Mystic River Watershed Initiative SCIENCE FORUM

Thursday May 4, 2017 - 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
EPA Region 1, 5 Post Office Square, Boston, Court Room 6
Coffee and snacks are available for sale on the third floor. Please arrive early to pass through building security.

Agenda provided by the US EPA.

8:15 Arrival and Informal Networking

8:30 Welcome and Introduction - EPA and the Consensus Building Institute

9:00 Freshwater Mystic Nutrient Study

Phosphorous Loading Work – Andy Hrycyna, Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) - MyRWA is engaged in a collaborative, multi-year effort to collect and analyze samples for phosphorus, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen at multiple water bodies. The study is measuring the amount of phosphorus entering these water bodies and the response of these waterbodies to the nutrient load.
EPA Buoy - Tom Faber, EPA Region 1- Updates and findings from the Mystic River Buoy. EPA measures real-time water quality using a sonde with sensors mounted on an anchored floating buoy.
Update on the Phosphorus Technical Advisory Committee – Mark Voorhees, EPA Region 1 - The purpose of this project is to support elements of EPA’s TMDL Vision process by providing technical support for watershed restoration efforts in the Mystic River watershed, without implementing a TMDL.

10:00 Climate Resilience

MWRA’s Pragmatic Approach to Climate Change – Stephen Estes-Smargiassi, MWRA - Actions MWRA is taking understand the implications of climate change, and to reduce GHG emissions by improving efficiency and increasing the generation of green power.
Integrated Watershed Modeling of the Mystic River: Developing the Right Tools for Climate Change Preparedness – David Bedoya, MWH - An integrated hydraulic model has been developed for the Mystic River watershed that is being used to inform the Cambridge’s Climate Change Preparedness Plan. The model allows for an analysis of the actual inundation risk before and after implementation of mitigation measures.

11:00 Break

11:15 Mystic River Fish Advisories and MyRWA – Rafael Mares, Conservation Law Foundation
A collaboration between CLF, MyRWA, NOAH, MADPH and Chelsea GreenRoots secures risk communication through surveying, sampling, and collaboration with the MADPH. This project created a specific fish advisory/risk communication system for the Lower Mystic

11:35 Connecting Students to a Major Fish Migration – Beth MacBlane, MyRWA
Overview of the Mystic River Herring Education Program, launched this spring. Working primarily with schools, this program broadcasts the river herring migration to classrooms and private homes through the use of underwater cameras.

12:05 Additional Science in the Mystic - Quick updates on other current and upcoming work