2.
Issues, Activities & Accomplishments in 2000
The top 5
issues in the North Coastal Watershed continue to be:
Ř
Contaminated
stormwater emanating from street drainage systems along highways and local
roads.
Ř
Sustainable
growth management innovative land use planning.
Ř
Conservation
of Open Space.
Ř
Habitat
Preservation focusing on salt marsh restoration, reduction of, invasive plant
species, reopening productive shellfish habitat, restoration of anadramous fish
runs.
Ř
Impacts
of growth on drinking water supplies, maintaining adequate base flows in rivers
and streams
The North
Coastal Watershed Team (NCW) has effectively functioned as a confederation with
team members coming together on various projects on as needed basis. Three Local Governance Committees, Salem
Sound 2000 (SS2000), Eight Towns and the Bay (8T&B) and Metropolitan Boston
(MB), play a pivotal role in organizing and promoting citizen involvement. Major stewards include the Massachusetts
Coastal Zone Management (MCZM/North Shore), Mass Audubon Society North Shore
(MAS/NS) the Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC), State agency participation
from the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Department of
Environmental Protection's Northeast Regional Office (DEP/NERO), Massachusetts
Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF), Division of Fisheries Wildlife and
Environmental Law Enforcement (DFWELE) Riverways Program, DEP Watershed
Management, Federal participants include USFWS and EPA Boston. One of the original themes we have
consistently tried to adhere to in the NCW is to build on existing projects and
efforts. So we try to keep the message
consistent and build on past successes. We have also tried to implement
projects at the subwatershed scale wherever possible since we believe that is
where we will have the most tangible success.
The
following section organized under the 7 MWI program elements provides more
specific examples of the many accomplishments during calendar year 2000.
Outreach
and Education
The
watershed population is large and contains many interest groups. The strategy has been to establish local
contacts through the existing regional and local governance committees wherever
possible. Prioritize problems within the
subregions and map out strategies to effect positive change.
Accomplishments: Utilizing
Roundtable grant monies SS2000, MAS/NS and SRWC formed the North Coastal
Alliance. The Alliance organized a
series of interactive forums, targeted to reach local officials, environmental
groups and concerned citizens with information compiled during previous grant
about the pollution sources, environmental conditions and natural resources
within each subwatershed. The forums
also provided the opportunity for valuable input from the attendees on their
knowledge and concerns.
The Saugus
River subwatershed forum earned full-page coverage in the Lynn Daily Item
newspaper.
The
Smallpox Brook subwatershed forum prompted the formation of new Stream
team. Local participation included
Salisbury residents, the local Board of Health, a Selectmen, and the Salisbury
Director of Planning. They recently
completed a stream walk with assistance and training of the Riverways Program,
8T&B, and the NCW team leader.
Team leader
is an attendee to meetings of the MAPC North Shore Task Force (NSTF), Salem
Harbor Task Force, Cape Ann Sustainable Committee (CASC), Great Marsh Summit
Team, Rumney Marsh Task Force, North Suburban Planning Commission (NSPC),
SS2000 Technical Advisory Committee, North Shore Workshops for Health Agents
and Conservation Commissions, Friends of Lake Quannapowitt (FOLQ), Eight Towns
and the Bay, Saugus River Watershed Council, Saugus River Watershed Commission
and Essex Facility Planning Task Force, Safer Waters in Massachusetts (SWIM).
Team leader
met with the Project Coordinator for the Gloucester Harbor Plan to offer the
team’s assistance in the Gloucester Harbor on a number of issues including
stormwater management, the elimination of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO’s) and
the siting of the Yankee Whale Watch Fleet in Gloucester Harbor versus
Annisquam River. The meeting was
directly related and in response to the forum by North Coastal Alliance on
Gloucester Harbor.
Team leader
served as liaison between the EOEA Boston Office, DEP/NERO Wetlands Program and
a disgruntled citizen.
Met with
Boards of Health bordering Salem Sound and SS2000 to discuss results of Clean
Beaches and Stream sampling program and lobby for an increase in municipal
efforts to curtail or eliminate pollution sources.
Local
Capacity Building
Ř
The
strategy employed by the team has been an integrated, incremental and a
projected effort over time. The North
Coastal Watershed is effectively serviced by a number of governance committees,
NGO’s and other entities dedicated to either focused interests and/or to
working with local communities and their citizens. Our focus has been to:
Ř
integrate activities, responses and assistance to
local communities and citizens with existing team members where ever and as
often as possible,
Ř
work
in increments as
contacts are made with local officials incorporate them into the team,
Ř
project the local successes and collaborative
demonstrations to other communities as examples of the MWI approach working to
address problems.
Accomplishments: The
growth of Salem Sound 2000 (SS2000) as a strong advocate for a cleaner
environment within and outside of Salem Sound continues as one of our real
success stories. Since their receipt of
a 1998 Capacity Building Grant, they have: instituted the Clean Beaches Clean
Streams Program, partnered with the MAS North Shore and the SRWC to conduct the
North Coastal Alliance Water Quality Assessment, later, the Alliance applied
for and received a follow up contract to conduct a series of forums with local
officials on the water quality assessments.
Eight Town and the Bay (8T&B) has also matured into a strong
environmental steward. Their influence
has been most keenly felt in the areas of environmental education and in the
restoration of degraded salt marshes on the upper North Shore. Most recently they brought interested
citizens, local government officials and the Riverways Program together to form
the Smallpox Brook Stream team. To the
south, the SRWC has a new Program Director to compliment a very active
constituency. They have established
leadership roles in promoting environmental education, the long term monitoring
of the health of the Saugus River, land acquisition and environmental advocacy
for water quality. Local capacity
successes within the NCW can also be measured by the increased participation
and team representation from the communities of Gloucester, Lynn, Malden,
Peabody, Rockport, Revere and Salisbury and their success in receiving
grants. Team membership has included
representatives from U.S Generating Company in Salem, South Essex Sewage
District and the General Electric Lynn.
Successful contact with the business community has not been successfully
maintained and needs to be a focus for the upcoming Year 1 outreach
activities. The team helped alert MAS/NS
and MAPC to citizen and community requests for assistance in protecting open
space land in Nahant
Water
Quality
The
Watershed is “naturally “ divided into subregions: The Saugus/Pines River
Estuary, Salem Sound, Cape Ann, Swampscott/Lynn/Nahant Bay and portions of
Amesbury and Salisbury forming its own subregion. Accordingly, there is not a individual source
for the water quality problems within the watershed. The team as a priority effort has identified
addressing contaminated stormwater across most of the watershed. The team’s efforts wherever possible utilize
pilot projects at the subwatershed level and “follow ups” to establish the
skills and methodologies to deal effectively with these kinds of problems and
transfer the knowledge gained to projects in the other subwatersheds.
Accomplishments: The
Watershed Team Leader collected bacterial data from street drains discharging
onto local beaches within greater Salem Sound to assist DEP/NERO in the
verification of chronic bacterial contamination documented by the SS2000 Clean Beaches Clean Streams monitoring
program. These findings resulted in the
issuance of Notices of Non Compliance by DEP/NERO to the cities of Beverly and
Salem.
The
communities of Essex and Gloucester have entered into a mutual agreement that
allows Essex to connect to and pump wastewater from Essex to the city of
Gloucester’s wastewater treatment system.
The agreement benefits both communities and eliminates the potential
discharge of municipal wastewater to the Essex River and the Great Marsh ACEC.
The
communities of Rockport and Gloucester have entered into a mutual agreement
that allows the Long Beach section of Rockport to connect to the Gloucester
municipal wastewater treatment system.
The agreement benefits both communities and eliminates a long
outstanding pollution problem attributed to poor individual subsurface disposal
facilities
Worked
closely with the DEP’s Division of Watershed Management to produce the North
Coastal 1997/1998 Water Quality Assessment Report.
Worked with
the North Coastal Alliance by providing data sources, review and comment for
the report entitled “North Coastal
Alliance Water Quality Assessment in four targeted subwatersheds Gloucester
Harbor, North River, Saugus River and Smallpox Brook”.
Provided
review and comments to the MDMF draft study of “Marine Resources of Salem Sound”.
Participated
in the SS2000 sponsored Symposium on the
State of Salem Sound.
Participated
in water quality collections with MDEP, MDC and LWSC to assess stormwater
contamination emanating from stormdrains and CSO’s within the Lynn Water and
Sewer Commission service area and the neighboring town of Swampscott.
The team
leader has been involved in a long-term project with DEP/NERO staff
including Division of Water Pollution
Control, Bureau Waste Prevention and EPA Boston to update the files and records
of all of the NPDES permits issued within the watershed.
Worked with
DEP’s Bureau of Waste Site Control, William X. Wall Experiment Station and the
Friends of Lake Quannapowitt in the collection of sediment samples from the
lake to supplement a Phase I Initial Site Investigation, Tier Classification
and Imminent Hazard Evaluation of a former coal gasification plant.
Assisted
DEP and the consulting firm of URS Consulting Group in crafting the scope of
work, their Quality Assurance Project Plan and in providing them local
community contacts for a project entitled “Targeting and Eliminating Untreated
Sewage Discharges in Four Subwatersheds in the North Coastal Watershed”.
Water
Quantity
The NCW
does not have a single water source. The basin is "naturally" divided
into subregions: Saugus/Pines River Estuary, Salem Sound, Cape Ann, Swampscott,
Lynn, Nahant Bay with portions of Salisbury and Amesbury forming another
subregion. “Community” water is supplied
through surface reservoirs, community well fields, from the Ipswich and Saugus
Rivers and by MWRA. Droughts have
plagued the region in the past.
Accomplishments: In July 1999 DEM issued a contract to
conduct a $60,000 study entitled “Impacts on Streamflows in the Saugus River
from Human Manipulation. The Team as one
of the priority projects targeted the project for FY99. Funding for the project was received through
the Roundtable for FY99 and work began in July 1999. However project oversight highlighted
problems with the original contractor and the contract was terminated. Working closely with DEM, the Lynn Water
Sewer Commission, the Saugus River Watershed Council and the Saugus River
Watershed Commission, the contract was readvertised and a new vendor selected. Substantial progress towards meeting the
original goals set out in the Scope of Work have been made since the contract
was reissued .
In
addition, the NCW team leader has worked closely with the DEP/NERO Drinking
Water Program in the review and reissuance of Water Management Act permits
within the NCW.
Habitat
The
restoration of degraded wetlands and the reopening of productive shellfish
resources have been identified by the Team as a priority issues. The NCW has supported a number of on-going
projects within the watershed targeted to restoring or remediating degraded
wetlands and reopening productive shellfish beds. Much of the work has been sponsored by
8T&B, Rumney Marsh ACEC Task Force, the Great Marsh ACEC Task Force and in
cooperation with the EOEA Wetlands Banking and Restoration Program, MCZM/North
Shore and MAS/NS. Support has largely been in the form of site assessment and
the writing of endorsement letters to the various funding sources.
Accomplishments: sites receiving attention of the team
include:
Ř
Argilla
Rd. Ipswich, installation of a larger culvert to increase tidal flooding and
promote the regrowth of salt marsh and control the expansion of the invasive
plants Phragmites sp.
Ř
Conomo
Pt. Essex, installation of a larger culvert to increase tidal influence to
promote the regrowth of salt marsh and control the expansion of Phragmites sp.
Ř
Installation
of self regulating tide gates at 7 tidal crossings along Rt1A in Revere
Ř
Installation
of self regulating tide gates at Town Line Brook Revere/Saugus.
Ř
Installation
of a self regulating tide gate structure at Oak Island, Revere. This project was funded by a grant from the
USFWS.
Ř
Worked
with multi agency task force in the development of the Ballard Street saltmarsh
restoration in Saugus
Ř
Installation
of aVortex Unit pollution control system to a stormwater drainage system
discharging to the Forest River in Salem. The project was funded through a MCZM
CPR grant to the city of Salem. Salem
partnered with SS2000 and engineering consultant Metcalf & Eddy to assist
in wet weather monitoring
Ř
EOEA
#12063 Rockport - Saratoga Creek Salt Marsh Restoration Project, between
Saratoga Court and Seaview Street on Thatcher Road (Route 127). Phase II -
restoration of 4,110 square feet of salt marsh and restoration of 880 square
feet/1160 linear feet of mosquito ditching.
An accumulation of sediments and intrusion of Phragmites have degraded
the salt marsh area.
Ř
Salisbury
Blackwater Salt Marshes: an ACOE project which widened the RT 286 Bridge has
resulted in increased flooding to Salisbury homes bordering the marshes. ACOE has been charged with the task of
designing a structure or method to alleviate the increased flooding in the
least intrusive manner as possible. The
project has involved federal, state and local authorities. Permitting and
design has been complicated. To date the
Team leader has attended 2 site inspections, reviewed several design options,
and attended meetings to help resolve jurisdictional issues.
Ř
Provided
support of a MCZM CPR project to conduct water quality sampling of stormwater
discharging to a MAS/NS “Thicket” Sanctuary in Nahant
Open
Space
Formulating
an Open Space plan compatible with the needs and interests of 27 communities
was beyond the capabilities of the team. Several years ago the Metropolitan
Area Planning Council (MAPC) and its North Shore Task Force (NSTF) sponsored a
“Harvard School of Design” project to investigate the potential to create a
metropolitan open space system for the Greater Boston Metropolitan region and
adjoining areas of Eastern Massachusetts.
The final report entitled Mass
Bays Common proposed a network of large protected natural resource systems.
As a natural progression from this larger effort, the NSTF commissioned a
similar effort for the 15 communities in the North Shore area. The report entitled Grow Smart North Shore proposes a network of interconnected
existing preservation areas, new preservation areas, riparian corridors
setbacks and a harbor walk as the means to consider the needs and character of
the region's resources and people; the needs of the regional ecology; address
the issues of water quality and quantity; address the rich cultural heritage of
the region; and create a realistic, regional open space reserve on the North
Shore and Cape Ann. Several NCW team
members were active in the formulation of this project and the subsequent
presentations to local officials and the public. It was the consensus of the team that Grow Smart North Shore could effectively
serve as the NCW comprehensive Open Space plan.
Accomplishments: Adopted
the Grow Smart North Shore plan
presented by Harvard School of Design and the MAPC/NSTF as the NCW
comprehensive Open Space plan.
Worked with
MDC and SWRC in the identification of suitable parcels of land for acquisition
as part of the Saugus River Greenways Project.
Provided
letters of endorsements grant submittals by the towns of Hamilton, Peabody,
Saugus and Wakefield to EOEA Conservation Services for Open Space. Wakefield was recently awarded a Self Help
grant for $250,000 for the acquisition of the Lanai Island restaurant property
located along the shores of Lake Quannapowitt.
Recreation
The team has not identified
the element of recreation as a specific priority issue to be addressed by the
team at this time. Often it is imbedded
or included in open space planning and habitat issues.
The Year in Review
The 168 square mile North
Coastal Watershed (NCW) has an estimated populace of 500,000 distributed within
portions of 27 communities, including Salisbury and Amesbury, all of Cape Ann,
the coastal and near shore communities of Greater Salem south to
Lynn/Revere/Everett. The rivers are
small, tidal and historically heavily exploited. The abundance of open beaches, coastal wetlands
and harbors are used by residents and non-residents in support of a host of
outdoor recreational activities including swimming, fishing, boating, hiking,
and hunting. The dominant resource
industries include commercial fishing for finfish, lobsters and shellfish
particularly within upper North Shore communities of Essex and Gloucester. Numerous shellfish beds have been closed due
to pollution with only partial restoration in recent years. Addressing the numerous problems within the
basin will require a range of solutions.
One of the goals of the North Coastal Watershed team effort has been to
foster a true partnership between citizens, business people, municipal
officials, non-profit organizations and government agencies to protect and
restore our threatened resources of land and water. The team has a core group
made up of representatives from Salem
Sound 2000 (SS2000), Eight Towns and the Bay (8T&B) and Metropolitan Boston
(MB), Major stewards include, Mass Audubon Society North Shore (MAS/NS) the
Saugus River Watershed Council (SRWC), State agency participation from the MCZM/North
Shore, Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Department of
Environmental Protection's Northeast Regional Office (DEP/NERO), Massachusetts
Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF), and Division of Fisheries Wildlife and
Environmental Law Enforcement Riverways Program. Membership on the North Coastal Watershed
team at large continues to broaden with the inclusion of community and business
partners, however their participation is generally focused on specific
issues. Our strategy has been to gain
inclusion by performance and word of mouth.
We reinforce this by keeping our message consistent and building on
existing projects and efforts at the subwatershed scale wherever possible since
we believe that is where we will have the most tangible success. During this past year the North Coastal
Watershed completed a number of projects which carried over from years
The
following is a summary of the many accomplishments
Ř
The
communities of Essex and Gloucester have entered into an agreement that allows
Essex to connect to and pump wastewater from the town of Essex to the city of
Gloucester’s municipal wastewater treatment facility. The agreement benefits both communities and
eliminates the potential discharge of municipal wastewater to the Essex River and
the Great Marsh ACEC.
Ř
Worked
closely with the DEP’s Division of Watershed Management to produce the North
Coastal 1997/1998 Water Quality Assessment Report. The Assessment report
summarizes the water quality data collections of 1997 and 1998 conducted by
DEP/WSM, MDMF, MAS/NS, SS2000, and SWRC.
The report is notable in that it is the first time that CH 21e sites
have been identified and included in an assessment report. The report evaluates trends in the data and
provides the basis for establishing priority actions within the respective
subwatersheds.
Ř
Provided
review and comments to the MDMF draft study “Marine Resources of Salem Sound”.
The report is the most comprehensive assessment of marine resources
and water quality within Salem Sound in decades. The report documents nutrient loading into
Salem Sound, the impacts of South Essex Sewage District discharge to the Sound,
verifies thermal influences of the Salem Electric Generating Facility on local
waters, establishes significant changes in the population dynamics of adult and
juvenile fishes, a decline in landings of lobsters and verifies the
establishment of several invasive species most notably the European
Oyster. MAS/NS, the NCW team leader,
SS2000, USGS, Salem State College, Northeastern University, and a local dive
club provided assistance to this effort.
Ř
Salem
Sound 2000 (SS2000) partnered with the MAS North Shore and the SRWC to conduct
the North Coastal Alliance Water Quality Assessment Report. The report provided a comprehensive review of
the available water quality and resource information for the targeted
subwatersheds of the Saugus River, North River Gloucester Harbor and Smallpox
Brook. It’s purpose was to educate local
government officials and other stakeholders, to target priority problems and
disseminate this information. Later, the
Alliance applied for and received a follow up contract to conduct a series of
forums with local officials on the water quality assessments.
Ř
The
Watershed Team Leader collected bacterial data from street drains discharging
onto local beaches within greater Salem Sound to assist DEP/NERO in the
verification of chronic bacterial contamination documented by the SS2000 Clean Beaches Clean Streams monitoring
program. These findings resulted in the
issuance of Notices of Non Compliance (NON) by DEP/NERO to the cities of
Beverly and Salem. NON’s are enforcement
orders that require specific actions and responses such as, development of
plans and solutions to eliminate or reduce the contamination. The actions should result in the reduction of
bacterial contamination being discharged onto local Salem Sound beaches.
Ř
The
communities of Rockport and Gloucester have entered into a mutual agreement,
which allows the Long Beach section of Rockport to connect to the Gloucester
municipal wastewater treatment system.
The agreement benefits both communities and will eliminate a long
outstanding pollution problem attributed to poor individual subsurface disposal
systems impacting water quality at Long Beach.
Ř
Participated
in the SS2000 sponsored Symposium on the
State of Salem Sound. The Symposium
brought together local citizens, legislators, scientist, government regulators
and lobster men to discuss the environmental issues effecting the Sound and
what could be done about it.
Ř
Participated
in water quality collections with MDEP, MDC and Lynn Water and Sewer Commission
to assess contamination emanating from stormdrains and CSO’s within the LWSC
service area and the neighboring town of Swampscott. LWSC responded by locating and removing
illegal sewer connections to the street drainage system. Follow up sampling has documented reductions
in bacterial contamination from several CSO’s on of which discharges onto Kings
Beach.
Ř
The
team leader has been involved in a long-term project with DEP/NERO staff from
the Division of Water Pollution Control, Bureau Waste Prevention and EPA Boston
to update the files and records of all of the NPDES permits issued within the
watershed. The results of this effort
will be an up to date list which will allow for more focused review of the
permits to insure compliance with the terms of the permit.
Ř
Worked
with DEP’s Bureau of Waste Site Control, William X Wall Experiment Station and
the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt in the collection of sediment samples from the
lake to supplement a Phase I Initial Site Investigation, Tier Classification
and Imminent Hazard Evaluation of a former coal gasification plant.
Ř
Assisted
DEP and the consulting firm URS Consulting Group in crafting the scope of work,
their Quality Assurance Project Plan and in providing them local community
contacts for a project entitled “Targeting and Eliminating Untreated Sewage
Discharges in Four Subwatersheds in the North Coastal Watershed”. To date the study has assessed 74 street
drains within the 4 subwatersheds, sampled 40, which were flowing and submitted
an interim report.
Ř
Worked
closely with DEM, the LWSC, the Saugus River Watershed Council and the Saugus
River Watershed Commission and the consultant firm of Gomez and Sullivan on the
study entitled “Impacts on Streamflows in the Saugus River from Human
Manipulation. The goals of the study
include, establishment of minimum base flow suitable to support anadramous
fish, an assessment of flood issues from the headwaters to Central Street, in
Saugus a IFIM
Ř
The
NCW team leader has worked closely with the DEP/NERO Drinking Water Program in
the review and reissuance of Water Management Act permits within the NCW.
Ř
The
NCW team has supported a number of on-going projects within the watershed
targeted to restoring or remediating degraded wetlands and reopening productive
shellfish beds. Team members 8T&B,
the Rumney Marsh ACEC Task Force, the Great Marsh ACEC Task Force have
sponsored much of the work. Oversight
was provided by the EOEA Wetlands Banking and Restoration Program (WBRP),
MCZM/North Shore and MAS/NS. Team
support included the funding of a Wetlands Scientist technical assistant
position for WBRP, site assessments and the writing of endorsement letters to
the various funding sources.
Ř
Installation
of a larger culvert on Argilla Road Ipswich to increase tidal flooding and
promote the regrowth of salt marsh and control the expansion of the invasive
plant Phragmites sp. Proponents included NMFS, MAS/NS, and town of Ipswich
Ř
Installation
of a larger culvert on Conomo Pt. Essex, to increase tidal influence to promote
the regrowth of salt marsh and control the expansion of Phragmites sp. Attended
site inspections, provided review and comment.
Proponents include Great Marsh Task Force. MAS/NS, town of Essex,
8T&B
Ř
Installation
of self regulating tide gates at 7 tidal crossings along Rt1A in Revere.
Installation of these tide gates will reduce low level flooding while promoting
the regrowth of saltmarsh. Proponents
included Rumney Marsh Task Force, EPA Boston, Essex County Mosquito Control
Program, city of Revere MCZM/NS.
Ř
Installation
of self regulating tidegates at Town Line Brook Revere/Saugus and Malden. A complex project with the long terms goals
of minimizing flooding within abutting neighborhoods, eliminating chronic
bacterial contamination due to sewer surcharging, restoration of 3 acres of
degraded salt marsh and the reopening of shellfish beds. Proponents included Rumney Marsh Task Force,
EPA Boston, Essex County Mosquito Control Program, city of Revere MCZM/NS,
MDMF, MAPC, MDC, MHD, DWPC/NERO, city of Malden. Working with these partners we have secured
$500,000 in Supplemental Environmental Penalties through the Massachusetts Environmental
Trust to conduct a complete hydrologic assessment of the subwatershed and to
conduct citizen outreach activities. The
partners have also secured a Comprehensive Pollution Remediation Grant from
MCZM for work in the Trifone Brook subbasin.
Ř
Installation
of a self regulating tidegate structure at Oak Island, Revere. This project was funded by a grant from the
USFWS to the city of Revere, with the assistance of EPA Boston, WBRP, NCW,
MCZM/NS. Partial funding is also to be
supplied by the MBTA through a Consent Judgement initiated by DEP/NERO. Installation of the tidegate and related work
will result in improvements to tidal flowage to 30 acres of degraded saltmarsh.
Ř
Working
with multi agency task force in the development of the Ballard Street saltmarsh
restoration in Saugus which will result in improved flood protection for low
lying neighborhoods and improved tidal flowage to over 40 acres of salt
marsh. Participants include WBRP
Corporate Wetlands Program, USEPA, SRWC, NCRS, town of Saugus, MDC
Ř
Installation
of a Vortex pollution control system to a stormwater drainage system
discharging to the Forest River estuary in Salem. The project was funded
through a MCZM CPR grant to the city of Salem.
SS2000 developed a wet weather stormwater sampling program to assist in
the identification of sources of contamination with oversight and guidance from
engineering consultant Metcalf and Eddy..
Ř
MCZM
Coastal Pollution Remediation Grant to the town of Nahant in cooperation with
MAS/NS to conduct a wet weather sampling program on stormwater discharges to
the MAS “Thicket” sanctuary. Project
will provide citizen training by MAS/NS to assess stormwater impacts leading to
possible pollution remediation efforts as well as habitat restoration.
Ř
EOEA
#12063 Rockport - Saratoga Creek Salt Marsh Restoration Project, between
Saratoga Court and Seaview Street on Thatcher Road (Route 127). Phase II -
restoration of 4,110 square feet of salt marsh and restoration of 880 square
feet/1160 linear feet of mosquito ditching.
The salt marsh area has been degraded by an accumulation of sediments
and intrusion of Phragmites.
2. Status of Previously Funded Roundtable
Projects (FY99-01)
|
Fiscal
year
|
Project
Name
|
Vendor
|
Funding
Agency
|
$allocated/$spent
|
%
complete
|
accomplishments
|
|
99
|
Determination
of minimal base flow Saugus River
|
Gomez
& Sullivan
|
DEM
|
$50,000
|
50
|
Completed
habitat assessment,
|
|
99
|
Water
Quality assessment in 4 NCW subwatersheds
|
SS2000,
SWRC,
MAS/NS
|
DEP
|
$36,357
|
100
|
Water
Quality Assessment: Gloucester Harbor, North River, Saugus River, Smallpox
Brook
|
|
99
|
Salem
Sound 2000 Capacity Building
Grant
|
SS2000
|
EOEA/MWI
|
$50,000
|
100
|
Clean
Beaches and Streams, Board of Directors, Citizen Wetland Health Program,
North Coastal Watershed Alliance
|
|
99
|
Stormwater
Management Workshops for Local Officials
|
|
MCZM/NORTH
SHORE
|
|
100
|
3
regional workshops were held, each workshop included examples of BMP’s and
projects implemented in both rural and urban settings, workbook and guidance
documents were provided.
|
|
99
|
Growth
Management
|
MCZM/
MAPC
|
EOEA
PFG
|
$60,000
|
100
|
Conservation
Subdivision Guidebook bylaw review
|
|
00
|
Setting
action plan priorities in subwatersheds
|
North
Shore Alliance
|
DEP
|
$18300
|
100
|
Conducted
5 community forums 1 general, 4 specific, brochure for each subwatershed
|
|
00
|
Targeting
and Eliminating Untreated Sewage Discharges in Four Subwatersheds in the NCW
|
URS
Consulting
Group
|
DEP
|
$60,000
|
40
|
Completed
Task 1 Identified stormwater drains. Conducted initial round of
sampling. Submitted 1/4ly report,
conducted interim project review.
|
|
00
|
Implementation
of Land
Protection
Tech.
Asst.
Saltmarsh
Restoration
|
WB&RP
|
MCZM
|
$35,000
|
100
|
Substantially
completed Salt Marsh Restoration Plan for Rumney Marsh ACEC, initiated
restoration plan for Great Salt Marsh, identified and evaluated saltmarsh
restoration project at Eastern Point Gloucester.
|
|
01
|
Inventory
and Evaluation of
Brownfield
sites in the NCW
|
|
DFWELE
|
$27,000
|
0
|
Initial
scope of work developed, options are under review
|
|
01
|
IMPLEMENTATION
OF LAND PROTECTION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN NORTH SHORE COMMUNITIES
|
|
MCZM
|
$35,000
|
|
|
|
01
|
Technical
Assistance
for
NPDES
Stormwater
Phase II
Comp.
|
Vanasse
Hangen Brustlin
|
DEP
|
$54,000
|
0
|
RFP
issued contract recently awarded and
Notice to Proceed issued
|
3.
Potential Activities of the Team
Sustainable
Growth Management continues to be THE high profile issue on the North
Shore. The North Coastal Watershed seems
to have been a place “where people have always wanted to live”. The unique
juxtaposition of historic towns and neighborhoods, intact open spaces, high
technology centers as become increasingly threatened with the emergence of “low density sprawl” as a serious threat to
both the character and resources of this watershed
The
team can be an important player addressing Sustainable Growth Management first
and foremost by working in conjunction with EOEA Boston and the Merrimack
Valley and the Metropolitian Area Planning Commissions in providing communities
with information on the Community Development Plan, Executive Order 418 and the
Community Preservation Act.
The team is seeking funding through the
Roundtable to conduct 4 workshops to provide Training for Local Zoning Boards
of Appeals (ZBA) and Planning Boards on Comprehensive Permit (Chapter 40B)
Guidelines.
The team is
seeking funding through the Roundtable to hire an Open Space Circuit rider for
North Coastal Watershed. This project
would create an Open Space Circuit Rider for the North Coastal Watershed to
integrate a sense of watershed management with local planning and open space protection
activities and to assist communities in developing a Community Development Plan
The
Roundtable provided funding to compile a list of Brownfields sites within the
North Coastal Watershed.
4.
Priority Watershed Projects for FY 2002
Project 1: Technical Assistance with
Storm Drainage Mapping for NPDES Phase II Compliance
In 1999, EPA finalized its NPDES Phase II Stormwater
regulations. Despite an effort to
educate municipalities about the requirements and necessary actions under the
new rule, most local officials are still confused about the steps they should
take for compliance and have not even started to address the issue. Many communities do not even have current,
accurate maps of their storm drain systems.
Mapping the storm drain systems is the first step that most communities
will need to take to start investigating and remediating storm water
problems.
This
project proposes to assist North Coastal Watershed communities with mapping
their storm drain systems as a first step toward Phase II compliance. The goal of the project would be to produce a
map of the storm drainage systems in these communities as the basis for
investigation and remediation work. The
project would serve as a model for approaching Phase II in other communities
and would encourage communities to begin thinking about the Phase II rule. This project is a logical next step to the
FY01 Priority Project that provided informational workshops and initial
technical assistance to North Coastal watershed communities on Phase II.
Communities receiving assistance will be selected based on
agreed upon criteria including dedication of municipal staff time to the
project; 303D listing of local waterways; and other criteria. The mapping will be comprehensive and, to the
extent possible, will include state highway storm drainage.
Estimated Cost: $45,000
Deliverables: GIS storm drain maps
Timeframe: Fall, 2001 – Fall, 2002. Could be repeated with additional communities
in the future or could provide the foundation for future work on Phase II
compliance in the selected communities
Agency(ies) best suited for oversight: Mass Bays Program, CZM, DEP
An RFR offering funds to individual communities could be
pursued in implementing this effort.
Communities could apply for funds, and indicate their commitment through
both cash and inkind match. If this
strategy is employed, EOEA should be cited as the oversight agency with
technical guidance supplied by MassGIS.
It is anticipated that, for the funds provided, three to four
communities could be funded.
Project 2: Training for Local Zoning
Boards of Appeals (ZBA) and Planning Boards on Comprehensive Permit (Chapter
40B) Guidelines
Note: This Project has been
proposed as a regional project among the North Coastal, Ipswich, and Parker
Watershed Teams
Project Description: North Coastal communities are faced with an
increasing number of Comprehensive Permit applications due to rising
development pressure. While the intent
of the Chapter 40B rule to help provide more affordable housing is benevolent,
many of these projects may have potential
for serious environmental impacts due to the limited environmental review they
undergo. Further, many local
officials are not aware of their rights, roles, and responsibilities under the
Chapter 40B guidelines. The comprehensive
permit process is also occasionally used as a loophole by developers that are
frustrated with the more traditional permitting process. The result of the lack of specific knowledge
on the part of Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and other local officials and the
confusion and intimidation associated with the process can result in projects
which do not adequately protect the environment.
The Department of Housing and Community Development
currently offers training for local officials in the Chapter 40B permitting
process, however these trainings are held in Boston and are often inconvenient
for North Shore residents. This project
proposes to provide more convenient training for members of Zoning Board of
Appeals (ZBA), Planning Boards, and Conservation Commissions in the North
Coastal Watershed communities. Three or
four training workshops would be scheduled at local venues around the
watershed. The Department of Housing and
Community Development would be invited to present at the trainings. In addition, members of the North Coastal
Watershed Team would attend ZBA trainings to help provide local assistance.
Estimated Cost: Total Cost $10,000. (North
Coastal funding $4,000)
Deliverables: A minimum of four
training workshops (at least one per watershed) and Ch. 40B training materials
Timeframe: Fall 2001
Agency(ies)
best suited for oversight: Mass Bays Program - MAPC, MCZM, MWI, DHCD, Salem Sound 2000.
Project 3: Assistance to Local
Boards of Health (BOH) on Implementation of the BEACH Bill
Project Description: During the last legislative session, the
Commonwealth passed the BEACH Bill to protect bathers from poor water quality
at beaches. The Bill mandates that local
Boards of Health (BOH) test water quality at all bathing beaches at least
weekly and that conspicuous warning signs are posted to warn the public of any
health risks due to water quality. A
very similar BEACH Bill was also passed at the federal level and calls for
increased public notification of test results.
The federal bill will not take effect for approximately three years but,
the State bill will be in effect next summer.
Boards
of Health do not currently post their testing results publicly and in most
municipalities, beaches are seldom closed when necessary. Boards of Health have little experience in
public education and outreach and the closure of beaches is often politically
controversial. This project would
provide assistance to local BOH with public notification of water quality test results
and closures and assist with public education on water quality impairment, the
associated health risks, and the role that citizens can play in reducing these
risks.
One
deliverable for this project would be a packet with examples of public outreach
materials such a sample press release, sample beach posting notice, sample
educational flyers, etc. to help insure consistency in the approach by BOH to
public education and notification. These
packets would be distributed to all area BOH in order to facilitate and
encourage public communication of beach testing results. In addition, a regional mode of communication
for all beach testing results such as the Town Online website and/or regional
papers such as the North Shore Sunday
and Globe North Weekly section would
be explored and its use by area BOH for posting data would be facilitated.
Estimated Cost: $10,000
Deliverables:
1) Public outreach packet
(including website and newspaper agreement) produced for each community in the
North Coastal Watershed. This packet
should be developed in consultation with both a representative of the Watershed
Team and local Boards of Health.
2) A workshop on the BEACH bill
and the responsibilities communities face in response, including the benefit of
the outreach packet and how it may assist the community
3) A personal visit to each
community Board of Health or designated representative reinforcing the issues
covered during the workshop, including the usage of the outreach packet.
Timeframe: Fall, 2001 – Summer, 2002
Agency(ies)
best suited for oversight: Mass Bays Program, CZM, DPH
Project 4: Open Space Circuit rider for North Coastal Watershed
This Project has been
proposed as a regional project among the North Coastal, Ipswich, and
Parker Watershed Teams
Background:
Throughout the North Coastal watershed, there is a need for a contact
person to promote tools for achieving a holistic approach to open space
protection and community planning to better ensure the success of developing
and implementing community development plans that integrate a natural resources
and watershed approach.
This
project would create an Open Space Circuit Rider for the North Coastal
Watershed to integrate a sense of watershed management with local planning and
open space protection activities.
The
project would provide technical assistance to municipal planning and open
space officials for the integration of
regional watershed planning principles
in local decision making, such as the protection of critical habitat and
wildlife corridors, planning for future water projections and the protection of
water recharge functions.
The
Open Space Circuit Rider would:
Ř
Help communities integrate Conservation Subdivision Design into their
Community development plans and assist in advocacy efforts for bylaw adoption where appropriate;
Ř
Work with communities, during the drafting of their community development plans, to ensure
that the community preservation sections adopt a watershed approach, help
implement the watershed’s Planning for Growth elements, and recognize regional
ecosystems and special natural resources;
Ř
Use existing land protection maps to develop criteria and identify key
parcels for prioritizing land acquisition to include in the community
development plans and ;
Ř
Work with the communities to integrate the Community Preservation Act
into local planning initiatives.
The
Circuit Rider, as directed by the watershed team leader, would provide buildout
analysis and EO 418 follow-up to targeted communities, provide technical
assistance, and provide outreach for Green Neighborhood, Planning for Growth
and CPA outreach efforts.
Estimated Cost: $30,000 with $25,000 for
salary and $5,000 for resource mapping. North
Coastal portion $10,000
Deliverables: Circuit Rider to provide
technical assistance. Projects will vary
by community – may include prioritized land acquisition maps, community
development plans, etc.
Timeframe: FY02
Agency(ies)
best suited for oversight: EOEA in coordination with the MassBays Program and MCZM.
Project 5: Field Training for Health Agents, Conservation Agents, and
Board/Commission members
This project has been
proposed as a regional project among the North Coastal, Ipswich, and Parker
Basin Teams
Project Description: This proposed project would
fund four field workshops to be held within the Parker, Ipswich, and North
Coastal watersheds. The scope of these half-day workshops would be to provide
training on soils investigation and field botany for Title 5 and wetland
boundary delineation. Workshop materials would include field guidebooks for all
registrants. Workshop organization will include selection of sites and
registration of participants.
Statement of Need: Soils training sessions have been held throughout
CZM’s North Shore region. Feedback from Health Agents, Conservation Agents, and
Board/Commission members has been extremely positive for the information they
provide and they frequently request the continuation of these field training
opportunities. The addition of field botany to the workshops would further
increase local capacity for decision-making.
Project Goal: To build field expertise and technical capacity
among the municipal officials responsible for the decisions that benefits the
North Coastal, Parker, and Ipswich watershed ecosystems.
Deliverables: Four half-day workshops covering soils and
field botany, including field guidebooks for all registrants
Time Frame: Fall 2001
Estimated Cost: $8,000 North Coastal
Portion $3,000
Agency(ies) best suited for
oversight: MCZM - NS:
(Note: CZM has acted as the lead agency for soils
training sessions and could do so again in FY02 for project management)
Project 6: Salt Marsh Restoration Project
Coordinator
Note: This is a
multi-watershed project for the Ipswich/Parker, North Coastal watersheds.
Project Description: Working under the supervision of the WRBP
Director, the Coordinator will work with communities to facilitate the
implementation of salt marsh restoration projects on the North Shore
watersheds. The ACEC salt marsh
restoration plans will be presented to the affected communities. In addition, technical outreach to
communities will include a local road-crossing manual that will cover salt
marsh restoration and ways to avoid salt marsh alteration. Presentation will be made to local DPWs. This
will be a continuation of work that has progressed in FY01.
Statement of Need/Problem: Loss of salt marsh and
expansion of Phragmites in former salt marsh areas has been identified by
previous work by the Parker River Clean Water Association and others. Documentation of this has led to much
interest from a variety of parties to restore salt marsh habitat and to improve
conditions in ACECs and adjacent areas.
Technical assistance and guidance through the myriad of permitting
requirements is important to the success of this regional restoration
effort. Development of salt marsh
restoration management plans for the two ACECs will further assist this process
Project Goal(s): To provide direct technical assistance to
communities on salt marsh restoration and to finalize salt marsh restoration
management plans for the two ACECs.
Project Deliverables:
1) Salt marsh restoration
Project Coordinator
2) A final restoration plan for
the Rumney Marsh Area of Critical Environmental Concern and the Plum Island
Sound/Essex Bay Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
3) A road-crossing manual,
including information on such topics as stormwater and tidal flow, for local
DPWs.
4) Presentations to communities
and the specific DPW directors on these products.
5) Assistance for communities in writing grant/funding
proposals for salt marsh restoration projects.
Project Cost: $54,000 (split equally,
$20,000 each, from among the Parker River watershed, Ipswich River watershed and North Coastal watershed
Agency(ies) best suited for
oversight: EOEA – Wetland Restoration and Banking Program
Project 7: Regional River
Herring/Alewife Count Ipswich, Parker, and Little Rivers (Gloucester),and
Alewife Brook (Essex) Watersheds: Ipswich/Parker and N. Coastal
This
project has been proposed as a regional project among the North Coastal,
Ipswich, and Parker Basin Teams
Project
Summary: Funding
will help continue the volunteer alewife counts on the Ipswich, Little and
Parker Rivers and add a new count at Essex River/Alewife Brook. Preliminary assessments would be made at
Sawmill Brook in Manchester and the Saugus River to determine if this approach
is applicable to these rivers. The
counts would implement a standardized methodology for purposes of regional
comparison. anadramous alewife are an important local fishery, both culturally
and ecologically. Information on alewife population, migratory times and
migratory patterns will be compiled and analyzed. Data will provide a basis for
a Great Marsh anadramous Fish Restoration Plan. Education of volunteers and community
outreach are integral parts of this project.
Utilize standardized methodology employed by PRCWA and UMASS Conduct at
lest one count, at one fishway per river Data will be shared and compared
regionally. Data will provide the foundation for an anadramous restoration plan
Maintain the long term commitment to volunteer based science started by PRCWA
Estimated
Cost: $14,000 (average $3,500/river, amount per river
varies on need)
$9,000
from MWI Roundtable (Ipswich/Parker:
$ 4,500, North Coastal: $ 5,000)
$5,000
from Riverways
Agency(ies)
best suited for oversight: DFWELE
Assistance from Great Marsh anadramous Fish Team
The 
