Town of Arlington Using Green Infrastructure to Improve Alewife Brook
New Rain Gardens Coming this Spring
During a storm, rain washes over our streets picking up pollutants such as fertilizer and dog poop, and flows through storm drains directly into the Alewife Brook—yes, any pet waste and car oil on the streets end up in our waterways! In order to reduce this pollution, the Town of Arlington will install a number of rain gardens and infiltration trenches in East Arlington this spring. An added benefit—just like the rain gardens at Egerton Road, the plantings will beautify the streetscape and slow vehicular traffic.
The two rain gardens will be installed at the intersections of Milton Street and Herbert Road and Milton Street and Brooks Avenue. How do rain gardens reduce stormwater pollution? These engineered structures are designed to capture the “first flush,” a high concentration of pollutants that move over pavement and into storm drains during the beginning of a storm. The remaining stormwater entering our waterways is less contaminated. The Town will also install a number of infiltration trenches—a simple form of green infrastructure made by digging a trench and connecting it to an existing storm drain, filling it with stone, and covering it back up—in the space between the road and sidewalk. Although trenches are installed underground and therefore are not visible like rain gardens, they also effectively filter pollutants.
“Untreated stormwater runoff is the leading cause of pollution in urban streams such as Alewife Brook”, says Catherine Pedemonti, the Mystic River Watershed Association’s Stormwater Project Manager, “Arlington has been taking many positive steps towards keeping pollutants out of our water.”
"Arlington is excited to build more infrastructure to improve stormwater quality," says Wayne Chouinard, Arlington Town Engineer. "The Coastal Pollutant Remediation Grant from the Office of Coastal Zone Management will increase awareness of the need for stormwater management and engage residents in various strategies for stormwater improvement."
This work is part of a long-term commitment to improve the water quality of Alewife Brook and the Mystic River, in partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association, and with funding from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.
To learn more about this project and other green infrastructure initiatives taking place in Arlington, please join us for a public meeting on Tuesday, December 3rd at 7 PM at the Mystic River Watershed Association at 20 Academy Street. The meeting will take place on the first floor and there is plenty of available street parking. The Town of Arlington’s Engineering Department and Department of Planning and Community Development will be in attendance to answer questions, and are also available by phone at 781-316-3320 or by email at engineering@town.arlington.ma.us.
Construction Details
Our goal is to identify and implement cost effective techniques to improve water quality simply and effectively. The work will be performed between the hours of 7 AM and 5 PM. It is anticipated that the work will have minimal impacts on the neighborhood and resident accessibility.
No parking zones will be posted as needed to provide room for equipment and construction activity. The police department will provide traffic safety detail officers as needed to assist with traffic management, increase work zone safety and enforce parking restrictions. The road will remain accessible.
