Photo of rip rap used at the entrance of a rain garden.

Pre-Treatment is Pro-Tection: Designing Green Stormwater Infrastructure for the Long Term

by Shane Mullen Introduction Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), like rain gardens, bioretention cells, and others, has been adopted by the private and public sectors to improve watershed health by infiltrating runoff.  One key consideration for a long-lasting and effective GSI practice is pretreatment measures.  Sediment accumulates quickly in treatment structures, so having an easily accessible […]

A sidewalk covered in snow with a telephone pole in the middle of the sidewalk.

Where the sidewalk ends: A call for safer streets

by Greg Guertin. Shel Silverstein’s beloved poem Where the Sidewalk Ends invites us to imagine stepping beyond the pavement into a safer, more welcoming world, a place where imagination thrives, and dangers fade away. Yet in Smithfield, R.I., like in many modern towns, sidewalks often lead us not to safety but directly into harm’s way.

Down With DBPs

New England town takes proactive approach to reducing disinfection byproducts in its drinking water By Ben Rollins, Tim Barber, and Steve Sullivan For its ability to produce safe drinking water and reduce the spread of waterborne disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has hailed disinfection as one of the greatest public health achievements of […]

The Bridge Street pilot testing setup.

Testing the Waters: Insights from a Six-Month PFAS Pilot Study

By Allie Goldberg, PE and Sara Francis, PE. The Bridge Street Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in Dedham, Massachusetts, is one of two water treatment facilities that services customers within the Dedham-Westwood Water District (DWWD). Upon the discovery of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the wells serving the WTP, the DWWD contracted with an engineering consultant to complete a feasibility study, and subsequently, a pilot study at the WTP for PFAS removal.

Aerial photo of Broad Meadow Brook and surrounding neighborhoods.

Implementing green, gray, and watershed-wide stormwater solutions in the Broad Meadow Brook Watershed

The Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (Figure 1) is the largest urban wildlife sanctuary in New England. The 435-acre natural area, in the southeast corner of Worcester, Massachusetts, is embedded in an urbanized landscape. The sanctuary is a partnership between the City of Worcester, National Grid, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon), which manages […]

A child walking on a trail surrounded by trees.

Dorchester County Greenbelt Master Plan

By Kim Morganello, Lucas Hernandez and Rachel Cotter, RLA. Dorchester County, South Carolina, is home to diverse ecosystems, including swamps, blackwater rivers, bottomland hardwood forests, longleaf pine savannahs and tidal marshes. Residents and visitors can partake in outdoor recreational activities across the county’s vast park system, trails, waterways and forests. The county, however, has undergone significant growth and development in recent years, and has embraced the challenge of managing rapid urban growth while also trying to mitigate environmental damage and degradation.