By BECKA ROOLF
April 1999: “Clam Flats Closed.” After every significant rainfall, such a sign greets both commercial clammers and families out to dig a few steamers, all up and down Plum Island Sound. The clam flats are closed because the rain washes pollution into rivers and streams, where it flows downstream to the Sound.
After last June's torrential rainstorms, local clam flats were closed for nearly a month due to extremely high levels of bacteria in the water.
However, this pollution is preventable, according to Alan Macintosh, Assistant Director and Environmental Program Manager of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC). In order to determine where some of the pollution is coming from, MVPC, in conjunction with the Parker River Clean Water Association (PRCWA) is conducting a study of the Little River and its tributaries.
The Little River flows into the Parker River and Plum Island Sound. The river begins in Newburyport near I-95 and flows near the Newburyport Industrial Park, residential neighborhoods, the Newburyport rail line, agricultural areas, and conservation lands on its way to the Parker River in Newbury.
Of the Parker River tributaries, the Little River contributes the most pollution, according to past studies conducted by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. The MVPC study will collect more data, from points further upstream, in an effort to locate problem areas.
"The Little River is in pretty bad shape,” according to Becka Roolf, Executive Director of PRCWA. As this area has grown, we have not thought of this small stream as a resource worth protecting. However, the Little River connects to the Parker River and Plum Island Sound - where many people like to fish, boat, watch wildlife, and dig for clams. If we could clean up the Little River, we might be able to reopen the clam flats near the Route 1A bridge in Newbury. Those flats are now closed all the time, not just after a rain.
Citizen volunteers from the area will be collecting water samples as part of the study, according to Roolf. The volunteers have been trained by PRCWA and MVPC. The samples will then be sent out to a state-certified laboratory, where they will be tested for fecal coliform bacteria and for turbidity, which measures water clarity.
Based on initial tests, the study will then attempt to pinpoint areas of pollution. “The emphasis of this study is to develop a detailed picture of the Little River watershed,” according to Macintosh. “The next step will be to work with local landowners to find common-sense and technological solutions."
Bacterial pollution can come from a wide variety of sources. The pollution comes from a little bit here, and a little bit there, all washing into the river with the rain. We have a whole variety of land uses, each of which is probably contributing a little pollution.
What might be causing the pollution? The list is long, and the watershed probably has a little of each. We think it’s everything from stormwater runoff, to pet waste, to septic systems, to ducks and geese, to agricultural uses, to wildlife, and a little leakage from municipal sewer systems. Some things we can change, and some things we can't. Once we have a better perspective on the problem areas, then we will be able to look for the most practical solutions.
