The Importance of the Riverfront Delineation

Ever wonder what goes into protecting our watershed from the pressures associated with rapidly rising development rates? Well, it’s complicated. The Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (WPA )is known nationally as one of the most effective waterways protection laws in the country. The WPA is our state’s primary waterways protection, but within the law is a less known provision known as the Riverfront Area. This affords an added layer of protections for land along rivers and streams. At the heart of the provision is one critical step: delineating the Riverfront Area. 

The Riverfront Area is an official term defined by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as the area “measured from each side of the river from the mean annual high water line outwards horizontally and parallel to the river.” For both the river and its sensitive ecosystem, this area is critical to properly identify and protect. 

Incorrect Riverfront Area delineation may only capture a portion of these important areas. Developers are increasingly exploiting some ambiguity in the rules to determine the Riverfront area measured from the seasonal low water line as opposed to the mean annual high water line. 

We are involved in disputes on defining the Riverfront Area for development proposals in three of our watershed communities – Wilmington, North Reading, and Topsfield. With local and statewide partners, we’re working to fix this erroneous methodology. Statewide policy is needed to ensure that local Conservation Commissions and the DEP must enforce the rules to determine these critical areas properly. We simply cannot accept any backsliding on these important rules that protect our Rivers!