EPA STEERING COMMITTEE

The Mystic River Watershed Initiative is a stakeholder-driven, collaborative effort with a mission to restore water quality and environmental conditions in the Mystic River watershed and to create and maintain open space and public access through safe public pathways and access points. The Initiative is guided by a steering committee composed of many local organizations including not-for-profit community groups, municipalities, and state and federal agencies.

The Mystic River Watershed Initiative’s Steering Committee achieves its mission by setting goals for restoring and maintaining water quality and public access; identifying priorities for the strategic direction and specific projects to help meet those goals; sharing data and other information to inform federal, state, and local environmental management decision-making; and coordinating water quality management efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Credit: Suzanne McDaniel

Credit: Jack Bitney

Credit: Margaret Walsh

The steering committee supports the efforts of federal, state, and local partners for all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income to protect them from environmental and health hazards.

Through its work, the steering committee will collaborate with its membership to implement an interdisciplinary approach that educates the general public on environmental risks as well as increases participation and engagement of community members to meet its goals of mitigating the impacts of climate change and making the Mystic River watershed clean and accessible to all.

The following is a list of priority actions that support the goals of restoring and protecting water quality as well as identifying opportunities to create and maintain open space and public access. Members of the steering committee will work together to implement these actions and to increase public awareness, participation, understanding, and access to information about the Mystic River watershed

CLEAN WATER

Credit: David Mussina

Make the waters of the Mystic River watershed accessible to all communities for beneficial uses including cultural and spiritual practices and enjoyment for recreational purposes such as fishing, boating, and swimming.

Priority #1: Support water quality monitoring and research and share data and other information with environmental decision-makers, stakeholders, and the public.

Priority #2: Engage stakeholders and the public in “hands-on” opportunities to restore and protect water quality; ensure that opportunities for education and engagement activities include environmental justice communities.

Priority #3: Improve stormwater management to reduce pollutant loading and mitigate flooding

Priority #4: Reduce or eliminate discharges of sanitary sewage to surface waters in the watershed.

Priority #5: Increase knowledge of legacy sediment contamination, identify impacts on designated uses, educate the public, and identify priorities and opportunities for restoration, particularly in environmental justice communities.

Priority #6: Serve as a clearinghouse of information on how climate change may impact water quality and environmental justice populations in the watershed. Work with municipal and state partners to identify funding opportunities and address issues.

OPEN SPACE

Credit Chris McIntosh

Increase the establishment of safe open space and public access to the river and its tributaries (for example, the redevelopment and remediation of brownfields, development of walkways, bikeways, and trails) by supporting the development and/or improvement of open space and access at targeted sites in the watershed already identified; and continuing to investigate and search for possible open space and access targets in other parts of the watershed.

Priority #1: Increase public awareness and focus on selected sites in the lower watershed where there’s potential to enhance or increase open space.

Priority #2: Continue a systemic investigation of the river system to identify properties or projects that may provide for the development of public Open Space and Access.


STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING ARCHIVE

2024

May - Updates on the Mystic Greenways Program in the Mystic River Watershed

  • Agenda

  • Recording *Unfortunately our recording was cut off due to an internet issue and only a fraction of the meeting was recorded

  • Slides

2023

September - Habitat in the Mystic River Watershed

May - Green Infrastructure

January -  Street Sweeping, Leaf Litter, and Phosphorus Control 

2022

November - Environmental Justice

September - State Revolving Fund

MayClimate change/Rainfall and flooding resiliency; Mission & Priorities approval

January: 2022-2024 Mission and Priorities

2020

12/3/2020

9/10/2020

6/4/2020

2019

12/5/2019

9/12/2019

4/30/2019

2018

10/11/2018

6/14/2018

4/12/2018

2017

11/30/2017

9/14/2017

Older Documents

2015 SCIENCE SUB-COMMITTEE

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2013 SCIENCE SUB-COMMITTEE

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2011 SCIENCE SUB-COMMITTEE

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2010 SCIENCE SUB-COMMITTEE

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2009 SCIENCE SUB-COMMITTEE

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