Project Update Meeting – Fluvial Geomorphic and Habitat Assessment of the South River Watershed

Thursday, October 6, 2011
Conway Town Hall
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Please join us to learn more about how this project will assess the causes of erosion and provide restoration project designs!

Damage in Conway Center from Hurricane Irene
Damage in Conway Center from Hurricane Irene

Major bank erosion in the South River watershed has damaged or threatens roads, bridges, agricultural lands, and homes.  Considerable amounts of local, state and federal money have already been spent to repair damaged infrastructure and these repairs are not always successful.  The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP) awarded the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) a $74,900 604b Water Quality Management Planning Grant to conduct a Fluvial Geomorphic and Habitat Assessment of the South River Watershed.  The FRCOG is partnering with the Deerfield River Watershed Association (DRWA) to conduct the habitat assessment of the watershed.  The FRCOG has hired Field Geology Services to conduct the geomorphic assessment of the South River, which will provide information on the causes of erosion, channel instability and habitat degradation.  Once these factors are understood, long-term, cost-effective solutions to address erosion can be identified that will minimize the need for further costly repairs and improve aquatic habitat.  This project will provide conceptual restoration designs for 4 reaches and a final engineering design for the highest priority restoration site.

The FRCOG is also partnering with the Friends of the South River and DRWA to implement a Public Education and Outreach program to inform residents who live in the South River Watershed about the relationship between river channel dynamics, land use activities, and water quality to generate community cooperation and support for future restoration and river bank stabilization projects.

For further information about the project, please contact: Kimberly Noake MacPhee, P.G.,
FRCOG Land Use and Natural Resources Program Manager, natres@frcog.org    413.774.1194 x103