Contact us:
Springfield Technical Community College
Organizer: Gynnie Robnett
413-755-5226
springfield@waterwatchonline.org

Westfield State
Organizer: Kelsey Ketcheson
413-572-5428
westfield@waterwatchonline.org

Water has always been a focus of life here in Springfield, as the city is home to 13 lakes and ponds as well as segments of three rivers. The largest of these rivers is the Connecticut River, which runs through Springfield and all the way to Long Island Sound.

In the past, the rivers provided water for factory processes as well as a place for waste to be discharged. Since pollution from large factories has been reduced by the Clean Water Act, the urban community now produces most of the pollution now found in the rivers and lakes. Storm water runoff and combined sewer overflow are the greatest causes for concern in Springfield surface water quality. In addition, trash dumping in and around local rivers and ponds has made the area's waterways unattractive, preventing a vision of the waterways as precious natural resources.

Source-to-Sea Cleanup: Springfield Water Watch is a partner in the four-state-wide annual Source-to-Sea Cleanup of the Connecticut River. The Source-to-Sea Connecticut River Cleanup is sponsored in conjunction with the Connecticut River Watershed Council and was begun four years ago. Since that first cleanup, it has grown into a well-known annual event spanning the entire length of the river as it flows through Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The 2000 Cleanup brought out over 675 volunteers who pulled 80 tons of trash from the river and its tributaries. In Springfield, the Mill River cleanup site saw 60 volunteers, including Representative Cheryl Rivera and City Councilor Tim Ryan, pull out four tons of trash, ranging from car doors to diapers, and was covered by two television stations and two major newspapers.

Chicopee River Cleanup: Water Watch, in collaboration with the Chicopee River Watershed Council, hosts an annual cleanup on the Chicopee River each April. The 2001 cleanup included eight cleanup sites along the river and was held in collaboration with Earth Day events. In addition, to help protect the river year-round, Water Watch works with the Watershed Council to run a water testing program.

Environmental Education: Water Watch is a valuable environmental education resource for the Springfield area. Last year, Water Watch made presentations on water issues to over 2500 K-12 students in Springfield. Water Watch members serve as volunteers for the Springfield Science Museum’s River Education Awareness Program, which brings eighth grade students out to a local river to gather data and teach them about the geography, chemistry, and biology of the waterway. Organizers and student volunteers from Sprinfield Techincal Community College and Western New England College also go into elementary school classrooms to present hands-on environmental education lessons that touch on topics such as the water cycle, wetlands, and water pollution within a watershed. Water Watch has also set up partnerships with area high schools to teach and implement projects having to do with stream monitoring.

Coalition Partners:

Chicopee River Watershed Council
Springfield Science Museum
Connecticut River Watershed Council
Springfield Planning Department
Chicopee River Watershed Team Leader Paul Lyons
Springfield Conservation Commission