Environmental Values Assessment ReportOn the Muddy River Restoration Project: Summary
About this Report
This report is an environmental values assessment of the Muddy River Restoration Project (MRRP). The MRRP is the proposal to dredge the Muddy River and other bodies of water within the Emerald Necklace park system (in Boston, Brookline, Jamaica Plain, MA), for the purpose of "flood damage reduction and environmental restoration".[1] An environmental values assessment (EVA) is a means of assessing those values in an ecosystem not within the purview of a standard environmental impact assessment (EIA). Thus, an EVA involves a more comprehensive assessment of the goods and values in an ecosystem - recreational, educational, social, cultural, aesthetic, biological, and non-commodity - impacted by a specific project than does an EIA. The rationale for undertaking EVAs is that the narrowness of focus of EIAs results in significant ecological and social impacts being omitted or marginalized in project decision-making processes - including those regarding whether a project should be undertaken at all. Whereas an EIA assesses only the economic and ecosystems services dimensions of a project, an EVA assesses a project also in terms of its impact on biological values and values associated with the experience of place.
The MRRP is proposed for the Emerald Necklace, at the center of which is the Muddy River, as well as the bodies of water it connects. The Emerald Necklace is an aesthetic jewel, valued by some humans, and by all its wild inhabitants and migrants. For the wild-things it is life. For humans it is an oasis - a green buffer, a rest for the eye, ear, nose, and for feet a break from paved surfaces. It is a source of inspiration, and a place to observe, to appreciate, and to learn from, and about, the plants and creatures that inhabit this place.
The Emerald Necklace has a history of misuse, neglect, encroachment, pollution and erosion, but the history of excavation and construction should not lessen the value of this area as an ecology where systems have established themselves and stabilized the area. The Muddy River is first and foremost a river.
This report asks: What is the "value" of what is on-going in this area at all times? It seeks to broaden the definition of "stakeholder", beyond institutions and government entities to include the frequenters: the turtles, birds, trees, fish, as well as the human visitors and appreciators. The goal of this report is to encourage alternative, inclusive ways for considering our impacts on those living, ongoing, struggling systems that comprise the Emerald Necklace - and the hope is that these will inform, if not help guide decision-making processes.
Summary
The environmental values present in the Muddy River area are educational, scientific, aesthetic, ecological (the value of the system itself), ecosystem services, recreational, cultural/spiritual (connection to place, our membership in the natural community, renewal/respite, character/appreciation development), and biological (the value of the organisms both to themselves and to each other).
The proposed Muddy River Restoration Project (MRRP) involves dredging the Muddy River from the Victory Gardens area at Boylston Street through to Ward’s Pond in Jamaica Plain, in order to widen and deepen the river and to “eradicate” the mats of the emergent reed Phragmites. In two areas where the river was buried and channeled into undersized culverts, the proposal is to re-open the river to the surface (daylighting), and to accommodate its width and carrying capacity by new bridge construction. Six staging areas will be constructed to allow for the launching of dredging equipment, unloading and loading of flat-bed and dump trucks, dewatering of sediments, and some decontamination activities. The dredging spoils sediment and reed mats will be disposed of in an out-of-state hazardous waste facility due to their level of toxicity (e.g. lead). The "eradication" program for the Phragmites includes repeated treatment of the area with herbicides for an undetermined number of years, perhaps in perpetuity. Costs for a portion of the project, those involving designs and construction, will be split among federal, state and municipal entities: however, the environmental restoration portion of the project will not be shared by the federal government. The cost for the project is estimated to be around $70 million--for construction, not restoration.
The impacts of the MRRP on the values of this place are substantial and far beyond what are identified in the EIA or being given serious consideration by the proponents of the proposed restoration. The established ecology will be damaged and/or destroyed, then replaced by minimal plantings of smaller plants stressed by the transplanting. In addition to the attrition on the mature ecology and habitat, educational opportunities used by schools and institutes will be lost or compromised, as will the recreational opportunities of artists, birders, walkers, and others who enjoy the place.
Moreover, the restoration "plan" involves implausibly optimistic and scientifically unsupported assumptions about the recovery of the place. It also assumes a sustained commitment to maintenance and financial support by responsible agencies, which is unwarranted given the history of inadequate care of the area.
Furthermore, the necessity for this project is questionable. Regarding pollution, none of the sources of the ongoing pollution that enters the area have been eliminated or mitigated;e.g. storm drains, Stoney Brook, Tannery Brook at the "industrial island" and storm-water runoff. Concerning flooding, the frequency and severity of future flooding cannot be anticipated with any degree of accuracy. However, alleviating flow restrictions by correcting the undersized culverts and opening the river (without damaging the existing trees), as well as by bridge construction would relieve the major choke-area for much of the flooding, infrequent as it is. Moreover, by carefully supplementing existing trees and plants, rather than ripping out or damaging what's already there, by filling in shade gaps and anticipating aging canopies, the biodiversity of the area could be increased gradually and the habitat enriched with minimal ecological damage and, likely, lower costs. As to Phragmites, studies on the rate of, and reason for, their spread have not been undertaken: e.g. the source of nutrient load, nor have studies on the possible benefits of their presence:e.g. bank stabilization or bioremediation of toxics. Therefore, their "eradication" is not justified, nor can it be used to justify this project.
The detrimental impact of the Muddy River Restoration Project on the diverse values inherent in the Muddy River area is enormous. The necessity of the project is questionable, at best. The economic costs of the project, restoration, and maintenance are substantial. The proposed restoration plan is woefully inadequate. The Muddy River and the Fens embody values as commons, public good, community asset, and valuable habitat, therefore, this report concludes that the MRRP, as now proposed, is not desirable and should not proceed.
[1] - Army Corp of Engineers, Update Report for Massachusetts (October 2006)
