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 →

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 →

What would a good outcome to the Nagog Pond controversy look like?

There has been a lot of negativity around Concord’s proposal to expand its water treatment plant at Nagog Pond and Acton’s reaction to the same. In this post, let’s take a step back and try to envision what a good outcome might look like. A good outcome would safeguard the ecosystems of Nagog Pond and… Continue reading →