Watershed Action Alliance of Southeastern Massachusetts www.watershedaction.org

• Back River Watershed Association Thirteen member • Barnstable Clean Water Coalition organizations • Eel River Watershed Association representing over 20,000 • Herring Ponds Watershed Association paid members with • Jones River Watershed Association 1,000s more followers. • Neponset River Watershed Association • North and South Rivers Watershed Association • Pembroke Watershed Association Watershed Action Alliance • Save the Bay – Narragansett Bay comprises watershed and • Six Ponds Improvement Association pond associations united to protect and restore clean, • Taunton River Watershed Alliance plentiful, and free-flowing • Weir River Watershed Association water. • Westport River Watershed Alliance Water quantity and water withdrawals

Watershed Action Alliance of Southeastern Massachusetts

Alex Mansfield Ecology Program Director Jones River Watershed Association Silver Lake. January 2017 January 2017

Silver Lake Levels 1964 - 2017 20

0

-20

-40

-60

-80

-100

-120

-140 Aquaria Brockton Desalination -160 Water Supply Plant online (but rarely used) -180 Emergency Silver Lake level at Declared 30-year low. -200 Cyanobacteria No outflow to Jones Chapter 371: DEP and blooms in -220 River for a year and Allows Brockton to Brockton enter Monponsett Ponds restrict half. -240 divert Monponsett Administrative and Furnace Ponds Consent Order the availability for water supply Jones River flows at INCHES BELOW "FULL" (LESS THAN 0 = NO FLOW TO JONES RIVER) JONES TO FLOWNO = 0 THAN (LESS "FULL" BELOW INCHES -260 50-year low.

-280

1975 1998 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 October 2017

What Can You Do?

Specific to this Site State-Wide • Acts of 1964. Amend or • End “Grandfathering” of rescind. Registrations. • Clean Water Act. Enforce. • Water Management Act • Guide Brockton to other needs to meet spirit and sustainable sources intent of the Act. Rather (MWRA) than it being abused by the loopholes of the language. Keeping Our Water Clean

Kerry Malloy Snyder, JD Advocacy Director Neponset River Watershed Association

When rain falls into the ground, water gets cleaned naturally by filtering through the soil. Impervious surfaces, like pavement, prevent water from filtering into the ground. What’s the problem?

Source: USDA, Federal Stream Restoration Handbook, Fig. 3.21

Stormwater runoff flows directly to streams. Rain and snow melt flushes anything in its path down the stormdrains.

What can we do? Environmental scientists collect water samples to test for water pollution.

What can you do? Support funding for local communities to maintain existing equipment and upgrade aging infrastructure. Support your local watershed association! Thank you! Questions?

[email protected] www.neponset.org Watershed RECONNECTING OUR RIVERS Action Alliance of AND ESTUARIES Southeastern Massachusetts HERRING POPULATIONS IN TROUBLE

Includes flow restoration, dam removal, tide gate and DER AND WATERSHED RIVER culverts 22 dam removals opened 16 miles of river RESTORATION PROJECTS 9 dams under consideration 112 dams remain SOUTH SHORE DAM REMOVAL EXAMPLES Town Brook, Plymouth Jones River, Kingston SOUTH SHORE DAM REMOVAL EXAMPLES Third Herring Brook, Norwell Bound Brook, Cohasset & & Hanover Scituate WHAT CAN YOU DO?

.Dam and Seawall Repair and Removal Funding – Increase or maintain funding . Division of Ecological Restoration (Line-Item 2300-0101) – Increase or maintain funding (Governor’s budget cuts budget by $90,000) .Reinstate matching cash funding for the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program - $600,000 annual grant to the state from this program. Watershed Action Alliance of Southeastern Massachusetts www.watershedaction.org

• Back River Watershed Association Thirteen member • Barnstable Clean Water Coalition organizations • Eel River Watershed Association representing over 20,000 • Herring Ponds Watershed Association paid members with • Jones River Watershed Association 1,000s more followers. • Neponset River Watershed Association • North and South Rivers Watershed Association • Pembroke Watershed Association Watershed Action Alliance • Save the Bay – Narragansett Bay comprises watershed and • Six Ponds Improvement Association pond associations united to protect and restore clean, • Taunton River Watershed Alliance plentiful, and free-flowing • Weir River Watershed Association water. • Westport River Watershed Alliance