Read the January/February 2022 Newsletter
In this issue:
Fifty Million Gallons of Sewage Released
Fifty million gallons of sewage-contaminated stormwater have been discharged into the Alewife Brook from the cities of Cambridge and Somerville in 2021). There has been as much sewage-contaminated water discharged into the Alewife Brook in 2021 as there was in 1997 before the implementation of a $200 million plan to modernize the area’s antique combined sewer systems. Read more.
The Charles River Flood Model’s predictions for a 10-year rain event in Belmont in 2030. Shades indicate water depth: the darkest areas on this map correspond to flood waters three feet or deeper. For more information, see crwa.org/watershed-model.html.
Watershed Modeling Enhances Flood Resilience
The tangible effects of global warming are already happening in Massachusetts, and our highly urbanized watershed and those who call it home are increasingly vulnerable to its impacts. That’s where the Charles River Flood Model comes in. Read more.
Belmont Awarded Climate Change Grant
Belmont has received a $195,000 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant from the Massachusetts Climate MVP Program to identify Belmont’s current and future stormwater flooding risks from climate change. Read more.
Photo: City of Cambridge
Time to Pass an Updated Bottle Bill
Since its passage nearly 40 years ago, the bottle bill has created a successful recycling program in Massachusetts. But time is catching up to the law, and it needs updating to deliver the best results. Read more.
How can Belmont Reduce Single-Use Plastics?
While state-level leadership has stalled, Massachusetts’ cities and towns, including Belmont, have moved forward with new initiatives to reduce plastic waste. Read more.
Design and construction phases of the Belmont Community Path. Source: Friends of the Belmont Community Path
Community Path Passes Phase 1 Milestone
The town recently passed a major milestone in the development of the Belmont Community Path when town consultant, Nitsch Engineering, submitted the 25% Design for Phase 1 to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Read more.
Bike jump constructed by Belmont youth in Royal Road woods. Photo: Vincent Stanton, Jr.
Whither the Royal Road Woods?
Last spring, as playgrounds were being closed statewide to contain the emerging COVID-19 outbreak, a new Belmont pocket park came into existence. Conceived and built by a group of Belmont boys, the park is hidden from casual passersby by its topography and tree canopy. Read more.
Lone Tree Hill Restoration Shows Strong Start
Late last year, field technicians engaged by the Land Management Committee for Lone Tree Hill (LMC) and the Judy Record Conservation Fund began a multiyear campaign to restore select parcels of the Lone Tree Hill conservation land. Read more.
Rock Meadow Receives Funding for Mowing and Maintenance
Belmont was able to secure a budget earmark, facilitated by State Representative Dave Rogers, for the Rock Meadow conservation area in the FY2022 budget for an amount of $60,000. Read more.
Belmont’s Invasive Species: Glossy Buckthorn
Once known as Rhamnus frangula (renamed Frangula alnus), glossy buckthorn was introduced to New England in early colonial times. It is among the most temperature-hardy plants, able to survive winter lows of -20F to -35F. Read more.
NEMBA volunteers. Photo:Jeffrey North
NEMBA at Lone Tree Hill
Fourteen volunteers spent a little over four hours helping to improve the property, about 56 hours in total. Read more.
Clean Green Belmont volunteers. Photo: Jeffrey North
Clean Green Belmont Cleans Up
In less than an hour, Pat O’Dougherty, Joanna Epstein, Anna Churchill, Marty Bitner, Weston Gibney, Dean Hickman, and Lindsay Levine filled their trash bags (recycled plastic and repurposed garden soil bags). Read more.
Letters to the Editor
Readers comment on hawks and local wildlife. Read more.
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