THE STREAMER NEWSLETTER

Streamer: Spring 1999

UPPER WATERSHED

I-495 Regional Planning
CRWA is participating in the ongoing effort to examine development issues along Interstate-495. Task forces focusing on three areas Water and Sewer, Transportation, and Permitting meet at least monthly. In January 1999, the group sponsored a forum to assess progress to date and plan actions for the coming year. Call the Mass. Technology Collaborative at (508) 870-0312 or look on their web page (www.mtpc.org) for task force reports in the three areas.

HOLLISTON

Wastewater...
The town submitted a "Needs Survey" to the state describing areas that, based on soil and groundwater conditions, cannot support onsite septic systems. CRWA commented on the document, and will continue to track the project as it moves to the next phase of the analysis, evaluating wastewater treatment alternatives.

BELLINGHAM

More on Wastewater...
CRWA is well represented on both the Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) and the Project Advisory Committee as the town develops a Comprehensive Water Management Plan. The CAC has developed a list of areas that will be evaluated for suitable options for wastewater treatment.

MEDFIELD

Even more on wastewater...
Medfield provided a pre-submission version of its Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan to CRWA for review, and submitted the document to the state on Feb. 26. CRWA will comment formally on the town's plans for expanding its sewer system.

MEDWAY

Building on wetlands
CRWA weighed in on a controversial, relatively high-density housing development, Deerview Meadows, proposed in a wetlands area near Route 126. CRWA is concerned that the town's Conservation Commission has not been given a chance to review the plan before other permits are granted.

MID-RIVER

The herring are coming!
Keep an eye out in late March and early April for the annual herring run. The fish will be swimming from the ocean upstream to their spawning areas. CRWA is working with the Coalition on the Environment in Jewish Life (COEJL) to secure state funding for repair of broken fish ladders that the herring need to by-pass dams. Call Pam DiBona at CRWA or Judy Lehrer of COEJL at (781) 551-8801 ext.16 for more information or to help.

NEWTON, WATERTOWN

Riverbed drilling
Consultants to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority presented plans to the Newton and Watertown Conservation Commissions for investigating the riverbed between the two towns. Information about the sediment and underlying geology will allow MWRA to choose an optimum route for a pipe crossing in that area.

WESTON

A Regis College-MWRA connection?
Regis College is moving ahead with plans to connect the college to Waltham's Massachusetts Water Resources Authority sewer line. CRWA has been working with local residents and the local media to highlight the potential environmental impacts of the connection specifically, depletion of groundwater resources that sustain local wetlands.

WALTHAM

April showers
CRWA will be sampling at two Waltham sites during upcoming spring rainstorms to determine the effectiveness of stormwater treatment systems. The information will be used by the Department of Environmental Protection Upper Watershed to evaluate their Stormwater Performance Standards, which require facilities to clean runoff before it leaves their site.

CHARLES RIVER BASIN

Boaters: watch out for water quality flags
The second full season of EMPACT's real-time monitoring and public notification project will begin in May and end on the Head of the Charles in October, with eight sites flying color-coded flags. This year, CRWA will expand the public notification system to inform a wider, diverse audience about the river's daily health and suitability for boating. Multi-lingual brochures will be distributed widely, the Boston and Cambridge TABs and The Boston Globe have indicated interest in printing updates, and CRWA's web site will post flag colors and test results daily.

Slick investigations
This spring and summer, CRWA will conduct an EPA-funded study to identify oil and grease discharges to the river and determine the discharges' origins. CRWA will survey and collect data throughout the entire watershed with a focus on communities where EPA has taken action related to the removal of illegal sewage discharges and stormwater management. We will also conduct sampling in response to complaints from river users. Please call us at (617) 965-5975 if you notice any oil slicks on the river or tributaries.

How does your stormwater management go?
CRWA has been subcontracted by the Center for Watershed Protection to provide assistance in evaluating the stormwater management plans of the ten Charles River Lower Basin communities. CRWA's involvement includes input on locations for installing structural stormwater best management practices, mapping, and local issues.

Collaborating for a cleaner Charles River
CRWA has been invited to participate on the Technical Advisory Group of the US Geological Survey (USGS) Lower Basin Stormwater Study, funded by USGS, Massachusetts Water Resources Aothority, and the state's Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. CRWA will coordinate some of its wet weather sampling to complement the project which will be completed in 2001.

BOSTON

Cleaning up stormwater
CRWA has completed stormwater baseline monitoring at Boston University, part of a Charles River Stormwater Remediation Project. On four separate occasions from spring 1998 to winter 1999, CRWA collected stormwater samples to determine the types and concentrations of pollutants at four locations on the BU campus. Currently, CRWA is helping to design stormwater treatment systems for at least two sites, and next year we will conduct additional monitoring to determine their performance.

BOSTON/BROOKLINE

Loath that dirty water
Boston Parks Department and Brookline Department of Public Works have proposed a $43 million cleanup plan for the Muddy River, beginning with a project to dredge the ponds and main channel. CRWA will parti-cipate on the Citizens' Advisory Committee for the project. To receive a copy of the plan (comments are due to the state by April 22), call Jason M. Cortell and Associates at (781) 890-3737 ext. 120.