IRWA recently received a $30,000 grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust enabling us, along with our Greenscapes partners, to conduct a social marketing assessment of the Greenscapes Program. This assessment will help us to better reach community members and encourage changes in lawn watering and chemical use.

The Trust protects and preserves the Commonwealth's water resource and their ecosystems through its unique and diverse grant making programs. Coastal and freshwater habitats, conservation efforts, watershed associations (like us!), community foundations, schools, and urban and rural communities all benefit from Trust grants.

The Trust's ability to support critical environmental initiatives throughout Massachusetts stems primarily from the 70,000 Bay State citizens who purchase special environmental license plates. These are the only specialty plates that exclusively benefit the environment. Three plates are offered and individually represent the coastal, central and western regions of the state. Proceeds from the sale of over 70,000 environmental license plates have funded more than $16 million in environmental protection and education projects. Approximately $1 million in grants is awarded annually to fund a diverse array of environmental efforts.

You can choose one of three environmental plates, the Right Whale & Roseate Terns, the Leaping Brook Trout, or the Blackstone Valley mill when you purchase a new car or renew your registration with the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Visit your local Registry of Motor Vehicles or order a plate online at www.mass.gov/rmv; or log onto www.MassEnvironmentalTrust.org where you can learn more about the Trust, the programs it supports, and the specialty license plate offerings.

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IRWA Moves to Our New Home on the River!

At the end of September, IRWA moved to its new headquarters on the Ipswich River, Riverbend. Please see our Riverbend page for details and information on our new home!

Click here for new contact information and directions to Riverbend.

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Ipswich River Makes Some Progress on River Flows

There have been a number of opinions put forth recently about whether measures to reduce water use in the region are useful. Some people have opined that saving water and reducing pumping from the Ipswich River system makes little or no difference. Others say we should rely only on pricing mechanisms to manage water use. This year there is one dramatic example of progress, in the Town of Reading.

Reading decided last year to stop using its Ipswich River wells that had pumped the Ipswich River dry for decades. Now, despite one of the driest Augusts on record, the Ipswich River in Reading looks the best in has in many years. This is a credit to the Town of Reading, which made a very challenging choice, recognizing that this decision was best for the river and the Town in the long run. The Ipswich River Watershed Association worked with the Town for years toward this result, and salutes Reading for its leadership.

Many towns still draw too much water from the Ipswich River, especially in the summer. The result is that flows in some portions of the river are extremely low again this year, causing poor water quality and threatening fish. But some areas, thankfully, look very good, and the decline in streamflow has been more gradual and a bit less extreme than in prior years with dry summers. That's because the watering restrictions that are now in place in some communities are effective. Certainly more needs to be done, including better pricing mechanisms -- but the data show that limits on outdoor water use reduce summer consumption dramatically. It's great to see some progress after all these years. Thanks to everyone who is cooperating with this effort.

For more information, visit our Low Flows & Floods page.

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IRWA Director Receives National Award

Kerry Mackin, Executive Director of IRWA, has been named a national River Hero by River Network, a Portland, Oregon-based river conservation group. When Kerry first arrived at IRWA fourteen years ago, it wasn’t yet clear that the river was being pumped dry. Kerry connected the dots and began to investigate and publicize the problem, enlisting the US Geological Survey to conduct definitive studies. Her passionate advocacy for river protection and dogged determination to restore healthy streamflows to the Ipswich River has rippled across the state and nation. State policies requiring more effective water conservation measures have been enacted statewide, and the plight of the Ipswich River has raised the profile of low-flow threats to rivers nationwide.

The award caps off a year of remarkable progress for IRWA, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary as the voice of the Ipswich River. River Network selected Kerry from dozens of nominations to receive this prestigious river conservation award. In 2002, River Network inaugurated the annual National River Heroes Award to recognize individuals who provide leadership, inspire the work of others, use innovative strategies to achieve significant results, and foster the growth and sustainability of a watershed community. “Kerry exemplifies the spirit of the National River Hero Award,” said Katherine Luscher, Program Director at River Network. “Her dedication to both her community and the Ipswich River is to be applauded. River Network is honored to recognize Kerry's inspirational work. She truly is a River Hero.”

In May, Kerry will travel to Washington state to be honored at the National River Rally. The awards will be presented at a banquet on May 20, 2007. Read more about Kerry's award in the press release (pdf).

Read also this article in the Ipswich Chronicle on Kerry's award.

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Water-Friendly Demonstration Projects Take Root

Silver Lake, a popular swimming lake in Wilmington, used to suffer frequent beach closures due to poor water quality. After a rainfall, stormwater runoff would pick up contaminants such as goose droppings, grease and oil from cars, and lawn fertilizers, and carry them into the lake. But now conditions have improved at Silver Lake, thanks to
two projects that have been implemented through a Targeted Watershed Grant for Ipswich River Restoration from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) received the $1 million grant to pilot and demonstrate innovative approaches to reducing severe low-flow problems and nonpoint source pollution in the Ipswich River watershed, and IRWA is a project partner.

At Silver Lake, projects that use low impact development (LID) techniques to treat and recharge stormwater have been installed. Permeable pavement and porous asphalt replaced the conventional parking lot, reducing storm water runoff and allowing it to soak into the ground and purify before reaching Silver Lake. Special landscaped areas known as bioretention cells and vegetated swales retain and filter stormwater and reduce erosion around the parking lot and beach. In an adjacent neighborhood, rain gardens and permeable pavement collect stormwater from nearby roofs, driveways, and the street.

Additional LID and water conservation projects are underway in Ipswich, Topsfield, Reading, North Reading, and Wilmington. Read more about these innovative demonstration projects, and more exciting goings-on across the watershed, in IRWA's Winter 2007 newsletter . Learn more about the Targeted Watershed Grant for Ipswich River Restoration at the project website, hosted by DCR.

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Gottlieb Expresses Support for Water Management Policy

Andrew Gottlieb, former Chief of the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development, sent a letter to the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment expressing general support for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Water Management Act (WMA) Policy and Guidance. Gottlieb recently led a "blue ribbon" panel to study the effectiveness of the WMA policy, which requires water conservation standards and offsets for increased water withdrawals in medium and highly stressed basins. The panel met throughout fall 2006, heard presentations on the lawfulness, scientific basis, and economic rationale of the policy, and issued an “interim” report. The report, which can be read here, reviews the views presented to the panel and does not contain any consensus recommendations. Gottlieb's cover letter summarizes the core issues, concluding that the WMA policy "has it basically right” and recommending that the Legislature focus its efforts on developing funding mechanisms to assist communities with the costs associated with improved water resources management. Click here to read his letter.

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Advocacy Campaign Achieves Major Progress

IRWA’s Advocacy Campaign has achieved remarkable progress this year. The Towns of Danvers and Middleton agreed to settle the appeals of their water withdrawal permits. The settlement provides greater environmental protection for the Ipswich River and ensures that the Towns will be able to meet their needs for a safe and sustainable water supply. Decisions in the appeals cases filed by Hamilton, Topsfield and Wenham were generally favorable to IRWA’s position. Also, the Town of Reading decided to stop using its wells adjacent to the Ipswich River, which have pumped the river dry for many years.

Please see the policy and advocacy page for details on these new developments.  Please contact Kerry Mackin for more information on how IRWA is working to ensure that state water policies, water withdrawal permits, and regulatory decisions protect the Ipswich River.

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IRWA Assists Towns with Water Resources Management

The Ipswich River Watershed Association announces several new initiatives aimed at helping communities manage water and stormwater and protect the threatened Ipswich River. “IRWA offers technical assistance to and collaboration with the communities, so they can meet their water needs and other objectives, while better protecting our rivers,” said Kerry Mackin, IRWA’s Executive Director. “We have a long history of working with communities to improve water conservation, and this initiative will build upon those efforts,” she said.

A new publication, Water Wise Communities: A Handbook for Municipal Managers in the Ipswich River Watershed, is now available. Water wise communities are recognize that wise management of water resources is essential to quality of life, economic opportunity, and ecological health. The handbook provides a checklist of 20 tools that communities can use to better manage water and watershed lands. Fact sheets provide an overview of each tool, local examples to illustrate its application, and links to additional resources. IRWA is grateful to the New England Biolabs Foundation, Essex County Community Foundation, Massachusetts Environmental Trust, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation for their generous support in developing the handbook.

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Ipswich Fish Consumption Advisory

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued an advisory that mercury in fish caught in the Ipswich River may pose a public health threat.  Detected mercury levels fell below the Food and Drug Administration Action Level of 1.0 mg/kg, but within a level that may pose a concern to certain individuals.  MDPH recommends that children under 12, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and women who may become pregnant refrain from consuming any fish from the Ipswich River.  All others should limit consumption to two meals per month.

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