The City of Fitchburg is a community focused on revival, shifting from its former industrial base to an economy based on high tech and manufacturing, and many there envision the North Nashua River as a centerpiece of that revival. The river, which winds through the center of the City, has the potential to be both an aesthetic foundation for the urban revitalization movement and a source of recreational opportunities. However, this low to moderate income city, continues to deal with poor water quality due to combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and illicit discharges from pipes throughout the city which lead to high bacteria counts in the river making riverside activities unpleasant and boating unadvisable at times.

Through this project funded by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET), the NRWA is working to involve community stakeholders in improving the water quality of the river with the belief that will lead to better opportunities for recreation and improved quality of life for this urban community. The NRWA collaborated with the City of Fitchburg, North County Land Trust, the Fitchburg Greenway Committee, the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center, and Fitchburg High School to make this project possible. There are multiple components to this project ranging from technical work to track bacterial contamination to education and outreach work within the City.

Tracking Illicit Sources of Bacterial Contamination

City of Fitchburg and NRWA staff tracking bacterial contaminants in the City’s storm sewer system.

Martha Morgan, NRWA Water Programs Director, and Kathryn Nelson, NRWA Water Monitoring Coordinator, worked with Ken Dupont of the City of Fitchburg’s DPW Engineering Division to conduct end-of-pipe water sampling at outfalls to the North Nashua River looking for high bacteria counts. NRWA staff collected and tested the samples and also collected and tested samples the most high upstream location in order to bracket the source of the contamination. Where high levels of bacterial contamination was found, the city provided maps of the correlating storm drain system and opened manholes along the drainage route so that further samples could be collected in order to further pinpoint the source of contamination. Sources of contamination can be broken and leaking pipes or illicit hook-ups. Where a specific source of contamination could be identified, the DPW followed up with investigation and action to eliminate the problem.

Monitoring Water Quality in the North Nashua and its Tributaries

The NRWA’s volunteer water quality monitors have sampled water quality at multiple sites in Fitchburg for nearly two decades. As part of this project, NRWA sought additional volunteers and added new sampling sites in Fitchburg to the existing program. To view a list of sampling sites and water quality data to date.

Working with Youth from the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center

These children from the CNC are learning about macro- invertebrates.

NRWA water department staff, together with NRWA Environmental Education Director Mary Marro, had the great pleasure of working with young people from the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center (CNC) as part of this project. The Cleghorn Neighborhood is a largely Latino and Hispanic community immediately adjacent to the North Nashua River.

Youth from the CNC participated in several NRWA after school programs on-site in Fitchburg that focused on increasing their awareness of the river, concepts of water quality, and the impact actions on the land impact the health of the water in the river. The students worked with NRWA’s Enviroscape watershed model to learn about non-point source pollution and examined live macro-invertebrates caught in the river to learn about life in the water and what it can tell us about water quality. A group was also taken for a hike on the West Fitchburg Steamline Trail where they learned about the historic connection between the river and their city, as well as recreation sites available to them in their community.

Teens from the CNC stenciling storm drains in their neighborhood.

Teens from CNC took active steps to protect the river by participating in two projects. The first project was to stencil storm drains in their community with a message in both English and Spanish that indicates that the drain leads to the river, and that waste materials should not be poured into the drain. The youth also conducted a riverside clean-up, clearing invasive weeds from the river's edge, and enjoyed pizza (donated by Parkhill Pizza) to celebrate their hard work.

Working with Fitchburg High School Students

FHS Industrial Arts teacher and students with their storm drain system model.

The NRWA’s water department staff also had the pleasure of working with Dawn Marshall, the Industrial Technology instructor at Fitchburg High School (FHS), and two of her students. The NRWA did a presentation for the students in the class about how a storm drain system works, and how contamination can reach the river if it is not working properly. The presentation included information on specific sites and issues within the City of Fitchburg. FHS students then constructed a model of a storm drain system that can be used as an educational display at sites throughout the City.

Highlighting Recreational Opportunities in Fitchburg

NRWA led an evening stroll at Fitchburg's new Gateway Park.

Protecting natural resources leads to great recreational opportunities and awareness of recreational opportunities leads to better natural resource protection. With that in mind, the NRWA led several walks to introduce people to the recreational properties available to them in Fitchburg. As mentioned above, the youth from CNC were taken to visit the West Fitchburg Steamline Trail. Al Futterman, NRWA Land Programs Director, partnered with Mass Audubon and the North County Land Trust (NCLT), to offer a hike at the Crocker Conservation Area. Al and Janet Morrison from NCLT also led a hike at Fitchburg’s newest riverside park, Gateway Park, which is currently under construction. More about riverside recreation in Fitchburg.

About Massachusetts Environmental Trust

The Massachusetts Environmental Trust is a grantmaking organization that protects and preserves water resources and their related ecosystems throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. All Massachusetts' drivers have a unique opportunity to safeguard the Commonwealth's waterways by purchasing an environmental license plate.

Choose one of these four license plate designs to support MET.

There are four design choices – “Right Whale & Roseate Terms”; “Leaping Brook Trout”; “Blackstone Valley Mill"; and "Land and Water.” Proceeds from the sale of the plates to more than 70,000 Massachusetts residents have funded more than $16 million in grants for environmental projects across the state. To learn more about the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and the programs it supports. To order a license plate, visit your local Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles or log on to www.mass.gov/rmv.

Remember, your purchase of an MET plate helps support NRWA and other worthy environmental projects! To support the NRWA directly, we hope you'll consider becoming an NRWA member. To learn more about NRWA membership.