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 →
Green Acton Public Statement re: Proposed Piper Lane Building Project, 7/9/2019
[Sent on 7/15/19 to the Board of Selectmen and the Zoning Board of Appeals, from Debra Simes (President) and Jim Snyder-Grant (Co-President), along with a request that this be taken into account in any future deliberations on this project.] This statement asserts Green Acton’s opposition to the proposed application currently under review for the Piper… 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.
Progress on Remediation of VOCs at WR Grace Superfund Site
Since 1985, groundwater at the WR Grace Superfund Site in southeast Acton has been extracted and treated for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Data from the 2018 annual monitoring report suggest that this remediation is making progress.
Green Acton Provides Stakeholder Input for WR Grace Superfund Site Five-year Review
As part of its regular schedule of every-five-years reviews of each active Superfund site, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks input from affected communities. The WR Grace site is up for review this year, and EPA sought input from Green Acton, the Acton Water District, and the Town of Acton Health Department.
Advocacy on Stormwater Articles
Green Acton advocated, at the 2019 Town Meeting, for the passage of two stormwater articles that would reform the way stormwater runoff is handled during construction projects. Both articles passed, and subsequent votes by the Acton Board of Selectmen enabled the implementation of new stormwater protocols.
Warrant Articles #39 & 40: Amend General Bylaws: Stormwater Management Revisions, Amend Zoning Bylaw: Stormwater
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More details on 2019 Warrant Articles #39 & 40: Stormwater
Stormwater is water that runs off the land, typically following rainfall, snow melt, or a leak or overflow. On landscapes impacted by human development, stormwater can carry sediment, fertilizer, harmful bacteria, oil, gas, toxic metals, and salt into nearby waterways. Water that runs into storm drains is water that is not available to nurture plants… Continue reading →
2019 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 →