| Home | The Council | Events | History | Membership | School Programs | The Towns | The Watershed | Water Quality | Currents

Winter 2001 Currents

Dredging Improves Access to Saugus River Saugus River: barge, hydraulic dredge and pipes used to remove and transport sediments. February 2001. The US Army Corps of Engineers, with support from the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Town of Saugus, is dredging the Saugus River to expand access for commercial and recreational boating. Once the $4 million dredging project is complete, the river channel will be at least six to eight feet deep at low tide from the estuary up to the bend in the River after Lobstermen’s Landing. For Saugus Town Manager Steve Angelo, dredging the river has been in the works for over 13 years. During his prior tenure as a State Representative, Angelo worked to secure state and federal funding for the project. The Army Corps of Engineers and DEM are funding 75% of the costs or approximately $3.7 million, while the Town of Saugus is contributing over $300,000. The project is quite an undertaking, with 17 staff working two shifts, two dredge pumps, 5,200 feet of pipe, and a 13-acre disposal site. Overall, 98,000 cubic yards of sediments will be removed from the river and estuary. Approximately, 24,000 cubic yards of cleaner sediments were already disposed of at the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site. The remaining 64,000 cubic yards are being removed with a hydraulic dredge and pumped to a 13-acre disposal site on the RESCO landfill. The disposal basin is lined with a geo-membrane to contain the sediments and water removed from the River. The sediments are first pumped into a primary settling area, and then to a secondary settling area through four weirs. Once the sediments have settled out, the remaining water is diverted back into the Pines River. Samples are being collected and analyzed to ensure that the water entering the Pines River meets water quality standards. RESCO will use the remaining sediments as weekly cover for the ash, as approved by the MA Dept. of Environmental Protection. Above, SRWC Trustee Jim Hohmann and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Site Manager Scott Leonard discuss efforts to ensure that the water remaining after dredging is clean before entering the Pines River. In addition to expanding access for boaters, the dredging project has also been removing a great deal of debris from the River. With help from the Town of Saugus, cars, boats, fishing gear, derelict moorings, tree stumps and other debris have been removed to avoid problems for the hydraulic dredge. At left, Saugus Town Manager Steve Angelo and Saugus Operations Manager Kevin Nigro survey debris removed during dredging.   In order to provide mitigation for the three acres of intertidal zone disturbed by the dredging, a four-acre area of intertidal habitat has been created on a Metropolitan District Commission-owned portion of Rumney Marsh across Route 107 from the RESCO facility. The site was formerly at grade level without a tidal pond. Salt marsh grasses are expected to be growing by this summer. Like most urban river beds, the sediments lining the river once dredging is complete are expected to be cleaner and more suitable for marine life than the previous top layer. Special thanks to the following people for their efforts to implement this complex project in an environmentally sound manner: Environmental Affairs Secretary Bob Durand DEM Commissioner Peter Webber Christine Player of DEM Gene Cavanaugh formerly of DEM Saugus Town Manager Steve Angelo Town of Saugus Director of Operations Kevin Nigro Army Corp of Engineers Project Manager Duban Montoya Army Corps of Engineers Site Manager Scott Leonard All of the site workers for project contractor Gibson & Cushman.

Annual Meeting 29 March 2001
Dredging Improves Access to Saugus River
Editorial — Role of Volunteers
Water Quality Update
Saugus River Watershed Council Adopts 2001 Work Plan
North Coastal Basin Team Adopts Work Plan
Lake Quannapowitt Sediment Study
Just for Fun!
Around the Watershed
State Halts RESCO Expansion by Upholding Moratorium on Incinerators
Public Forum a Success!
Make a Difference