Category Archives: Merrimack River Watershed Council

WRWC: State of the River: Climate Change Workshop on December 7, 2018

Conservation, Merrimack River Watershed Council

From the Merrimack River Watershed Council–reprinted by permission.

Are you interested in taking a deeper dive into climate change-related issues that will affect the Merrimack in years to come?  Join us for our annual State of the Waters conference on Friday, December 7 at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport.

This day-long discussion will tackle the climate-related problems and solutions that face the river and all those who live in the Merrimack watershed — from the White Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.  It should be of particular interest to public officials, river advocates, policymakers, land trusts, regional planners, emergency managers, and conservation commissions — among others.

This is a unique opportunity to hear from experts on pressing issues that are specific to the Merrimack watershed, and how we can work together cooperatively to identify optimal strategies to address this growing threat.

Seats are limited to 70, and free until November 16.  After that, we’ll charge $35.  Interested in learning more?  Check out our website

MRWC to host workshop on ‘Climate Change’s Impact on the Merrimack’ on Dec. 7

This will be the third year in which the Merrimack River Watershed Council sponsors a State of the Waters workshop.  State of the Waters is an opportunity for watershed advocates, public officials, land trusts, and others concerned about the health of the Merrimack to convene to discuss their common goals and varying challenges.

For 2018, MRWC is designing a workshop around the issue of climate change and how it is affecting (and will affect) the Merrimack River and its large watershed.  This year’s event will take place in Newburyport on Friday, December 7.  Admission is free; coffee and lunch provided.

Although playing the key role in organizing State of the Waters, MRWC is interested in teaming up with other groups who’d like to co-sponsor the program.  Also in the coming weeks, we plan to sign up local business and others as financial supporters.

As we have known for a while, climate change affects entire ecosystems, including those that shape our watersheds.  A river and its tributaries are not just visual signs of our interconnectedness; they of course also represent the very quality of interconnection that climate destabilization threatens to upset.

Still, we don’t often consider how land and water organizations, including the many that focus on just a portion of our bi-state watershed, see their world through the lens of climate dynamics and or discuss ways in which they can more effectively work together on issues linking the environment to climate change, and both to the prosperity and vitality of the region and perhaps its most prominent natural resource.

Please save the date (December 7, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Newburyport).  Invitations are coming very soon — if you’re interested, let us know right away.

Questions?  Contact Rusty Russell, MRWC’s executive director, at rrussell@merrimack.org.

 

State of the Waters: A Workshop for the Merrimack
Focus: Climate Change and the Watershed

Friday, December 7, 2018
9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Visitors Center, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Newburyport, Mass.

9-9:30:             Coffee, tea, pastries and informal hellos
9:30-9:45:        Introduction:

Plan of the day
Key questions
Goals for the workshop

9:45-10:30:      Keynote Speaker
10:45-11:45:    Panel One — Key issues for the Merrimack watershed
11:45-12:30:    Keynote — Mayors and the municipal response
12:30:              Lunch (provided)
12:45-1:45:      Table Topics and Reports Out  (led by students participating in Climate Café program)
2-3:                  EPA Region 1’s proposed databank and the need for accessible data
3-4:                  Panel Two — Shoring Up the Advocacy Agenda
4-4:30:             Open Forum — Next Steps and New Approaches

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.

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Public forum Oct. 18 on sewage releases in the Merrimack: The problem and solutions

Conservation, Merrimack River Watershed Council, Water Safety

A notice from the Merrimack River Watershed Council (reprinted by permission.)

NEWBURYPORT — Join the Merrimack River Watershed Council on Thursday, Oct. 18 in Newburyport City Hall at 7 p.m. for an informative discussion on an environmental issue that has gained much public attention — the frequent release of sewage into the Merrimack River by municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Brown foam, scum and detritus litter a public landing in Newburyport a few days after sewage was released into the Merrimack River.

The sewage releases often occur after heavy rainstorms, fouling the river for days and causing potential health risks to humans and animals. A 2015 health study found that Merrimack Valley hospitals experience a significant increase in emergency room admissions for intestinal disorders in the days following sewage releases. The releases often lead to harmful conditions for fish such as striped bass, and dog owners in the Newburyport area have reported severe illnesses contracted by dogs after swimming in the river.

The MRWC has gathered a substantial amount of data on these sewage releases, known as Combined Sewage Overflow events or CSOs, and has also been active in an effort to require sewer plants to alert the public whenever CSO events occur. Thursday’s talk will give a detailed look at the data and trends, the status of legislation, potential solutions, and ways that the public can help bring about change.

About 400 to 600 million gallons of polluted CSO wastewater is released into the Merrimack every year by the plants that serve Haverhill, greater Lawrence, greater Lowell, Nashua and Manchester. The sewage releases had been trending downward from 2015-2017 largely due to a three-year drought, but 2018 has seen a significant increase in rainfall and CSO events.

The current trend is likely an indicator of the future. The federal Environmental Protection Agency predicts that climate change will cause heavier and more frequent rainstorms, further increasing the quantity of CSO events.

The plants are permitted by the EPA to release raw sewage into the Merrimack. However, they are also operating under enforcement agreements that require them to end their CSO events over the course of the next 20 or more years.

The event is free and open to the public. This is the first in a series of public events that the MRWC will host in the Merrimack Valley regarding the CSO issue. For more information on CSOs and the Merrimack River Watershed Council, visit www.merrimack.org.

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.

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Merrimack River Water Quality Alert: July 18, 2018

Conservation, Merrimack River Watershed Council, Water Safety

The Merrimack River Watershed Council reports that there were sewage releases into the river during yesterday’s storms.  Sewage-related pathogens may be in the river for three or four days until it all gets flushed out by the river current.  Take care if you do any fishing or other activities in the Merrimack.

From the Merrimack River Watershed Council–reprinted by permission.

http://www.merrimack.org/web/3-plants-report-sewage-releases-during-july-17-storm/

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.

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White Water Kayaking on the Merrimack: June 30th in Manchester, NH

Events, Merrimack River Watershed Council

An event from the Merrimack River Watershed Council–reprinted by permission.

This moderate trip can offer a challenge but one worth taking. Starting in the urban historical factory section of Manchester, class II rapids will be encountered before entering a more remote section which passes a lock that has survived from the Old Middlesex Canal System.

Meet 9:00 am on June 30 in Manchester, NH. Rte 293 to exit 6 (Amoskeag Bridge). Before crossing river, turn right into Amoskeag Fishway parking lot.
Trip Leader: George May (603) 883-3409, email: GeorgeMay@comcast.net.

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.

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