CRWA POISED TO HELP WITH ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Newton, MA - In an effort to curb unchecked growth and to preserve water resources, Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) aims to take an active role in helping watershed communities plan future residential and commercial development.  Armed with state-of-the-art technology for analyzing and prioritizing open space, CRWA is offering assistance to local planning boards, open space committees, and governing councils.

All municipalities in Massachusetts are required to undertake "Community Development Plans" by Governor Cellucci’s Executive Order 418, issued in January 2000.  Specifically, communities must create a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) map and report that detail information about existing open space, prioritize areas of unprotected space that are critical to protecting water supplies, and calculate a "water budget" showing the impacts of various levels of development on water resources. Technical assistance provided by CRWA would help communities fulfill those requirements.

"We have the equipment and expertise to utilize GIS and other tools for the required analysis," remarked Robert L. Zimmerman, Jr., executive director of CRWA.  "We are ready, willing, and eager to engage in this work which will be extremely useful in promoting manageable growth while conserving natural resources."

CRWA is one of 13 charter members of a newly-formed Watershed Technology Consortium.  Recently the consortium received private funding for acquisition of computers, GIS software, personnel, and training to qualify for contracts related to Executive Order 418.  The consortium will provide technical support, coordination, and quality control, as well as standardized methodologies already approved by the state.  A prototype of the analysis required by the state has been developed and tested by the CRWA for Holliston, MA.

"We urge all 35 communities in this watershed - from Boston to Hopkinton - to avail themselves of the analysis that we can provide to help protect local water resources through land use planning," said Zimmerman. "Open space is not created equal, and we have the tools for prioritizing land acquisitions, conservation restrictions, and the like by identifying areas vital to replenishing aquifers and preserving wildlife habitat."

One of the oldest watershed organization’s in the country, CRWA was established in 1965 in response to public concern about the declining condition of the Charles.  Since its earliest days of advocacy, CRWA has figured prominently in major clean-up and watershed protection efforts that have dramatically improved the health of the Charles.