By Linda Chuss

Some people enjoy fishing at ponds in Milford. Others like to swim or boat in nearby lakes and rivers, and have picnics along the shore. Everyone relies on clean drinking water. Pollutants threaten all these activities and harm people and wildlife. A plan from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection identifies the main problems for each community to address.

Max Rome from the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) explained that, “In Milford, debris is getting into natural water resources. The town has goals and a 20-year plan to address it. A main cause is that roads, parking lots, and buildings have replaced trees and plants, so rain flows across those surfaces into drains and directly into streams and ponds. The rainwater carries with it things like pet droppings, litter, oil from cars, chemical fertilizers, and leaves and branches. Once it’s in the water source, the debris adds pollutants and breaks down fueling unwanted algae growth that kills fish and other wildlife. Effects go beyond Milford because its waters feed the Charles River, impacting everything all along its course to the ocean.”

As part of the plan to correct the problem, Milford worked with the CRWA and other organizations to add new drainage and native plantings at Town Park. These will help water travel down into the ground where pollutants are filtered out. They’ll also help prevent flooding. Key contributors from Milford included Highway Surveyor Scott Crisafulli and Parks and Recreation Administrator James Asam.

Additional projects will be needed to reduce the pollutants, and in Milford, like other towns, it will require efforts and contributions from everyone. Rome says residents and businesses can help now.

“Keep streets around your home and business clear. Remove leaves and branches from the gutters and sidewalks – they are meant to decompose at the town’s compost center, not in the water. Throw away any trash you find so it doesn’t end up in the drains. Pet droppings belong in the trash or they’ll harm the water. Use permeable pavers or other surfaces instead of asphalt and cement. Design your landscape in a way to catch and drain rainwater to stop it from pouring downhill into the street. Reduce your use of fertilizers and avoid toxic pest treatments.”

Over time, all residents will benefit and today can enjoy the new plantings at Town Park. 

For more about the project, see the presentation Lisa Kumpf, an CRWA Aquatic Scientist, made for the Stacy Middle School at mass.gov/doc/milford-green-infrastructure-presentation-for-6th-grade-students/download.