SaveTheAlewifeBrook

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_j23st3u wrote

Reply to comment by ret_diy in BEWARE! Alewife Brook flooded yesterday, making the Greenway path impassible. Actually, we stopped one jogger from running into that contaminated water. He was determined not to continue. But there are PCBs, PAHs, and heavy metals in the brook sediment. by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

I’ve seen the Alewife reverse direction during major storm events, with no breach at the Amelia Earhart Dam. What happens is the Mystic River rises above the height of the Alewife and then tailwater from the Mystic fills the Alewife Brook and it reverses direction. For reference, this is documented in the Tri-Community Working Group Final Report from 2005. This statement is not meant to underplay the seriousness of a breach of the dam. But it’s important to understand how slow the Alewife Basin is and that the Alewife does reverse direction in large storms.

1

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_j1lpjcw wrote

Reply to comment by wittgensteins-boat in BEWARE! Alewife Brook flooded yesterday, making the Greenway path impassible. Actually, we stopped one jogger from running into that contaminated water. He was determined not to continue. But there are PCBs, PAHs, and heavy metals in the brook sediment. by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

Yes, Fresh Pond is upstream of the Alewife Brook. And during big flood events, the direction of the brook reverses, sending it’s contaminated water upstream. The storm surge flood maps of future years are frightening.

0

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_j1lpdm0 wrote

Reply to comment by guimontag in BEWARE! Alewife Brook flooded yesterday, making the Greenway path impassible. Actually, we stopped one jogger from running into that contaminated water. He was determined not to continue. But there are PCBs, PAHs, and heavy metals in the brook sediment. by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

Good morning and Merry Christmas. We don’t think the water is safe. There was not a sewage pollution discharge into the Alewife Brook yesterday. But if the rain had come down harder and faster, then there would have been raw sewage in the brook. We do know that there are PCBs and PAHs and heavy metals in the sediment, but no one has done any kind of health study on the folks who live next to the brook who get flood water in their homes. I personally had the Alewife Brook in my house when there was flooding and I got really sick from it. Anyway, while we’re happy to save the determined jogger from getting his shoes wet (and i still can’t believe he wanted to run through it for that reason alone),… we also want to share the message that the brook is not safe, especially when it floods. I’m sorry if I failed to get the message across here, lolz.

0

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_j1jeqzi wrote

Reply to comment by Leodickraprio in BEWARE! Alewife Brook flooded yesterday, making the Greenway path impassible. Actually, we stopped one jogger from running into that contaminated water. He was determined not to continue. But there are PCBs, PAHs, and heavy metals in the brook sediment. by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

We’d like to see the brook dredged, to remove the toxic chemicals, to increase flood storage capacity, and to improve water quality. And the reason for this is the the Alewife Brook floods into residents’ homes. I think being dramatic about PCBs is fair in this case. It’s a public waterbody. It belongs to the people. It should be safer than it is.

0

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_j1j7vs9 wrote

Reply to comment by dny6 in BEWARE! Alewife Brook flooded yesterday, making the Greenway path impassible. Actually, we stopped one jogger from running into that contaminated water. He was determined not to continue. But there are PCBs, PAHs, and heavy metals in the brook sediment. by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

Not sure what the definition of “massive flood zone” is. But, there are currently 5000 people who live in the 100-year flood plain surrounding the Alewife Brook.

2

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_j1i3znj wrote

Reply to comment by Hyperbowleeeeeeeeeee in BEWARE! Alewife Brook flooded yesterday, making the Greenway path impassible. Actually, we stopped one jogger from running into that contaminated water. He was determined not to continue. But there are PCBs, PAHs, and heavy metals in the brook sediment. by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

Alewife Brook was hydrologically connected to Fresh Pond. In fact, the Alewife Brook used to be a substantial river before that connection was severed. Some people believe the connection is still there. But it would take a large storm event for the Alewife water to get into Fresh Pond.

5

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_ix5oej4 wrote

Reply to comment by Commercial-Life-9998 in What would you like to see in the new Alewife sewage control plan? Please come to the SAVE THE ALEWIFE BROOK Community Meeting to discuss. December 4th at 7 pm. https://savethealewifebrook.org/2022/11/19/join-us-for-our-community-meeting/ by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

Thank you! I shot it on Thanksgiving Day, 2021. It is a view of the Closed-spandrel arch bridge over Alewife Brook on Mystic Valley Parkway, looking up into the Alewife Brook. This is where Medford, Somerville, and Arlington meet.

1

SaveTheAlewifeBrook OP t1_ix1gvb8 wrote

Reply to What would you like to see in the new Alewife sewage control plan? Please come to the SAVE THE ALEWIFE BROOK Community Meeting to discuss. December 4th at 7 pm. https://savethealewifebrook.org/2022/11/19/join-us-for-our-community-meeting/ by SaveTheAlewifeBrook

An end to sewage pollution? Flooding reduction and mitigation? An end to the MWRA’s sewage smell? A Trash-Free Alewife Brook? New native plants and pollinator gardens? A brook that is boatable? A community canoe launch? River restoration? Clean water that supports wildlife habitat? Restoring the Alewives to a Healthy Alewife Brook? Something else?

7