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Watershed Links

Blackstone Headwaters Hydrology Project

Blackstone River Watershed Association

Blackstone River Watershed Council

Indian Lake Watershed Association

Leesville Pond Watershed Association

MA Dept of Environmental Protection

MA EOEA Watershed  Initiative

Mass Riverways Program

Metacomet Land Trust

Pawtucket Hydropower

Blackstone Headwaters Coalition

Mass Audubon Society Broad Meadow Brook

John H Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

Past accomplishments:

   The citizens of Worcester, Princeton, Paxton and Leicester are very fortunate to have beautiful, natural places immediately available to us, unfortunately, these places are continuously being threatened by urban development.

   Originally founded in 1985 as the Coes Pond Watershed Association, the members have since expanded to encompass the entire Tatnuck Brook Sub-basin and have successfully lobbied to protect the watershed and its remaining land cover.

Airport Construction and Siltation in the Tatnuck Brook Watershed:

  The construction of the Worcester airport in the 1950,s led to  problems of  increasing and erosion around the airport perimeter where soil had been steeply graded sediment build up in the streams and lakes located below the airport.      

   Steady communication with city officials has since resulted in substantial remediation of this problem and we hope that the completion of an airport road reconstruction project in the next year or two will complete the necessary channeling and filtration of storm run-off and reduce the transport of sediment into the water bodies.

Deicing fluid that flows into Patches Pond and eventually into the Blackstone River has also been a problem, especially during the 1990's when the airport was especially active. TBWA vigilance has led to public recognition and resolution of this problem

Protection and rehabilitation of Coes Reservoir:

Coes Reservior  and Coes Beach facing North

The old Coes Knife Factory, abandoned in the early 1980's was a burned out ruin for more then a decade until the City, at the urging of TBWA members, purchased the property, razed the buildings, cleaned up the site, planted grass and sought community input into a plan for converting the site to a park.

   In 2003, the Knights of Columbus decided to sell off some of their wooded property on Coes Reservoir, The TBWA worked closely with the Worcester land trust, the Knights, and the Worcester City Parks and Recreation Department, the Commonwealth and citizens whose land adjoined the Knights' land.

With money from the Federal, State and Worcester governments, a large parcel of land was able to be conserved. Some of the land will become playground and playing fields, some will be kept in its natural state, the Knights will keep their meeting hall and a public footpath will be open through Columbus Park and all the way to the new park that is planned for the old Coes Knife site on the southeast corner of the pond.

The structurally unsafe Coes Reservoir Dam and also the soil on the Coes Knife site are contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls and other industrial pollutants. The TBWA collaborated with other organizations to call attention to the need for dam reconstruction and PCB removal. The City hired a contractor who tested the site and has currently set aside money for cleanup work that will begin in the late summer of 2005.

Current Projects:

   Unless we continue our vigilance, the Tatnuck Brook Watershed may eventually be spoiled by sprawling development,  lawn chemicals, spilled oil and gas, litter, sulfur compounds and mercury in the air. Only active participation by citizens can prevent or reduce the degradation to the environment in our watershed, or anywhere, for that matter!!

2004-2005

In  November, 2004, we began collaboration with the Massachusetts Community Water Watch organization  to conduct a shoreline survey in the area where Tatnuck Brook joins Beaver Brook behind the car wash on Park Avenue. We will continue this shoreline survey upstream and publish the results on our web site.


As in past years, we will organize an Earth Day cleanup around Coes Reservoir and will also particioate in the Earth Day Celebration.

   We also expect to work with the Massachusetts Fisherman's Association to organize a fishing derby on Coes Reservoir. Watch this site for details!

   We hope to actively engage in education and outreach activities in order to expand our membership and to promote stewardship within the community and the watershed.

We have started a video that will document some of the history of the Tatnuck Watershed and hope to complete this video in 2005 and to broadcast this video on Worcester's cable channel.

   As always we look forward to meeting with other Worcester environmental organizations and the new City administration to discuss ways that we can work together to meet environmental goals consistent with the TBWA vision and mission.

  After the Coes Reservoir Dam is reconstructed, more soil testing and environmental remediation will be required before the site can be fully transformed into a park. TBWA will continue to provide input into the decisions and opportunities for conservation that are related to this work.

    Webster Square, Main St circa 1870(photo curtsey of Dan Dick)