Fans of Sudbury River float ideas for revival
Officials will tap $3.9m fund from Nyanza factory settlement
With the worst of the pollution from Ashland's Nyanza plant cleaned up, attention is now turning to restoring and enriching the Sudbury River.
Close to 50 proposals from advocates and citizens for repairing natural resources along the river were unveiled last week, ranging from controlling invasive species to crafting an outreach and education campaign.
On the table is $3.9 million from a settlement between the federal government and the estates of the companies linked to the Nyanza dye factory pollution. Over several decades, the factory fed between 45 and 57 metric tons of mercury and other hazardous substances into the Sudbury River, before being locked down by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1985.
At that time, the 35-acre site off Megunko Road in Ashland was considered among the 10 worst Superfund sites in the country. Since then, more than $46 million has gone into alleviating the most pressing environmental threats.
Now, those concerned with the Sudbury River's future can turn their attention to restoring the 29-mile waterway, which meanders from Westborough through Hopkinton, Southborough, Ashland, Framingham, Wayland, Sudbury, and Lincoln before heading into Concord, where it joins the Assabet River.
Following a public meeting in June, federal and state officials on the Nyanza Natural Resource Trustees solicited plans from the public for restoring the riverway. By early September, they had received 49 suggestions, ranging from 10-page proposals to three-sentence ideas.
"What's especially pleasing about the ideas we received is the different types of restorations they represent," said Karen Pelto, restoration coordinator for the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
About two dozen people attended a meeting in Framingham's Memorial Building Wednesday night to learn more about the submissions. They were broken down into nine cat egories: invasive species control, freshwater restoration, land acquisition, restoration of fish that spawn, education and stewardship, recreation and public access, storm-water management, groundwater restoration, and resource management and protection.
Educational proposals included the creation of public-information kiosks, signs, and an environmental education program or institute about the Sudbury River.
State and federal officials plan to spend the next few months whittling down the ideas into a draft restoration plan, which they expect to complete in March and make public to solicit feedback.
"If there's a particular time in the whole process to make comments, that's it," said Eric Hutchins, trustee representative for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
He said much work remains to be done before any of these proposals hit the ground. "There's going to be an awful lot more happening - this is just the beginning," he said.
The trustees hope to complete the final restoration plan by August, and start securing contracts and grants soon afterward.
Hutchins said that much could be accomplished with these funds and ideas, but he also warned residents to be realistic in their expectations.
"There are probably $20 million in ideas that have already been raised here," Hutchins said.
Nancy Bryant, executive director of SuAsCo, a community alliance that promotes the well-being of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord river watersheds, urged the trustees to make their decision-making process as transparent as possible.
"I'd feel more pleased if there were more public participation in the November-through-March period, where we could brainstorm together," Bryant said. "I'd hate to see good ideas and energy get lost."
Michael Hugo, a member of the Framingham Board of Health, said he was concerned about the expense of paying experts to attend meeting after meeting. The money used to pay for their time comes out of the $3.9 million pot, and "I would hate to see us come up with a plan, and you guys say, 'Your meter just ran out,' " Hugo said.
Trustees said they would consider holding additional public meetings if it would make residents feel more involved in the process. Bryant added that she hopes the remediation contracts won't go only to national firms. "There's a lot of great local experience here," she said. 