Charles River and how they can play an active role in addressing this problem.  To accomplish this CRWA held a workshop on environmentally friendly landscaping, created an educational brochure and developed a series of educational web pages.   

Read about CRWA's Healthy Lawns and Landscapes workshop held on May 6, 2008

Download CRWA's educational brochure Phosphorus in the Charles River: What You Should Know!

Browse CRWA's Phosphorus Education web page

Complete results, including some results not available via our website are also available in the Find It and Fix It Stormwater Program in the Charles and Mystic River Watershed Final Report.  To obtain a copy of this report please contact Julie Wood

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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 Funders and Partners

           

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Last Updated December 2009