Contact us at:
Bristol Community College
Org: Talima Brown
508-672-7400
508-678-2811 x2557
fallriver@waterwatchonline.org

Fall River grew out of the textile industry. In 1900, Fall River was the world’s leading cotton cloth manufacturer, but within the next 25 years the industry suffered a serious downturn. While the industry in the area has never recovered, it remains the leading employer. The textile history is intertwined with the history of Fall River’s water ways. Most of the rivers in the area were owned by a consortium of Mill owners. When the city wanted to set aside a drinking water reservoir, they needed to negotiate with the mill owners for rights to use the water. The Fall River area has extensive water resources, but all of them face serious problems. A few of those waterways are:

The Watuppa Ponds: Once combined into one large Pond, North and South Watuppa Ponds were separated to create the drinking water reservoir, North Watuppa Pond. Access to that Pond is strictly restricted. South Watuppa is a secondary drinking water supply, where boating and recreation are allowed. Its only public access, Dave’s Beach, is a state-owned boat ramp, used as a dumping ground.

Cook Pond: This has been the primary focus of Fall River Water Watch for the past 3 years. The boat ramp was built in the 1970s, along with a wooden fishing pier. The boards were stolen from the pier, and eventually the pier was burned, now the remnants of the pier stand in the pond, the boat ramp, road and parking lot have pot holes and the area is used as a dumping ground.

Other waterways include: the Quequechan River, which used to be marked by the waterfalls for which Fall River was named, but has since been piped, except for small sections near the Watuppa Ponds. Mother Brook runs by the BFI landfill and the city is currently testing to see whether seepage from that landfill is harming the brook.

For several years, Water Watch’s local campaign has focused specifically on Cook Pond (and to some degree, South Watuppa Pond). While we will continue to work on those two ponds, we are also engaging in a campaign to raise awareness around Fall River’s Water Ways. As part of that campaign, we are working to contact and work with groups and community members concerned with water quality problems in the area. We are working to raise the level of engagement in our local waterways, and have the waterways become a resource for the community.

Cook Pond Cleanups: Water Watch has done extensive work on Cook Pond, in Southern Fall River, on the Rhode Island border. We have held community meetings to discuss the prospects for cleaning the Pond, written a “Cook Pond Care Guide” to educate the community on the history and needs of the Pond, and held numerous cleanups, removing more than 30 tons of trash from the Pond.

Stream Monitoring: We do weekly stream testing at South Watuppa Pond with the South Watuppa Assessment Network (S.W.A.N.).

Environmental Education: Environmental Education is one of our biggest projects. We are teaching interactive lessons in a number of Fall River schools, including 2 month-long programs at Middle School environmental clubs.

Earth Week: Events this year were very successful. 14 BCC students attended the Panel on Fall River Waterways. Conservation Commissioner Priscilla Chapman, Leader of the South Watuppa Assessment Network Robert Rak, Save the Bay Watershed Planner Lenny Bellette and Water Watch Organizer Allison Cairo spoke. The Campus Cleanup involved over 40 people, who picked up more than 45 bags of garbage from around the campus. More than 50 children came to campus for a fun day of Planetarium Shows, Kayaking demonstrations and an Environmental Storyteller. The week culminated with the South Coast Earth Day Cleanup. The BCC site at Dave’s Beach (co sponsored by S.W.A.N. and the Fall River Bass Anglers) attracted 36 volunteers from the community. Together, the 27 sites in the South Coast Region hosted more than 600 volunteers - making it one of the largest events the region has seen.

Coalition Partners:

South Watuppa Assessment Network
BCC Center for Service-Learning
Fall River Bass Anglers
Green Futures
Westport River Watershed Alliance
Save the Bay

Upcoming Events

Coming Soon!