Great news! $1.24 million for cleaner Charles River, flood mitigation in Newton
We are very excited to report that the Healey administration recently awarded the City of Newton $1.24 million to address flooding near Cheesecake Brook in Newtonville!
CRWA worked in close partnership with the City of Newton to secure this funding, which will enable Newton to:
Construct a large, underground infiltration system to intercept and store stormwater runoff, reducing area flooding and erosion.
Transform a large stretch of the brook's bank from turf to a wet meadow of native shrubs, reducing surface runoff and supporting native wildlife.
But that’s not all! CRWA and the City of Newton were also successful in securing a $173,000 state grant to design and permit two green infrastructure projects that will promote infiltration and reduce stormwater pollution into Cheesecake Brook.
We are so grateful to Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Luis Perez Demorizi at Newton Parks, Recreation and Culture, and Eric Highers from the Department of Public Works for their leadership and diligence which has led to this wonderful outcome for the Charles River and climate resilience.
BACKGROUND
An urbanized stream and tributary of the Charles River, the once meandering Cheesecake Brook and its surrounding wetlands were filled, straightened, and channelized in the 1800s and 1900s. Today, the tributary flows through a narrow stone and concrete channel and suffers from poor water quality, poor habitat for aquatic species, and episodic stormwater flooding.
An urbanized stream and tributary of the Charles River, the once meandering Cheesecake Brook and its surrounding wetlands were filled, straightened, and channelized in the 1800s and 1900s. Today, the tributary flows through a narrow stone and concrete channel and suffers from poor water quality, poor habitat for aquatic species, and episodic stormwater flooding.
In 2020, we worked with Newton residents to create a vision plan for a restored Cheesecake Brook. Interventions included bank restoration, stream sinuosity, bioretention areas, outfall stabilization, a dry swale, and a rock vane. These measures would reduce flooding, improve water quality, control erosion, improve habitat, and serve as a recreational and educational resource.
The next step in this work will be to install the projects while exploring additional projects within the Cheesecake Brook “subwatershed” to get additional flood mitigation and water quality benefits. CRWA will also install monitoring equipment to track how these projects change water temperature and flow patterns within the brook.
