Dams across the brooks and rivers of the SuAsCo (Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers) watershed provided hydropower for early industrialization. But today, some of those dams pose flood risks, and are being re-evaluated and removed. This post describes the situation at the River Street Dam in Acton.
SJC to Hear Oral Arguments on Nagog Pond Water Rights on Dec. 2
On December 2, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) will hear oral arguments in the lawsuit over which towns (among Concord, Littleton, and Acton) have rights to withdraw water from Nagog Pond. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, oral arguments are being held virtually, so the public can watch the live stream.
PFAS Panel Discussion Summary
On October 14, 2020, more than 100 people gathered by Zoom to listen as an expert panel discussed PFAS in drinking water and answered questions from residents. This post provides a summary of the speakers’ comments, links to their slides, a link to the video of the event, and answers to audience questions that remained… Continue reading →
Green Acton PFAS posts
This page provides links to Green Acton’s web posts dealing with PFAS.
PFAS: News You Can Use
A previous Green Acton post described a family of emerging contaminants, called PFAS, which have recently been found in the drinking water supplies of Acton and many other towns. This post will help residents think about actions that they might want to take, whether that be learning more, installing a water filter in their homes,… Continue reading →
PFAS Panel Discussion Oct. 14
Green Acton and the League of Women Voters–Acton Area are sponsoring an educational panel discussion on PFAS in drinking water. Panelist presentations and discussion will touch on: What are PFAS chemicals? Where do they come from? Why are they a matter for concern? What is the situation here in Acton? What is being done about… Continue reading →
PFAS 101
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 →
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 →
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 →
Land Court Decision on Nagog Pond
October 31, 2019: The following is an analysis of the October 11, 2019 decision of the Massachusetts Land Court about Nagog Pond water rights, courtesy of Green Acton Water Committee member Carolyn Kiely, Esq.