WatershedDOWNSTREAM ManagementPage 1 Number 22 Beyond the Definition

Wa·ter·shed: 1: DIVIDE. 2: A region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water. Man·age: 1: to handle or direct with a degree of skill. 2: to make and keep compliant. 3: to treat with care. 4: to exercise executive, administrative, and supervisory direction. Looking at Webster’s Online Dictionary one can derive a literal definition of “Watershed Management,” but what does it mean in the context of DCR’s Office of Watershed Management? A more graphic explanation of a watershed can start to help: a geographic area of land in which all surface and ground water flows downhill to a common point, such as a river, stream, pond, lake, wetland, or estuary. In other parts of the world, the terms “catchment” or “basin” are also used to describe the lands and waters that drain into a specific body of water.

DCR’s Office of This illustration shows an entire watershed system, including Watershed Management rain fall and subsurface activity. It helps demonstrate how land has a legislatively use can have an effect, and be affected by, water quality in a mandated mission to watershed. Illustration: Jim Taylor, DCR staff “protect, preserve and enhance the environment of the Commonwealth and to assure the availability of pure water for future generations.” That translates into DCR managing the drinking source water supplies that the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) treats and distributes to more than 2.5 million people in 51 communities. Photo by; Thom Kyker-Snowman DCR/DWSP Staff WATERSHED - SEE PAGE 4

In This Issue:

NUMBER 22 The lead story in this issue pro- Watershed Management 1 Fall 2009 vides an overview of how water How DCR protects a water supply collects in nature and DCR’s efforts The Zebra Mussel 2 to protect its quality for drinking. A threat to Massachusetts waters Other topics covered in this issue Disposal of Unused Pharmaceuticals 3 are the first detection of the Zebra How to keep them out of drinking water Mussel in the state and the rising Reservoir Watch 3 Department of Conservation and awareness for the proper disposal Water supply facts from the summer Recreation of unwanted medicines. The latter Watershed Word Find 7 Division of Water Supply two articles have suggestions on A Kids Corner activity Protection ways everyone can help protect Support Land and Water Conservation 8 www.mass.gov/dcr/ drinking water quality. The new “Tree Plate” watersupply.htm DOWNSTREAM Page 2 Fall 2009

ebra ussels ound in assachusetts recently been on the lake and could Z M F M transport zebra mussels. After a month of Help Stop the Spread of This Notorious Invasive public outreach to increase awareness on zebra mussels and actions people can take to prevent their spread, DFG extended the Laurel Lake boat ramp closure through the end of the 2009 boating season. The closure will provide the state sufficient time to fully implement the range of actions called for in a new Interim Zebra Mussel Action Plan. Keeping zebra mussels out of a water body is crucial because there is no proven method of eradication. Boaters’ diligence to clean, drain, and dry equipment is critical to keeping this invasive species from colonizing other Massachusetts waters. A core component of the Interim Zebra Mussel Action Plan requires self- If you see this sign, PLEASE read it- certification by every user that their boat then heed it! Once the mussels invade a body of water, has not been on Laurel Lake or other out- DCR Archives there is no known way to eradicate them. of-state water bodies known to contain Zebra mussels were first found in the U.S. zebra mussels, or if it has, that the boat This past summer, zebra mussels were near the Great Lakes in 1988 and have has been properly decontaminated. found in Laurel Lake in Lee, the first time since spread to water bodies in about half of all states, including New York, Surveys are underway to gauge the full Dreissena polymorpha had ever been extent of the zebra mussel’s impact in seen in Massachusetts waters. They are Vermont, and Connecticut. Massachusetts lakes currently most at risk Berkshire County. DCR and DFG, in considered among the most significant cooperation with state and local invasive species in the United States, are in Berkshire County’s Hoosic and Housatonic watersheds. stakeholders, are also evaluating the causing major ecological and Interim Zebra Mussel Action Plan to infrastructure damage that costs billions Upon their discovery in Laurel Lake, DCR assess how the current measures are of taxpayer dollars per year to control. implemented the protocols laid out in the working, determine whether The zebra mussel is a freshwater bivalve Rapid Response Plan for Zebra Mussels modifications to the plan are needed, and mollusk that looks like a small clam with developed in 2005 by the agency’s Office update the text and provisions of the plan a yellowish or brownish shell shaped like of Water Resources. DCR notified the to reflect any new and pertinent the letter “D.” Typically an inch or less in Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) information related to zebra mussels, size, they have been found in numbers as Office of Fishing and Boating Access, including ecology, best management high as 750,000 individuals per square which has authority over state boat practices, laws, regulations, management meter. These mussels out-compete native ramps. DFG closed Laurel Lake’s public measures, and educational materials. mussel species and juvenile fish for access boat ramp on July 8 in order to microscopic plankton, endangering native reduce the risk from boats that had ZEBRA MUSSELS - SEE PAGE 6 species with extinction and upsetting the entire food chain. They attach by the Although small in size, the rate at thousands to virtually everything in a which the Zebra bridge. water body—including docks, boats, Mussel multiplies is Side-scan navigation markers, and even other a major threat to any aquatic organisms. Microscopic juvenile waterbody in which zebra mussels can enter and grow in boat it can flourish. cooling systems, water intakes, monitoring equipment, or other underwater machinery, completely clogging these structures. Their razor- sharp shells wash up on shore, creating a safety hazard for beachgoers as well as producing a foul odor as they decompose. Quabbin Visitors Center DOWNSTREAM Page 3 Number 22 3 Proper Disposal of Unused Pharmaceuticals Reduce water pollution and promote a healthy envi- ronment by properly disposing of unneeded or ex- pired medications reach streams, rivers, and lakes do rescription and over-the-counter P affect wildlife, as medications are a source of pollution fish and wildfowl when they are flushed down the toilet or face continuous drain. Wastewater facilities and septic exposure to the systems are not currently designed to drugs. Medications process pharmaceutical products. thrown Compounds passing through haphazardly in the these systems can impact surface waters, trash can groundwater, and drinking water supplies. also be eaten by Pharmaceuticals can also be released into wildlife that waterways via stormwater run-off from frequent landfills. fields applied with manure or biosolids. Modern technology can detect more Guidelines for Proper Disposal substances, at lower levels, than ever These guidelines are taken from the White  Mix the prescription drugs with an before. Fortunately, tests done in the House Office of National Drug Control undesirable substance, like used spring of 2008 detected no compounds in Policy, the Department of Health and coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put Boston’s source drinking water that Human Services, and the Environmental them in impermeable, non-descript comes from the Wachusett and Quabbin Protection Agency: containers, such as empty cans or Reservoirs. According to the American sealable bags, further ensuring that Water Works Association, research has  Take unused, unneeded, or expired the drugs are not diverted or not demonstrated an impact on human prescription drugs out of their accidentally ingested by children or health from pharmaceuticals at the very original containers. pets. low levels reported nationally in some  Remove ALL personal identification  Throw these containers in the trash. drinking water supplies. Studies have or prescription labels from the shown, however, that medicines that container before placing in the trash. PHARMACEUTICALS - SEE PAGE 6 Reservoir Watch - Cleaning the Face of Wachusett Dam MWRA contractors have been busy unsightly, the efflorescence was containment and the water all summer cleaning the face of contaminated with PCBs from the collected and treated. The next Wachusett Dam. The dam face had caulking used on the dam steps are to repoint some areas of an accumulation of efflorescence promenade (see Downstream #21). the face and perform soils resulting from the weeping of Contractors removed the remediation. The fence will come calcium salts in mortar over the last efflorescence with high pressure down soon so DCR maintenance 100 years. In addition to being water. The work was done under crews can groom the grounds.

- John Gregoire, MWRA Reservoir Operations Program Manager Reservoir Levels and 6-month Precipitation 2009 System-wide 6-Month Water Usage (March 2009 to August 2009) (Million Gallons Per Day) Reservoir Quabbin Wachusett 250 224.38 Minimum* 529.29’ 388.67’ 204.59 206.48 203.67 Percent Full 98.6% 87.2% 200 184.69 188.16 Date 6/16/09 3/1/09 Wachusett Dam, Before  After  Maximum* 530.44’ 392.72’ 150 Percent Full 100.9% 95.3% Date 4/7- 4/11/09 7/26/09 100

Precipitation 32.61” 24.91” 50 Seasonal Avg. 25.19” 23.21” *Reservoir Depth in Feet Above Mean Sea Level 0 Data: Matt Walsh, MWRA Project Engineer Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug DOWNSTREAM Page 4 Fall 2009 The DCR Watershed System This map shows the central portion of of the state containing the DCR watershed system. Watershed boundaries are out- lined in blue (active) or purple (emergency). Treatment and dis- tribution are pro- vided by MWRA.

DCR/DWSP GIS

WATERSHED- FROM PAGE 1 watershed boundaries, and there is only a each watershed’s Public Access and Land DCR’s watershed management is tailored small portion of Worcester and Management Plans as well as the yearly to four specific bodies of water: the Leominster), miles of roads and railroad review of forestry activities at Quabbin. Quabbin Reservoir, the Ware River, the tracks, and a wide array of wildlife within a DCR works closely with MWRA to Wachusett Reservoir, and the Sudbury mostly forested landscape (see Tables 1 develop an Annual Work Plan that is Reservoir (see figure above). The first and 2). approved by the Water Supply Protection three watersheds comprise the active The legislatively defined mission is a very Trust. The Work Plan provides both a water supply, while the Sudbury (which broad mandate. DCR pursues a budget and a detailed description of the also includes Foss Reservoir) is an deliberative, reiterative planning wide array of tasks performed by DCR to emergency source of drinking water. processes to help guide the work of 150 maintain water quantity and quality for These watersheds are not small: they staff employed by the Office of the water supply system. MWRA is encompass close to 400 square miles, all Watershed Management. The public have required by legislation to fund DCR or part of 31 communities with a opportunities to comment on the Watershed activities; for FY2010, that population of around 270,000 people management of these resources, includes a $13.7 million operation budget, (most towns are not completely within the particularly while the agency updates

TABLE 1: DCR/DWSP Watershed System Acreage

Reservoir Land Total Watershed Area Area Area Active Quabbin 24,469 95,466 119,935 System Reservoir Ware River 0 61,737 61,737 Wachusett 4,122 70,678 74,800 Reservoir Reserve Sudbury 1,215 13,153 14,368 System Reservoir Foss 217 3,197 3,414 Reservoir Source: DCR Rainfall on upland acreage filters through the land collecting in rivers and streams, like this tributary to the Ware River, and then into the reservoir system. DOWNSTREAM Page 5 Number 22

TABLE 2: Land Use in the DCR/DWSP Watershed System (in percent) October 2008 Comm./ Open ALB Update on Coopera- Watershed Forest Wetland Farming Residential Industrial Water Other tive Efforts between DCR Quabbin 90.7 2.3 2.3 1.8 0.1 0.5 2.1 and Other Agencies; Ware River 81.0 3.1 3.7 5.0 2.0 2.5 3.1 Wachusett 70.2 1.2 7.3 13.1 1.6 2.2 4.4

Sudbury 38 1 5 28 11 8 8 (Reserve Source: MassGIS

TABLE 3: Summary of Protected Lands in the DCR/DWSP Watershed System (in acres) DWSP DWSP Other Total Land % of Land Watershed Owned WPR Protected Protected Area Protected Quabbin 53,220 830 13,589 67,639 95,466 70.8 Ware River 23,313 824 6,533 30,670 61,737 49.7 Wachusett 16,658 2,230 12,502 31,390 60,678 44.4 Total 93,191 3,884 32,624 129,699 227,881 56.9 Land use and the permeability of the ground has an effect on how Sudbury 2,382 0 1,715 4,097 16,350 25.1 long the water remains on the lands (Reserve) as well as how well the natural WPR = Watershed Protection Restriction, synonymous with Conservation Restriction filtration process works. Source: DCR and MassGIS

$3.8 million in bond money for land acquisition, and $6.5 million for Table 4: DCR Office of Watershed Management Goals and Programs Payments in Lieu of Taxes. GOAL PROGRAM The Work Plan is organized into 14 Protect land through ownership or 1. Land Procurement programs arranged by four main goals, as agreement. 2. Land Preservation (Watershed seen in Table 4 on the right. DCR is Protection Restrictions) proud of its watershed management record. It is the foundation of the Manage DCR-owned properties to 3. Land Management unfiltered metropolitan Boston water protect and enhance water quality, 4. Wildlife Management supply, recognized internationally for its and provide stewardship of natural 5. Public Access Management superior water quality. Downstream has resources. 6. Watershed Security highlighted many of these successful 7. Infrastructure programs, and will continue to share more stories on watershed management topics in future issues. Work with watershed communities 8. Watershed Protection Act -Joel Zimmerman, DCR/DWSP Regional Planner to foster watershed protection 9. Technical Assistance and principles on land in private Community Outreach ownership. 10. Interpretive Services

Monitor to identify potential or 11. Water Quality Monitoring existing water quality problems. 12. Environmental Quality Assessments a. Compliance with Environmental Regulations b. Wastewater Management c. Stormwater Management d. Agriculture e. Hazardous Materials Calculations indicate that it takes 13. Emergency Response seven years for water to travel from the Quabbin watershed boundary to the distribution intake. 14. Administrative Support DOWNSTREAM Page 6 Fall 2009

PHARMASEUTICALS- FROM PAGE 3 DO NOT DISPOSE OF Medicine Disposal Concerns MEDICATIONS DOWN THE TOILET!* Medicines that are flushed down a toilet or sink contaminate water resources, *The Food and Drug Administration resulting in reproductive and advises, however, that the following developmental problems in fish and other medications have a high abuse potential and should be disposed of by flushing aquatic wildlife. down the toilet rather than in the trash. Improperly discarded containers provide • Actiq (fentanyl citrate) personal information that can be used • Daytrana Transdermal patch illegally, including identity theft. (methylphenidate) • Duragesic Transdermal System There is the possibility of poisoning from (fentanyl) accidental ingestions, particularly by • OxyContin Tablets (oxycodone) small children and pets, if medicines are • Avinza Capsules (morphine sulfate) thrown “as is” in the trash or unneeded or • Baraclude Tablets (entecavir) Proper disposal of unwanted expired medicines are kept in the house. • Reyataz Capsules (atazanavir sulfate) medicines will help to ensure that • Tequin Tablets (gatifloxacin) -Kelley Freda, DCR/DWSP water, like that of the Quabbin Environmental Analyst • Zerit for Oral Solution (stavudine) • Meperidine HCl Tablets (Percocet, Reservoir shown above, will Oxycodone, and Acetaminophen) remain clean and clear. • Zyrem (Sodium Oxybate) • Fentora (fentanyl buccal tablet)

ZEBRA MUSSELS - FROM PAGE 2 recommended disinfectants that can be and buoyancy compensators—both inside Help Stop the Spread found at www.mass.gov/dcr/water and outside—using any commercially of the Zebra Mussel! supply/lakepond/downloads/ZebMuss available dive equipment cleaner that Bro09.pdf. contains ammonia, vinegar, or chlorine. When Loading Your Boat Back Allow all to dry thoroughly before using it On the Trailer… When Maintaining Gear… in another water body. Clean and dry Inspect and clean your boat, trailer and Thoroughly clean each piece of fishing personal belongings, clothing, and gear. Remove any mud or plant remnants. tackle, sporting equipment, and other footwear that has come in contact with the Feel the smooth surfaces of your boat hull boating gear, including nets, life jackets, water. Wash, dry, and brush pets that for rough or gritty spots, which may be water skis, tow behinds, lines, and have been in the water. young mussels that have attached to your anchors. Divers should be sure to clean -Tom Flannery, DCR Lakes and Ponds Program boat to begin their destructive cycle. all gear, including wetsuits, regulators, Aquatic Biologist Scrape off any mussels you find. Crush ZEBRA MUSSELS AND QUABBIN RESERVOIR them and dispose of the remains in the On the same day as the Laurel Lake boat boat and trailer after they are cleaned at trash. Empty and dry all buckets. ramp closure, DCR, with strong support an approved location. This seal must be Dispose of all bait in trash receptacles from the MWRA Board of Directors, took broken prior to any launch; boats without before leaving the area. Do not take bait the precautionary measure of temporarily intact seals will not be allowed on the home or leave it on the ground. prohibiting fishermen from using private reservoir. A new seal will be fastened boats at the Quabbin Reservoir. While upon leaving Quabbin. If the boat is used When Arriving Home… water chemistry in Quabbin does not in any other body of water, thus breaking Drain any remaining water from boat likely support zebra mussels, DCR and the intact seal, it will require another MWRA decided that there should be official cleaning to prove that it has bilges, ballast tanks, live wells, intakes, further studies and boat cleaning passed the approved regimen prior to and engine cooling systems. Adequate procedures developed before allowing getting on the reservoir. drying is the surest way to prevent the private boats back on the reservoir, since spread of the zebra mussel. Ideally, let infestation to the drinking water supply DCR appreciates the cooperation and your boat dry for one week in hot dry could be devestating. patience shown by boaters at the weather and up to four weeks in cool Quabbin and their understanding of the DCR used dive teams to inspect and test balance between public access and the damp weather before launching into a the water and the MWRA infrastructure for importance of protecting the water supply different water body. If you can’t keep zebra mussels; as expected, none were for 2.5 million people. The new protocol your boat dry, wash the boat (hull, bilge, found. After two public meetings in late was a first step covering the remainder of and exposed surfaces), trailer, lower unit, July, DCR piloted a successful boat the 2009 fishing season while the and any other equipment, and flush the decontamination process for a Special agency develops a long-term plan to engine, with high-pressure hot water that Olympics program, allowing the reservoir allow the continued use of private boats is at least 140o F or any other to re-open to private boats on August 17. on the Quabbin. The protocol affixes a seal between the DOWNSTREAM Page 7 Number 22

Kids Corner For More Information About Watershed Word Find

Watersheds Find the listed words in the MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation: puzzle below. www.mass.gov/dcr/ watersupply.htm They can be forward, EPA Surf Your Watershed: www.epa.gov/surf backward, up, down, or Massachusetts Watershed Council: diagonal. Good luck! www.commonwaters.org Word list Zebra Mussels AQUIFER INVERTEBRATE For information or to report a Zebra BASIN PRECIPITATION Mussel sighting, call the DAM RESERVOIR DCR Lakes and Ponds Program at DIVIDE RIVER (617) 626 4975 or visit DROUGHT RUNOFF www.mass.gov/dcr/watersupply/ EVAPORATON TRANSPORATION lakepond/lakepond.htms FLOOD TRIBUTARY GROUNDWATER WATERSHED HYDROLOGY WATERTABLE Proper Medicine Disposal MA Dept. of Environmental Protection: www.mass.gov/dep/toxics/stypes/ W R E V I R G L Q T O A D H K L M X C E D H W Z ppcpedc.htm MA Water Resources Authority: A S D G L C W Y F T H G U O R D H L E Y I X E K www.mwra.com/04water/html/ pharmaceuticals.htm T W A T E R S H E D G E A Q U I F E R W D S Y N SMARxT Disposal: www.smarxtdisposal.net X E R S O L Y G O L O R D Y H D Y N A M E G N O US Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/ppcp C V G R Y H I N V E R T E B R A T E M S O P X I White House Office of National Drug Control Policy: V A W A H I G U H A N C N Q V M I L Z W P C A T www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/ publications/pdf/prescrip_ W P W A T G R O U N D W A T E R M I V I T P U A disposal.pdf And Another Thing... D O S I T R I B U T A R Y F I S W T S L U S B T by J. Taylor T R A N S E P R I O V R E S E R D Y M U I A N I

R A D I W Y R Y N O F F W B L Q I H N P S N E P

A T Q R S T A T X P A E A W Y K V L N I R Y A I

H I W Z A H T R A N S P O R A T I O N A C R I C

G O A R T I Q X T B K A R L B A D A R J I V L E

T N S A G H W A T E L M G A K C E P H W Y M F R

N D O O L F J S T R A E R U N O F F Y G Z L N P

“Does This Water Taste Funny?” - Jim Lafley, DCR/DWSP Wachusett Education Coordinator DOWNSTREAM Page 8 Fall 2009

Support Land and Water Conservation The Massachusetts Environmental Trust is launching a new “Land and Water Conservation” license plate that will support the conservation of land critical to the protection of the Commonwealth’s water resources. Similar plates in other states have conserved tens of thousands of acres in recent years. This new land conservation tool is needed more than ever. Development near our lakes, ponds, rivers, and coasts - and the fertilizer, storm water run-off, and other non-point source pollution Photos: DCR/DWSP Quabbin Visitors it brings - is the greatest single threat to Center For more information Massachusetts waters. and to reserve your plate, go to Conservation and protection of supporting land is the most effective strategy for www.MassEnvironmentalTrust.org protecting the region’s water quality, fish, and other rare aquatic species and habitat. Protecting buffers along our rivers, lakes, and ponds is essential to keep these waters clean for drinking water, recreation, and wildlife. The Massachusetts Environmental Trust protects the lakes, rivers, and coastal Proceeds from the new Land and Water Conservation license plate will be segregated in a waters of Massachusetts. Proceeds from separate fund dedicated to the acquisition, stewardship, and restoration of land affecting the Trust’s Right Whale, Brook Trout, and 9,000 miles of streams and rivers, 1,100 lakes and ponds, and more than 1,500 miles of Blackstone Valley Mill plates have funded coastline - of which many thousands of acres are unprotected. By purchasing this plate, over $16 million in water protection you help protect core terrestrial and wetlands habitat and other priority watershed areas. initiatives throughout the -Mass. Commonwealth. Archives Photos

DOWNSTREAM Department of Conservation & Recreation Division of Water Supply Protection Office of Watershed Management 180 Beaman Street West Boylston, MA 01583

(508) 835-4816 ex.363

Downstream is produced twice a year by the Massa- chusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Water Supply Protection. It includes ar- ticles of interest to residents of the watershed sys- tem communities. Our goal is to inform the public about watershed protection issues and activities, pro- vide a conduit for public input, and promote environ- mentally responsible land management practices.

Governor: Deval L. Patrick

Lt. Governor: Timothy P. Murray

EOEEA Secretary: Ian A. Bowles

DCR Commissioner: Richard K. Sullivan Jr.

DWSP Director: Jonathan L. Yeo

Downstream Editor: James E. Taylor