by Sharon Lapham
LaurenceLapham@aol.com
Minutes for the August 14, 2002 monthly meeting of the SRWA at the Tewksbury public library.
Bill Dunn from the EOEA gave a presentation on the Shawsheen FY 03 projects:
1. $20K Finish Vine Brook, TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) of toxins which still leaves the water potable.
2. $10K Begin Elm Brook (TMDL).
3. $10K Flood mitigation planning study.
4. $3K Stream Team-restart.
5. $20K Riverbank restoration of Lowe St. rail trestle.
6. $15K Living with Beavers (to be addressed this fall).
7. $7K River signs (to be addressed this fall).
There have been a lot of cutbacks in state funding which is a concern for all groups.
Volunteers are needed for two endeavors:
1. Management Plan; A 5-year management plan for the Shawsheen River watershed.
2. Wetland reconstruction sites. A work group which will recommend sites built on or near the wetlands that could be reworked back to their natural states as wetlands (such as abandoned ball fields, etc.).
If anyone is interested in helping with either of the above groups please let us know.
August 24, is our next cleanup at Costello Park in Lawrence at 9:00 AM.
To get a current list of events for the SRWA you can log on to www.mhl.org. Jack Brady keeps that site up to date.
Local; Yankee Doodle Weekend in Billerica September 14 & 15 where the SRWA will be represented by Sharon Lapham.
Bedford Day in Bedford Sept. 21 where the SRWA will be represented by Bill Special. The cleanup at Costello Park on July 20 was a great success. The weather cooperated and it was not too hot, not too many bugs and not too much poison ivy, just too many tires! We got rid of a bunch and had some fun as well. Pictures of the past events will be available at meetings and upcoming events.
The August 3, Andover trip started at Dale St. after the Ballardvale Dam. The first part of the trip was lush with greenery and plenty of water. We saw cardinal flowers, sparks of brilliant red in banks of green. Water lilies about to bloom surrounded by darting whirls of colorful dragonflies. A redwing blackbird?s nest was visible attached to marsh grass.
The second half of the journey was very different. We struggled with long sections where there were a lot of rocks and boulders and little water to support the boats. Bob and Ken had previously cut a path for us at the take out at the Post Office at Stevens St.. We saw some tires in the low water and we all got a heavy workout. This section of the river would be a better paddle with more water, perhaps earlier or later in the season. At the August 14 meeting Jack Brady suggested to leave this section out of the trip repertoire next year. The suggestion was tabled for future discussion.
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