Wetland Health for Climate Resilience
In 1955, Hurricane Connie hit eastern Massachusetts with 20 inches of rain in two days, causing flooding through Boston and lower Charles River watershed communities. As the first natural disaster in the state to cost more than $1 billion in damages, the Army Corps of Engineers looked into flood control measures. While they proposed building dams, CRWA’s then-Executive Director, Rita Barron, advocated for protecting wetlands in the upper watershed from development as a natural form of flood control.
Today, the Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area (NVSA) is a network of 8,100 acres of protected wetlands in 16 watershed communities. These wetlands naturally store floodwaters, preserve habitat for fish and wildlife, and create recreation opportunities. Since its creation, the NVSA has prevented about $12 million in flood damages and is a prime example of natural climate resilience efforts.
However, wetlands and streams throughout the region face the growing threats of invasive species growth, biodiversity loss, reduced riparian habitat, low streamflow, and poor water quality. While protected, the health of the NVSA wetlands have never been fully assessed.
With funding from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, CRWA will assess the health of wetlands in the Town of Franklin by performing benthic macroinvertebrate and habitat assessments, quantifying vegetation health using aerial images, and conducting a fish survey. We will also engage community members to understand the value of the NVSA and organize future invasive bittersweet removal events. Empowering citizens to understand and restore the health of wetlands is critical to climate resilience both within the Charles River Watershed and beyond.
Today, the Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area (NVSA) is a network of 8,100 acres of protected wetlands in 16 watershed communities. These wetlands naturally store floodwaters, preserve habitat for fish and wildlife, and create recreation opportunities. Since its creation, the NVSA has prevented about $12 million in flood damages and is a prime example of natural climate resilience efforts.
However, wetlands and streams throughout the region face the growing threats of invasive species growth, biodiversity loss, reduced riparian habitat, low streamflow, and poor water quality. While protected, the health of the NVSA wetlands have never been fully assessed.
With funding from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, CRWA will assess the health of wetlands in the Town of Franklin by performing benthic macroinvertebrate and habitat assessments, quantifying vegetation health using aerial images, and conducting a fish survey. We will also engage community members to understand the value of the NVSA and organize future invasive bittersweet removal events. Empowering citizens to understand and restore the health of wetlands is critical to climate resilience both within the Charles River Watershed and beyond.
Eagle Dam Removal Feasibility
In 2019 CRWA partnered with the Town of Wrentham to assess the feasibility of removing the dam on Eagle Brook, a tributary of the Charles River. Eagle Dam was identified as a potential vulnerability during Wrentham’s Municipal Vulnerability Planning (MVP) process, as dam failure would cause flooding of residential areas, municipal systems, and Route 140.
The poor condition of the dam and the vulnerability it poses with projected increases in precipitation make it an excellent candidate for removal. This project serves as a model for removing legacy dams that no longer serve any function and present a significant liability for communities in the age of climate change.
This project is funded by the EEA’s MVP Action Grant Program.
The poor condition of the dam and the vulnerability it poses with projected increases in precipitation make it an excellent candidate for removal. This project serves as a model for removing legacy dams that no longer serve any function and present a significant liability for communities in the age of climate change.
This project is funded by the EEA’s MVP Action Grant Program.
Invasive Plant Cleanups
As a highly developed region, the Charles River watershed has extensive invasive and nuisance plant overgrowth challenges. The growth of invasive plant species will worsen with the impacts of climate change, making it essential to address this growing threat now. Invasive plant species threaten terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by degrading water quality and reducing biodiversity and flood storage capacity. CRWA has developed projects to help monitor invasive plant growth and address underlying causes of nutrient overloading in the Charles River. These projects include water quality monitoring, green infrastructure implementation, and environmental advocacy. In addition to these strategies, we need your help with invasive plant cleanups!
Cheesecake Brook Naturalization & Restoration
Cheesecake Brook, a tributary to the Charles River in Newton, has a history of water quality and flooding issues, and has been highly altered through history. In 2019, CRWA began working with the local community to develop a vision for restoring Cheesecake Brook. Restoration may include creating more natural river banks by removing stone and concrete, and planting native vegetation on the banks. Naturalizing this stream would improve water quality and stream habitat, and would restore floodplain area to help reduce stormwater flooding. CRWA hopes that this community-driven visioning process becomes a model for other stream restoration projects in urban settings.
This project is generously funded by the Gerstner Family Foundation.
This project is generously funded by the Gerstner Family Foundation.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Public Meeting 10/27/20
Public Meeting 2/23/20
Public Meeting 2/23/20
Watertown Dam Removal
©Sean McNamara
The Watertown Dam is a 180-foot long, 8-foot high concrete weir structure located in Watertown, MA. CRWA, the Watertown Conservation Commission, and others have long expressed interest in evaluating the potential to remove the Watertown Dam. This dam has significant hazard potential, meaning a failure may cause loss of life and damage homes; removal would restore the free flow of water and sediment, allow fish and other wildlife to travel between portions of the river, help migratory fish populations rebound, and eliminate expensive dam maintenance costs, among many other benefits.
In the spring of 2016, with a letter for support from the Commissioner Leo Roy of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR; the dam owner), we applied to DER for support in conducting a feasibility study to investigate removal. The Watertown Dam Removal was accepted as a Provisional Project pending completion of a feasibility study and support for removal from DCR.
In the spring of 2016, with a letter for support from the Commissioner Leo Roy of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR; the dam owner), we applied to DER for support in conducting a feasibility study to investigate removal. The Watertown Dam Removal was accepted as a Provisional Project pending completion of a feasibility study and support for removal from DCR.
American Shad Restoration
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One of the largest members of the herring family, American shad can reach up to 30 inches in length and weigh 7-8 pounds. The shad is one of five species of anadromous (fish born in freshwater) fish found in the Charles River. American shad spend the majority of their lives in the ocean, and return to their native freshwater to spawn.
Shad were plentiful in the Charles until the mid-1800s, and some historical records identify shad in the Charles as early as 1633. After 1850, the population began to decline due to the construction of dams and the degradation of water quality. Based on CRWA’s target fish community work in the past decade, the Charles should support a large, viable shad population of up to 30,000 adult fish; however, only small numbers of adult shad are observed in the river each year. To help restore the shad population to pre-development levels, CRWA embarked on a collaborative project with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS) in 2006. The program aims to restore a viable population of American shad in the Charles, improve the ecological health of the river by introducing a native species, and create a local sport fishery for anglers. Since 2006, over 26 million shad larvae have been released into the Charles River. Since 2011, the released American shad have returned each year to the Charles River to spawn. Improved tracking techniques currently utilized by MA DMF and US FWS are beginning to provide a fuller picture of the challenges facing the American shad in the Charles River. |
Shad larvae are sourced from adult shad found in the Merrimack River near the Essex Dam in Lawrence, MA, and then raised at the US FWS hatchery in Nashua, NH. These juvenile shad, or shad fry, are then marked, using a special bath, so they can later be identified and tracked when they return to the Charles to spawn.
In addition to the American Shad, other herring including Alewife and Blueback, are returning to the Charles River in large numbers. The Charles River now supports one of the largest Blueback herring runs in Massachusetts.
In addition to the American Shad, other herring including Alewife and Blueback, are returning to the Charles River in large numbers. The Charles River now supports one of the largest Blueback herring runs in Massachusetts.