Creation of Stearns and Brackett Reservoirs Wildlife Preserve

Case Name:

Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump NPL Site

Country:

United States of America

Restoration Types:

Education; Protection/Acquisition; Recreation

State:

Massachusetts

Affected DOI Resources:

Migratory Birds

City:

Framingham

Phase:

Pre-implementation

Project Description

Located in Framingham and Ashland, MA, Stearns and Brackett Reservoirs are the two southern-most reservoirs within the South Basin of the Sudbury Reservoir System. Water flows from Brackett Reservoir into Stearns Reservoir, then continues to north into the Sudbury River. The South Basin has not provided water to Boston or the city's western suburbs since 1930. When the Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites in 1983, mercury from the dump was found to have settled in the sediments of the two reservoirs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that there is a public health risk related to the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish but it is not related to direct contact with surface water and sediment, nor incidental ingestion of the water. The MA Division of Water Supply Protection (DWSP) currently owns and maintains the 288-acre reservoirs and 175 acres of adjacent uplands but public access is prohibited. To compensate for injuries to natural resources and recreational use loss, the Nyanza Trustees are currently funding a project to set a series of actions in motion to create a wildlife preserve encompassing the Stearns and Brackett Reservoirs and surrounding land. Once transferred to the MA Department of Conservation & Recreation (MA DCR), the new Stearns and Brackett Wildlife Preserve will become a part of the MA State Parks System (MassParks). A stewardship plan was developed with recommendations to protect and enhance the ecological values of the reservoirs, and enable public access for recreation and education. This will include constructing a launch for non-motorized boats such as canoes and kayaks, and developing educational signage and interpretive materials on the history of the reservoirs and Nyanza NPL Site. The stewardship plan also provides recommendations for renovating and maintaining the historic buildings on the Salem End Road Peninsula for use in the future state park.