The Green Acton Water Committee has been collaborating with OARS (Watershed Organization for the Sudbury Assabet and Concord Rivers) and with environmentalists in neighboring towns to better understand the excessive and increasing levels of salt in Acton’s natural waters (brooks, river, ponds, and groundwater). Excessive levels of salt can be harmful to aquatic organisms that… Continue reading →
Where Does the Salt in Nashoba Brook Come From?
by Kim Kastens, Brewster Conant, Jr., and Peter Severance Summary The Green Acton Water Committee collaborated with the Organization for the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers (OARS) to survey the specific conductance (SC) of the water in Nashoba Brook and its tributaries in Acton and Westford. SC is an indicator of salt concentration in the… Continue reading →
Q&A with 2025 Candidates for AWD Commissioner
This year, there are two candidates running for the position of Commissioner of the Acton Water District (AWD): John Petersen and Barry Rosen. This post contains the candidates’ answers to questions prepared by the Green Acton Water Committee. The Acton Water District is an independent government entity, separate from Acton’s municipal government. As such, it is led… Continue reading →
Nashoba Brook Has Been Growing Saltier for 50 Years
by Kim Kastens, Katarina Spasojevic, and Brewster Conant, Jr. Over the last 50 years, Nashoba Brook in Acton has grown saltier and saltier, according to data collected by the US Geological Survey and OARS (the Organization for the Assabet, Sudbury & Concord Rivers). This trend aligns with a global pattern, called Freshwater Salinization Syndrome, which… Continue reading →
Q&A with 2024 Candidate for Acton Water District Commissioner
This year, there is one candidate running for the position of Commissioner of the Acton Water District (AWD): Erika Amir-Lin. This post contains Ms. Amir-Lin’s answers to questions prepared by the Green Acton Water Committee. The goal is to inform voters about some current issues and opportunities facing the District, and the candidate’s thoughts on how to address them.
A Whole-of-Government Approach to Tackling PFAS in Acton
by Kim Kastens, Chair, Green Acton Water Committee PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — comprise a family of harmful chemicals that is found in tap water and in many consumer and industrial products. This post suggests that a whole-of-government approach — one that enacts collaborative efforts across municipal departments and boards toward a shared… Continue reading →
Q&A with 2023 Candidate for Acton Water District Commissioner
This year, there is one candidate running for the position of Commissioner of the Acton Water District (AWD): Stephen C. Stuntz. This post contains Mr. Stuntz’s answers to questions prepared by the Green Acton Water Committee; the goal is to inform voters about some current issues and opportunities facing the District, and the candidate’s thoughts on how to address… Continue reading →
Green Acton Supports Water Rate Study Article for AWD Annual Meeting
The warrant for the Acton Water District (AWD) 2023 annual meeting includes an article asking the district to commission an external expert study of water rates. Green Acton Directors voted to support this article because it has the potential to support Green Acton’s mission by conserving water resources and advancing environmental justice.
Road Salt Threatens Aquatic Ecosystems in Acton
Contributed by Kim Kastens and the Green Acton Water Committee As part of a study by OARS of road salt pollution across the Sudbury/Assabet/Concord (SuAsCo) watershed, the Green Acton Water Committee measured electrical conductivity in brooks and rivers at 29 sites throughout the Fort Pond Brook tributary system. High conductivity is typically, although not always,… Continue reading →
Perspectives: Options for Funding Acton’s Response to PFAS
By Kim Kastens, Chair, Green Acton Water Committee The discovery of PFAS in Acton’s groundwater confronts the town with the prospect of many millions of dollars of new capital costs to add PFAS treatment capacity to the Acton Water District’s (AWD’s) local water treatment plants and/or to connect to the Massachusetts Regional Water Authority (MWRA)… Continue reading →