MYSTIC RIVER RECEIVES "D" GRADE FOR 2013 WATER QUALITY

The Mystic River Watershed water quality earned a report card grade of “D” for calendar year 2013. The grade is based on bacterial contamination found in analyzed samples that were collected by MyRWA volunteers in 2013 at 15 monitoring sites throughout the entire watershed.

While water quality in the main stem of the Mystic River from Medford to Boston Harbor has been consistently good, a majority of the data collected in the tributary streams that feed the Mystic River indicate that water quality in those areas has remained poor. During 2013, the Mystic River Watershed met state water quality standards for boating 83% of the time, while swimming standards were met only 49% of the time.

“The U.S. EPA grade reflects the fact that environmental conditions in the Mystic River fall short of the expectations of the Clean Water Act. While the Mystic River is safe for boating more than 90 percent of the time, important tributaries of the watershed – Alewife Brook, the Aberjona and Malden Rivers and others – are severely impaired and contribute a significant amount of pollution into these waters. Our organization is asking U.S. EPA and MassDEP for their help in developing a clear plan and pathway to improved conditions within a reasonable time horizon. The Charles River and Boston Harbor have celebrated extraordinary improvements in water quality. We look forward to when we can include the Mystic River in this environmental success story,” said EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association.

Mystic River Watershed Association Selected as Root Cause Social Innovator!

Root Cause’s Social Innovation Forum has named the Mystic River Watershed Association as one of seven nonprofit organizations in Greater Boston to receive more than $135,000 in cash and capacity-building services from Root Cause and its partners. The Association was chosen to join the team of 2015 “Social Innovators” for the Urban Sustainability: Greener and More Resilient Cities social issue track, sponsored by the Schrafft Charitable Trust. The Social Innovation Forum will accelerate the performance of these innovative, results-oriented nonprofit organizations by providing financial and capacity building support along with access to a network of funders, business leaders, and social issue experts.

Evaluation and interview committees made up of more than 60 social issue experts from the business, government, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors reviewed upwards of 100 applications to select the 2015 Social Innovators – all of which are at an exciting inflection point and have compelling missions, strong leadership and vision, a desire to improve, and significant growth potential.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Association to reflect, grow and launch ourselves into the next chapter of our work with the extraordinary support and guidance of Root Cause,” said EkOngKar Singh Khalsa, Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association.

MyRWA was selected for its in-depth work to document water quality conditions, to engage thousands of volunteers each year through its various environmental restoration programs, to promote local environmental advocacy and to advance successful climate change adaptation strategies in the 22 community watershed.

Root Cause’s Social Innovation Forum provides a unique opportunity for forward looking nonprofit organizations and social enterprises to gain visibility, expand their networks, and build capacity. Through this 24-month long project, Association staff will receive extensive professional consulting, executive coaching, and other in-kind services. MyRWA will also have the opportunity to participate in various networking events and become part of the Social Innovation Forum’s growing circle of nonprofit, business, government, and foundation leaders. The Social Innovators will present their work to leaders from the local public, private and nonprofit sectors at Root Cause’s 12th Annual Social Innovator Showcase on May 6, 2015.

Since 2003, Root Cause’s Social Innovation Forum has been working to create a social impact market that distributes resources to organizations based on performance in order to most efficiently and effectively solve social problems in Greater Boston. Since its founding the Social Innovation Forum has worked with over 70 organizations to help them scale and sustain their work, increasing their ability to address our most pressing social issues. For more information about Root Cause see www.rootcause.org.

The Mystic River Watershed Association joins Catie’s Closet; Company One Theatre; Courageous Parents Network; Massachusetts Public Health Association; Press Pass TV; and Waypoint Adventure as Root Cause’s selected Social Innovators for 2015.

MyRWA couldn't be happier about this exciting partnership for 2015. Thank you to the Schrafft Charitable Trust and Root Cause for the privilege to work together!

Storm Causes Large Sanitary Sewer Overflows

The Mystic River Watershed experienced significant Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) events this week – the first of its kind since March 2010. The overflows resulted from the estimated 4 inches of rain received Wednesday, December 10th, overwhelming infrastructure and forcing overflows of stormwater mixed with untreated sewage into our waterways. Storm events of this kind are expected to increase in the future, demonstrating the need to update our infrastructure to accommodate large storm events. MyRWA anticipates that a high volume of SSO water was released into the environment and will report the data once received.

Read more about Sanitary Sewer Overflows here.

Come Learn about the Mystic River Herring Run, 1/6/15

On Tuesday, January 6, 2015 please plan to attend the Mystic River Watershed Association’s monthly Committee Meeting to hear from Ben Gahagan, Diadromous Fish Biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For more than two years Ben Gahagan has worked for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, including analyzing the Mystic River herring run and others across the Commonwealth. Ben will provide an overview of the Mystic River herring run – data collected through volunteer efforts with the Herring Monitoring Program – as well as a comparison to other runs in the area. Come learn more about these fascinating fish that call the Mystic home each spring!

Ben’s presentation will be followed by the Policy and Clean Water Campaign meetings. This meeting is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.

Join us on January 6, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room. (The Lincoln Filene Center is within the Tisch College building)

12/9/14: Stormwater Management; Finance Options

You're invited to this public presentation!

Arlington Engineering Division continues to host its Stormwater Awareness Series. The next presentation; "Stormwater Management; Finance Options” will be presented by Julie Conroy, AICP, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). She will present information prepared by MAPC and discuss financing mechanisms for Stormwater Management and provide details about a new toolkit available to Municipalities to consider while managing or preparing an effective stormwater management and maintenance program.

The presentation will be held on December 9th, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Selectmen's Hearing Room at the Arlington Town Hall. 2nd Floor, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington MA. For additional information on the Arlington Stormwater Awareness series, including links to ACMi online archives of past sessions please visit arlingtonma.gov/engineering.

Environmental GIS Intern Opportunity

Spring Internship with MyRWA!

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) seeks a GIS Intern to assist in a project investigating relationships between water quality data from stormwater systems and features of stormwater infrastructure, land use, population, and other variables.  The GIS intern may be asked to assist in other data projects, if appropriate.

The GIS Intern will develop, edit, verify, and analyze spatial data related to drainage basins, municipal stormwater infrastructure, and water quality within the Mystic River Watershed.  Experience with ArcGIS software and fluency with Excel are required.     

Interns will learn about efforts that a watershed association undertakes to advocate for water quality improvements. The intern must be able to work independently and as a team. This is a part-time position that requires a commitment of two to three days a week during the Monday through Friday work week. Position begins in January and concludes mid-April - exact dates can be flexible depending on the candidate.

An interest in science, the environment and advocacy is encouraged. 
This is an unpaid position.

 Since 1972, MyRWA has played a unique role in the whole of the watershed by its science, advocacy, and outreach efforts. The Mystic River Watershed Association is based in Arlington, MA and is accessible via several bus routes. The Mystic River Watershed Association is an equal opportunity employer.

If interested, please send your resume to WQInternship@MysticRiver.org. No phone calls please.

Deadline for application: January 4, 2015.

Governor Signs Environmental Justice Executive Order

On November 25, 2014 Governor Deval Patrick signed into law an Executive Order on Environmental Justice that directs all state agencies to devote resources to protect the health, safety and environment for the most vulnerable residents of the Commonwealth. He was joined by the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Alliance (MA EJ Alliance), comprised of environmental and social justice organizing and grassroots groups from across the state.

Massachusetts became the eighth state in the country to pass an Executive Order on Environmental Justice. Environmental justice populations reside in 137 of the Commonwealth's 351 municipalities, including communities in the Mystic River Watershed such as Chelsea, East Boston, Malden and Everett. Residents in these communities, who are mostly low-income and people of color, live with substantially greater risk of exposure to environmental health hazards than the general population.

MyRWA applauds the Governor and the many environmental justice advocates for this great achievement! MyRWA will continue to advocate for policies that advance environmental protection, equity, and public health within the 22-community Mystic River Watershed.

Learn more about the event at our partners website, Alternatives of Community and Environment (ACE).

Spring Internship: Herring Monitoring Program Coordinator

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) seeks a Herring Monitoring Program Coordinator to assist in a scientific study on river herring populations from March 2nd to July 1st, 2015.

The Herring Monitoring Program Coordinator will assist in the volunteer-run Herring Monitoring Program that will gather data on one of the most significant spawning runs for river herring in Massachusetts. The program is designed to collect data on the presence, absence and temporal data that yields needed information on population size and health. The intern will also learn about efforts that a watershed association undertakes to advocate for water quality improvements.

Primary duties include herring monitoring at the Upper Mystic Lake Dam in Medford, coordinating and interacting with more than 70 volunteer monitors, and conducting public outreach and data entry. The intern may also develop education and outreach materials for the program and organize and recruit volunteers to monitor herring.

The intern will work both in and out of the office, and must be able to work independently and as a team. Experience in public speaking, Microsoft Excel and strong organizational skills are required, and experience in Microsoft Access would be a plus. This is a part-time position, approximately 15-20 hours per week. The candidate should be available remotely 4-5 days per week.

An interest in science, environmental education and advocacy is encouraged. Having reliable transportation is preferred and mileage will be reimbursed. Candidates must be 16 years of age or older. Exact dates can be flexible depending on the candidate. This is an unpaid position.

If interested, please send your letter of interest and resume to HMInternship@MysticRiver.org. No phone calls please. Deadline for application: January 16, 2015.

J.P. Noonan Transportation Penalized for 9,600-Gallon Oil Spill into the Mystic River in 2013

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued the following news release on November 12, 2014.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has reached two settlements, totaling $55,100 and $7,187 respectively, with J.P. Noonan Transportation, Inc. of West Bridgewater for Natural Resource Damages (NRD) and Clean Water Act violations that resulted from a 9,600-gallon home-heating oil spill into the Mystic River on May 31, 2013.

The spill occurred on Route 60 in Arlington when an oil tanker truck crashed while going around a rotary on the Mystic Valley Parkway. As a result of the crash, the 10,000-gallon compartment of the tanker was breached, dumping nearly all of its contents onto the roadway, which then flowed into storm drains and subsequently into the nearby Mystic River. Emergency response crews from Arlington, Medford, other nearby towns, MassDEP and a private contractor hired by J.P. Noonan were able to contain and clean up virtually all of the oil that spilled during the ensuing days and weeks.

"The recovery of the Mystic River and its continued protection will not be set back by this unfortunate incident," said MassDEP Commissioner David Cash. "The NRD Trust will use the settlement to directly assist in repairing the damage done to natural resources there, and the funds will help MassDEP continue our important work protecting the environment from a host of hazardous materials."

"We are very happy that MassDEP has successfully pursued Natural Resource Damages in response to this spill," said Mystic River Watershed Association Executive Director EkOngKar Singh Khalsa. "Support for the restoration of the Mystic River provided through this settlement is an important component of strong state and local response to the accident. MassDEP emergency response and local fire and DPW personnel also deserve much credit for fast action that prevented more catastrophic impacts from this oil release."

In April 2014, J.P. Noonan submitted documentation stating that all necessary remediation responses had been completed and a permanent cleanup had been achieved along the river in the Arlington and Medford areas. The cost of that cleanup was borne by J.P. Noonan as the responsible party, and its insurance company.

The $55,100 settlement for NRD damages will be deposited in to the NRD Trust, which is administered by MassDEP, and will eventually fund projects that will restore natural resources that were damaged by the oil spilled into the Mystic River. The restoration projects are expected to improve water quality within the river in the area of the spill. The $7,187 penalty is to resolve the Clean Water Act violations that occurred as a result of the spill.

MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.

Support MyRWA while shopping at Amazon.com

Did you know you can support MyRWA while shopping at AmazonSmile - at no cost to you? The next time you visit Amazon, be sure to designate the Mystic River Watershed Association as the recipient organization of AmazonSmile's donations. Just visit AmazonSmile to start. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to MyRWA with no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Mystic River Watershed Association.