Residents of Acton were given a rude jolt recently when a notice from the Acton Water District (AWD) appeared in their mailboxes, describing a new contaminant, detected in Acton’s groundwater, with the cryptic name of “PFAS.” This post provides some basic education about PFAS, with links to sources of much more information. As is typically… Continue reading →
The “I Hiked Acton’s Trails” Program
At this time of Covid-19 emergency, one of the safer and approved ways to get out of the house is to go for a walk in a non-crowded place. If you are using this escape hatch, you might want to check out the “I Hiked Acton’s Trails” program administered by the Acton Recreation Department.
2020 Election for Acton Water District Commissioner
The Acton Water District (AWD) is an independent government entity, separate from Acton Town government. As such, it is led by a Board of Water Commissioners, analogous to the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Acton; both serve as the legislative bodies for their respective entities. The three Water Commissioners are elected officials, who… Continue reading →
Missed the OARS Report Card/SuAsCo Watershed Talk?
Never fear: the slides are here! On Wednesday, January 22, a capacity crowd filled the multi-purpose room at Acton’s Senior Center to hear Alison Field-Juma, the Executive Director of OARS, describe the first-ever “report card” on the health of the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord river system.
Encouraging Response from EPA Region 1 on WR Grace Superfund Site
On October 22, 2019 Green Acton Director Kim Kastens visited the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC with a delegation from the Center for Health, Environment & Justice. At this meeting, Green Acton’s request was that the Record of Decision (ROD) for the WR Grace Superfund site be reopened and 1,4-dioxane be… Continue reading →
Perspectives: Making the Case for 1,4-Dioxane Remediation at EPA Headquarters in D.C
By Kim Kastens This story begins on a sleepy Sunday afternoon in September 2019. I sort of wanted to go out to hear a talk, but I also sort of wanted to stay home and relax. But I had announced the talk by email in my role as Green Acton Water Committee Chair, and Green… Continue reading →
OARS Report Card on Our Local Rivers
by Kim Kastens, Lucy Kirshner & Norm Strahle OARS (the Organization for the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers) recently issued the first-ever report card on the status of those rivers, covering water quality, streamflow, scenery, habitat, and recreation. Come learn about the methods and findings from OARS Executive Director Alison Field-Juma on Wednesday, January 22,… Continue reading →
Summary of Fifth WR Grace Five-Year Review
Overview: The Environmental Protection Agency has released a new Five-Year Review (FYR) Report on the WR Grace (WRG) Superfund site, a former industrial site that straddles the town line between Acton and Concord. The purpose of a five-year review is to evaluate how well a clean up plan (“remedy”) is working to be protective of… Continue reading →
Acton’s Health Department and Water Quality
Water is essential to life, and thus to health. Here in Acton, the Town Health Department oversees many water-related activities and entities. It attends to public and private wells, swimming pools, and the NARA Pond swimming beach, potential sources of groundwater contamination (including septic systems, underground storage tanks, and two Superfund sites), and potential sources… Continue reading →
Lack of Progress on Remediation of 1,4-Dioxane at WR Grace Superfund Site
The previous post described the recent progress that has been made in reducing the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at the WR Grace Superfund Site by extracting and treating the groundwater, as called for in the 2005 Record of Decision (ROD). Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 1,4-Dioxane.