Our Blogger today is Shalen Lowell
Last Wednesday Dorie and I had the pleasure of
touring the Neponset Watershed with Tom Palmer of the Neponset River Watershed
Association. This watershed encompasses the towns of Canton and Norwood, as
well as parts of Sharon, Foxborough, Stoughton, Walpole, Medfield, Dover, Randolph,
Westwood, Dedham, Quincy, and Boston. Its highest point is the summit of Blue
Hill in Canton at 636 feet.
One of our first stops was Fowl Meadow (see picture on left) near Great
Blue Hill. This broad floodplain reaches eight miles upstream to Walpole
alongside Rt 95 and absorbs a tremendous amount of water during storms, thus
preventing flooding in crowded areas downstream. At one time, the meadow had
been intended to be filled for housing and industrial development. Thankfully,
it remains a natural space and a satisfying reminder of how much healthier our environment
would be in the absence of suburban expansion.
As we headed downstream, we noticed a disturbing
trend: the Neponset is often barred from sight by shopping centers and their
parking lots. We ventured near one Stop and Shop, which boasted a six-foot high
fence separating the lot from the trees that line the riverbank. Before
extensive cleanup, the river used to be full of stagnant sewage, and people saw
fit to conceal it. But now that the Neponset is relatively clear and much
improved, its banks should be opened for people to enjoy. Frequently, the very
people that live along the river know little about it, thanks to the thickets
and fences that hide it from view.
We also noted that the parking lot was graded to
allow runoff to flow straight off the pavement and into the river, and that
several catchbasins discharged to it directly through pipes. When development reaches to the top of the
bank, extra work is required to filter stormwater.
Near this particular site are the remains of a
gutted paper mill and its still-standing dam. This dam is not in use, and the
river pours through rusty holes in its decrepit gates. The dam should be
demolished: it accomplishes nothing, and it prohibits fish from migrating
upstream to spawn.
A few miles beyond we visited a second dam just
above the Adams St. Bridge in Lower Mills between Milton and Boston. This one
likewise has outlived its usefulness as the surrounding factories have been
converted to condos. Eight feet high, it blocks ocean-run shad, herring, and
smelt from entering the river. Restoring the Neponset will require removing
both dams.
At the base of the lower dam the Neponset estuary
begins. Below here the river widened, and I began to smell
salt water, a sense which triggers nostalgia for my childhood summers spent
sea-side.
We followed the estuary’s southern edge another
five miles to Squantum Point Park in Quincy, where the Neponset empties into
Dorchester Bay opposite the gas tank on the Southeast Expressway. This park,
once a Navy airfield, is the result of one of the many initiatives to encourage
outside recreation in the Neponset corridor. NepRWA is working to connect it
via walking paths to the marshes upstream and to Wollaston Beach.
This overview is a mere small sample of our
Neponset experience. These areas are best appreciated and enjoyed when
encountered in person, and I encourage you to visit this stunning area and
experience its plentiful beauty on your own! One way to do this is to go
canoeing or hiking with the Neponset River Watershed Association. To visit
their website, please see http://www.neponset.org/.
Click the links below to read more about Squantum Point and the Neponset River Trail.
Squantum Point Park: http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/quincy-green-map/squantum-point-park-605
The Lower Neponset River Trail: http://bostonharborwalk.com/placestogo/location.php?nid=2&sid=63
No comments:
Post a Comment