The Stormwater Remediation Project at the Head of Westport / 319 Project |
||
A Photo Summary of Project Work to Date |
||
| In early November 2003, work on a specially engineered, constructed wetland began at the Head of Westport off Old County Road. The construction on the project began due to years of work spearheaded by WRWA, in partnership with the Town of Westport, the Buzzards Bay Project, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the ESS Group, Inc. This program is funded by the DEP's Nonpoint Source Pollution Program (s.319). |  |
|
Head of Westport area for wetland construction prior to work, August, 2003.
|
||
| The Town of Westport was awarded a $264,332 grant from the state's 319 program to construct the wetland for stormwater remediation. Without the years of WRWA’s consistent water quality monitoring data, financial investment in the project and tireless effort to maintain the partnerships among the various stakeholders, the project, which should lead to significant improvements in water quality in the Westport River, would have never happened. |  |
|
Storm drain on the East Bank of the Westport River at the Head of Westport. |
||
 |
The environmental consulting firm ESS Group, Inc. of Wellesley, MA, was contracted to develop an engineered solution to treat stormwater runoff at the Head of Westport. After a year-long study, ESS recommended that stormwater runoff entering the Westport River from a culvert on the east bank be diverted into a constructed wetland where it would be treated before being discharged into the Westport River. The groundbreaking in early November marked the beginning of the creation of this wetland.
|
|
Town of Westport Highway Department workers removing debris for wetland construction, September, 2004. |
||
| The wetland will help to filter out pathogens at the Head of Westport and ultimately help us reach our goal to have the river in this area cleaned up for swimming, fishing and shellfishing. We thank the Town of Westport, the ESS Group, the Buzzards Bay Project, the State of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and especially our members, whose financial support have made the project possible. |  |
|
| Head of Westport layout for wetland construction, September, 2004. |
||
 |
 |
|
Town of Westport Highway Department initial excavation for constructed wetland July, 2005. |
||
 |
 |
|
Town of Westport Highway Department grading and fill placement for constructed wetland August, 2005. |
||
 |
 |
|
Hydroseeding the banks of the constructed wetland in August, 2005. |
Hydroseeding completed on the banks of the constructed wetland August, 2005. |
|
 |
 |
|
Rainfall after hydroseeding constructed wetland August, 2005. |
||
 |
 |
|
Volunteers planting wetland species at Head of Westport Constructed Wetland on September 30, 2005. |
||
 |
 |
|
| Connection of weir/pipe from Old County Road for wetand system to “go live”, March, 2006 |
Pipe outlet from Old County Road into wetland forebay , March, 2006 |
|
 |
 |
|
| Outflow from constructed wetland completed April, 2006. |
||
 |
 |
|
| Gifford Road swales and catch basins, April 2006. |
||
 |
 |
|
| Earthday celebration and interpretive sign unveiling at wetland project, April 2006. |
Earthday cleanup of wetland project, April 2006. |
|
 |
 |
|
| Gifford Road swale outflow, landscaped May 2006. |
||
 |
 |
|
| Constructed wetland tied into road runoff pipes, seen with vegetative growth, 2006. |
||
 |
 |
|
| Gifford Road swale outlet, June 2006. |
Gifford Road asphalt berms , June 2006. |
|
| WRWA is beginning to collect water quality monitoring data in the project area, as part of the requirements for the grant funding of this project. Now that the remediation systems are complete, data collection is scheduled to begin. After data collection is complete, results will be reported here on our website. Stay tuned for the results. | ||