Schools

Stormwater Drainage at 2 Schools Need to be Repaired

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A pond has formed in a rain garden that is not draining at Hosmer School, near the corner of Mt. Auburn and Boylston streets. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Rain gardens at two Watertown schools that should be trickling water into the ground after storms have not been draining properly and have become standing ponds. The stormwater systems will have to be reinstalled so they work properly. The rain gardens were installed at Hosmer and Cunniff elementary schools during the construction of the new school buildings.

Around Town

A Self-Guided Stormwater Walk Designed by a River Conservation Group

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A self-guided tour of Watertown’s stormwater drainage system will show people how rain water gets from the streets to the Charles River. The walk features some of the stormwater devices you can see on the street that you would recognize, such as a catch basin, and some that are not as obvious, like a bioswale. There are also parts of the stormwater system where the water enters the river. The Watertown Department of Public Works collaborated with the Mystic River Watershed Association to create the tour, said Town Engineer Matthew Shuman. “Here’s some great activities we put together with the Mystic River Watershed Association for kids and adults to do to get some fresh air during these trying times … go for a stormwater walk,” Shuman said.

Arbor Day

Watertown Celebrated Arbor Day with Special Activities & Tree Care at Arsenal Park

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A member of a tree crew trims dead and damaged limbs from trees at Arsenal Park as part of the Town’s Arbor Day Celebration. Trees around Arsenal Park got a trimming, and visitors learned about trees, storm water and the environment on Thursday at Watertown’s celebration of Arbor Day. Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward organized the celebration with the help of the Massachusetts Arborists Association and some local organizations. Crews from the Department of Public Works, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Joe Butler & Sons, and Tree Tech (on behalf of Eversource) removed dead or damaged limbs from the trees around the parking area at Arsenal Park. “This is a week’s worth of work taking place in one day,” Hayward said.

Environment

Town Looking for Ways to Reduce Amount of Water Going into Storm Drains

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The Town of Watertown has multiple incentives to reduce the amount of rain water flowing into storm drains and eventually into the Charles River, including preventing street flooding and reducing the amount of pollution going into the river – which will be part of the new and stricter Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. The EPA requirements come out in Jul and the town will receive a new permit which will include more stringent requirements to reduce pollution of the river. The Department of Public Works seeks to find ways to prevent rain water from running down streets and driveways into storm drains, and out into the Charles River, because stormwater is a major cause of pollution in the river. Sometimes small storms can be worse for pollution than bigger ones, Shuman said. “We call it the first flush,” Shuman said. “The first quarter inch of rain picks up all the pollutants from the roads and it runs into the storm drains.”

Government

Construction in Watertown Square Parking Lot Will Stretch into December

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The work on the municipal parking lot in Watertown Square, which currently has exposed cavernous holes, will not be completed on time, and will stretch at least a week past Thanksgiving. The work will improve stormwater drainage in the area along Spring Street near the municipal parking lot behind CVS, said Town Engineer Matthew Shuman. “The work was scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving, but the contractor is a little behind schedule due to some unforeseen conditions, including an old building foundation,” said Shuman. “The work is now scheduled to be complete by December 5.” The parking lot remains open, but the amount of parking has been reduced.

Department of Public Works

Two Spots Chosen for Demonstration Stormwater Retention Projects

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The Department of Public Works building and Hosmer Elementary School will have new installations that drain rainwater into the ground, rather than the town’s storm drains, and will serve as demonstration projects for what can be done around town. The search started with 22 potential sites for the demonstration projects, but that was cut down to 18 viable sites on property owned or controlled by the town. The Watertown Stormwater Advisory Committee met in September to pick two locations for the project. The group wanted to spots that would drain a significant area, be visible to the public and be located in different parts of town. The last criterium was the one that led to the Hosmer School location being chosen. The top two choices were in the parking lot of the DPW facility, and a spot at the bottom of the hill beneath Lowell Elementary School.

Environment

Find Out About Green Infrastructure, and How It Keeps the Charles River Clean

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Come learn about how to making greener streets will help keep the Charles River cleaner during a workshop hosted by the Watertown Department of Public Works and the Stormwater Advisory Committee. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21 at Town Hall, in the Council Chambers. When it rains, the runoff from Watertown driveways and streets goes into the stormwater system, which ends up draining into the Charles River – untreated, said Watertown Public Works Superintendent Gerald Mee. “We need to educate people, if you drop your dog waste in the storm drain it goes to the river,” Mee said. Another major concern that might not occur to residents is grass clippings, which have chemicals – including phosphorous – which is a major pollutant of the Charles River.