Edenfield Avenue Green Street
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Less than 2,000 feet from the banks of the Charles River, Edenfield Avenue in Watertown is an excellent location for a demonstration green street. A green street incorporates green infrastructure systems that utilize plants and soil to cool, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff along a roadway. The green street will reduce pollution to the Charles River while beautifying the neighborhood and improving the pedestrian and driving experience.
As a densely developed community, Watertown has a high level of impervious surfaces, including buildings, parking lots, and 74 miles of roads. Polluted stormwater runoff from these surfaces flows directly into the Charles River, degrading water quality and aquatic habitat. As Watertown experiences rapid redevelopment and changing precipitation patterns driven by climate change, better management of stormwater is needed to protect the river. |
The Edenfield Avenue Green Street Demonstration Project showcases green infrastructure techniques for managing stormwater and serves as a model for Watertown and other municipalities. Tree trenches and bioswales with native plants will help filter stormwater and prevent pollution, such as phosphorus and bacteria, from entering the Charles River.
This project was completed in 2018 as part of a partnership between Charles River Watershed Association and the Town of Watertown Department of Public Works. The Watertown Stormwater Advisory Committee (SAC) assists with education and outreach at Watertown events and in the local schools. Resources from this project are available for use in other Watertown neighborhoods and other Charles River towns.
This project has been financed with Federal Funds from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection under an s. 319 competitive grant. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of EPA or of the Department, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial produced constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
This project was completed in 2018 as part of a partnership between Charles River Watershed Association and the Town of Watertown Department of Public Works. The Watertown Stormwater Advisory Committee (SAC) assists with education and outreach at Watertown events and in the local schools. Resources from this project are available for use in other Watertown neighborhoods and other Charles River towns.
This project has been financed with Federal Funds from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection under an s. 319 competitive grant. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of EPA or of the Department, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial produced constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Boston Porous Alley
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The porous alley in Boston, Massachusetts demonstrates one way the Blue Cities approach will create more resilient cities. The project was constructed using porous asphalt, a type of paving that allows water to pass through it, with a large storage and recharge chamber underneath the pavement surface.
Our project goals were to clean and filter polluted runoff, preventing it from entering the Charles River; recharge groundwater levels by allowing the filtered runoff to soak into the ground; and evaluate the technology, learn from the design and construction process, and develop a standardized conceptual design to guide future porous pavement projects |
Planning and design were completed in 2013 and the project was constructed in 2014. The porous alley is located along Alley 543 between West Canton and Holyoke Streets in the South End of Boston. Monitoring of the project is ongoing. To date, monitoring shows the project has been successful at recharging significant volumes of water, as well as reducing pollution and stormwater flows into area sewers.
The City of Boston Public Works Department, the Boston Groundwater Trust, VHB, and CRWA joined together to select a site, develop the design, manage the construction and monitor the results. Several other City agencies and departments were involved, in particular the Public Improvements Commission and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. Boston Groundwater Trust installed new wells specifically to monitor the results of the project on local groundwater levels, and CRWA monitored both water quality and recharge rates from the porous pavement section itself. VHB designed the project, managed construction, and developed a set of standard design documents for the City.
The project was funded by a Section 319 Nonpoint Source grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, with significant matching funds for construction provided by the City of Boston.
The City of Boston Public Works Department, the Boston Groundwater Trust, VHB, and CRWA joined together to select a site, develop the design, manage the construction and monitor the results. Several other City agencies and departments were involved, in particular the Public Improvements Commission and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. Boston Groundwater Trust installed new wells specifically to monitor the results of the project on local groundwater levels, and CRWA monitored both water quality and recharge rates from the porous pavement section itself. VHB designed the project, managed construction, and developed a set of standard design documents for the City.
The project was funded by a Section 319 Nonpoint Source grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, with significant matching funds for construction provided by the City of Boston.
Everett Street Pilot
Everett Street is located within the Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston, which is bordered by the Charles River on three sides. It was formerly an agrarian area but today consists of a middle-class, urbanized area occupied largely by a mix of dense residential neighborhoods, small businesses and large institutions. Due to the extensive paving of commercial and residential lots in the area over time, the stormwater runoff volume and pollutant loads have dramatically increased at the Charles River outfall at Telford Street. Additionally, the lack of adequate tree canopy cover and narrow sidewalks along Everett Street has made the corridor unfriendly for pedestrians.
Owned by St. Anthony of Padua Church, the site is a primarily residential section of Everett Street between Holton and Brentwood Streets and consists of a school building leased by the German International School of Boston. This site was chosen primarily because it presented opportunities to transform a dreary asphalt parking lot into a thriving community space, while incorporating green infrastructure practices.
The project was implemented in two phases and involved replacing approximately 2,500 square feet of asphalt next to the school building. The first phase involved installing a rain garden, permeable pavers, and a stormwater tree pit along with seven new trees along Everett Street. In the second phase of the project, a rain garden trench was installed along the corner of Everett and Brentwood Street to treat runoff from the school parking lot before it flows into the Charles River. The project now offers an attractive landscape that creates a new green space for the community, while providing shade, reducing summer temperatures, improving air quality, and treating polluted runoff.
Owned by St. Anthony of Padua Church, the site is a primarily residential section of Everett Street between Holton and Brentwood Streets and consists of a school building leased by the German International School of Boston. This site was chosen primarily because it presented opportunities to transform a dreary asphalt parking lot into a thriving community space, while incorporating green infrastructure practices.
The project was implemented in two phases and involved replacing approximately 2,500 square feet of asphalt next to the school building. The first phase involved installing a rain garden, permeable pavers, and a stormwater tree pit along with seven new trees along Everett Street. In the second phase of the project, a rain garden trench was installed along the corner of Everett and Brentwood Street to treat runoff from the school parking lot before it flows into the Charles River. The project now offers an attractive landscape that creates a new green space for the community, while providing shade, reducing summer temperatures, improving air quality, and treating polluted runoff.