How
To Help
Take Action
Take
action to protect the Ipswich River by contacting your local
officials and standing up for river protection and sustainable
water supplies in your community.
State
legislators and agency officials have a central role in setting
water policies, under laws such as the Water Management Act
and Interbasin Transfer Act, and through state implementation
of federal laws such as the Clean Water Act. For more information
on IRWA’s recent policy and advocacy efforts, please
read here.
Find
your state
legislator by city/town.
State
agencies and commissions working on water issues:
In
Massachusetts, a great deal of decision-making authority is
vested at the local level through town and city governments.
Town boards with decision-making authorities that commonly
affect river and land protection, water supplies, and stormwater
management include Boards of Selectmen, Planning Boards, Zoning
Boards of Appeals, and Conservation Commissions, as well as
Departments of Public Works.
- Planning
and zoning boards are responsible for land use, including
comprehensive planning, definition of zoning districts (such
as residential, commercial, and industrial sections of town),
and subdivision regulations. To learn more about the role
of local planning and zoning boards, please visit the Massachusetts
Citizen Planner Training Collaborative.
- Conservation
commissions administer the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection
Act and local wetlands bylaws, and serve as the focal point
for open space protection in many communities. To learn more
about the role of local conservation commissions, please visit
the Massachusetts Association
of Conservation Commissions.
Municipal
government websites for cities and towns that are located
within the Ipswich River Watershed and/or use the Ipswich
River for water supplies:
Other Resources
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