Pioneer Valley
Planning Commission
Tri-state Watershed Initiative to Improve the
Connecticut River
To address significant water quality problems in the Connecticut River, five partner organizations in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire are working on a multi-year $1.4 million project. The project, which has 10 distinct activities, is funded under a $953,000 Targeted Watershed Initiative grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, matched by $458,000 in local funding commitments. The project is led by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and includes major partner organizations: the Connecticut River Joint Commissions, Franklin Regional Council of Governments, University of Massachusetts Water Resources Research Center and United States Geological Survey, as well as 18 other cooperating partners.
Click here for more information on the Targeted Watershed Initiative.
Ten activities:
1. Rapid Response Water Quality Monitoring and Public Awareness (link to : http://www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp/ctrivermonitoring.html)
This project is monitoring river bacteria levels and providing up-to-date information on water quality conditions, via a website, to recreational users of the Connecticut River.
2. Bacteria Source Tracking and Wastewater Tracers
The United States Geological Survey will apply newly developed methods of bacteria source identification to assess the potential presence of human sewage sources to the urbanized Massachusetts reach of the Connecticut River.
3. Connecticut Riverbank Erosion Control
Approximately 1,600 feet of eroding riverbank will be stabilized at sites in Franklin County, Massachusetts and Colebrook, New Hampshire using innovative bioengineering techniques, with riparian buffer plantings.
4. Intergovernmental Compact for Financing Stormwater Public Outreach
Communities will collaborate through the Connecticut River Stormwater Committee, to jointly finance a multimedia campaign of public outreach focusing on reducing stormwater pollutant loading.
5. Stormwater Rebates: Incentives for On-site Stormwater Recharge
Cost-sharing Stormwater Rebate programs will encourage residents and businesses in municipalities, including Holyoke and South Hadley, Massachusetts, to disconnect residential roof leaders and sump pumps from the CSO/storm sewer system and re-route water to rain gardens, rain barrels, and other on-site recharge areas. A demonstration green roof project will be designed for Holyoke. LID Stormwater zoning and subdivision regulations will also be developed.
6. Stormwater Utility Demonstration Project for CSO and Stormwater Control
A demonstration Stormwater Utility will be designed to provide an innovative new revenue stream to help cash-strapped communities pay for CSO and stormwater projects.
7. Smart Growth Tools for Public Water Supply Protection
Initiative partners will work with six communities to develop appropriate smart growth tools for water supply protection.
8. Low Impact Development Tools for Agricultural Runoff
Two demonstration projects will be undertaken at a dairy farm and UMass farm in Hadley to fence livestock out of rivers and install native plantings to restore riparian corridors.
9. Information Technology-based Public Outreach Campaign
A project web site will host a virtual tour of the watershed, including discussion of issues facing the river and specific projects implemented under this watershed initiative. Guided tours of project sites will be developed for playback on handheld computing devices. An electronic field guide to observational water quality indicators will be created.
10. Peer and Technology Transfer Activities
To disseminate findings and products of the Watershed Initiative, each partner organization will use its existing network of citizen volunteers and commissioners in 241 watershed communities. In addition, this project will provide: two, tri-state public forums to report on the findings of the projects; a final report that will be published with the results of each of the 8 projects; special website sections at each partner’s website; and media releases to television, radio, press and the organizational newsletters of each project partner.