Fore River Stormwater Partnership

04/14/2021

Want to prevent street flooding during this weekend's precipitation? Rake any debris from the storm drains near your home! This will reduce ponding and prevent any pollutants from entering the drain.

04/06/2021

Spring is in the air, but remember over-fertilizing your lawn will lead to pollution in our waterbodies. Follow the steps below to keep our water blue!

Applying more fertilizer than the label recommends or your soil needs won't improve your lawn, but it may pollute your local streams and lakes.

✅ Test your lawn soil and calibrate your spreader.
✅ Use fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides sparingly.
✅ Leave grass clippings on the lawn.
✅ Never discard yard waste down storm drains, in drainage swales, or into waterways.

02/25/2021

Paved areas have 5x the stormwater runoff as forests. This means heavily paved areas are vulnerable to flooding. Divert your stormwater into landscaped areas, clear storm drains, and capture onsite with a rain barrel to reduce flooding.

Paved areas in Braintree create 5x the stormwater runoff as nearby forests. Why is this a problem? Stormwater runoff contributes to street flooding and carries pollutants from paved areas into our lakes and rivers. What can you do to help? Adopting low impact design and green infrastructure solutions on your property will prevent stormwater from entering our streets and reduce your pollution footprint. This can mean anything from rerouting your downspout into your lawn to re-landscaping into a beautiful rain garden. An easy action you can take is to get a rain barrel. We are offering Braintree residents a discounted rain barrel made in Massachusetts to help reduce stormwater runoff. Order yours today at bit.ly/braintree-barrel

02/23/2021

We've definitely won winter precipitation bingo over the last month!

Will there be rain, ice or snow? Find out how wintry precipitation forms! nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/winter/types/

02/17/2021

Pet waste is a major health concern in our watershed. Until dogos learn how to flush, we need to !

02/08/2021

Winter weather can be "snow" much fun, but remember to protect yourself and our watershed by properly managing the snow on your property. Remember, under 15 degrees salt will be ineffective and there are no substitutes for shoveling! Taking the time to shovel your storm drain will reduce street flooding and nasty slush piles when the snow begins to melt.

Are you ready for the snow to melt?

02/02/2021

Who wants to be salty? Our sidewalks certainly don't. Over-salting is not a replacement for shoveling and can be harmful to pets and our watershed.

Here's a good example of why salt doesn't work for removing snow. Even after the property owner applied a very large amount of salt, you can see that the sidewalk still is not clear. Even worse, the salty slush is damaging to clothing, pets' paws, concrete, and plants.

Remember to shovel first and follow best practices for snow and ice removal so even more salt doesn't end up in our waterways.👍

01/22/2021

Learn more about how snowmelt contributes to stormwater runoff!

01/21/2021

Algal blooms in the Fore River Watershed lead to beach closures and can inhibit other recreation. Do your part to prevent them!

Decaying vegetation, excess fertilizers, biodegradable detergents, animal droppings, and wash-down water from cars all contribute to toxic and non-toxic algal blooms which reduce the amount of light and oxygen in water. This harms wildlife and promotes unwanted w**d growth. Because stormwater runoff is generated from dispersed land surfaces—pavements, yards, driveways, and roofs—efforts to control stormwater pollution must consider nutrient pollution from human activities that make the problem worse, leading to more severe blooms that occur more often.

• Keep paved areas and storm drains clear of leaves.

• Never dump leaves in wetlands or waterways (it’s harmful and illegal).

• Try composting your yard waste at home in an area away from wetlands and storm drains.

01/12/2021

At the beginning of a New Year, many of us examine what we could change about ourselves and the world. This graphic from the NC Clean Water Education Partnership shows how changing your daily behavior in the new year can protect our water.