Harbor News is designed by The Boston Harbor Association to keep the general public current on a number of new and ongoing activities and initiatives around Boston Harbor. Click on any of the topics below for more information.

• Boston Harbor Environmental Trail / Nature Walk Guide
• TBHA's Responsible Boating Initiative
• Condor Street Urban Wild 
• Boundary Review of the Mystic River Designated Port Area
• Boundary Review of the East Boston Designated Port Area
• Waterfront Development 
• Review of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan
• South Boston Combined Sewer Overflow Reassessment 
• Boston Harbor's "No Discharge Zone" process 
• Long Island Limited Access Plan 
• The New Charles River Basin and North Point Park

Thanks to support from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, The Boston Harbor Association is working on a brochure for a self-guided Boston Harbor Environmental Trail. This guide is designed to inform urban families, visitors, and students about the environmental benefits from the $3.8 billion Boston Harbor Project, including the greater diversity of fauna and flora as a result of the improved water quality, cleaner beaches, and new public open spaces. 

This guide is part of TBHA’s continuing efforts to promote environmental stewardship of the harbor’s natural resources, and highlights fauna and flora that visitors might see at different locations along Boston’s waterfront neighborhoods and on the Harbor Islands. The guide will be printed in both English and Spanish. 

If you are interested in reviewing a draft of the guide or would like to receive a copy of the final version, please contact TBHA at (617) 482-1722 or mail@tbha.org.

While celebrating the dramatic improvements in water quality in Boston Harbor, The Boston Harbor Association continues to address remaining water pollution issues. During Summer 2003, TBHA continued an outreach program with boaters to promote a cleaner Harbor. To minimize the impacts from recreational boating, TBHA's Responsible Boating Initiative disseminated to boaters information and materials encouraging environmental stewardship and promoting environmentally sound behavior.

Thanks to a grant form the Boat U.S. Foundation, TBHA produced and distributed 2000 pamphlets of the “Boaters' Guide to a Cleaner Boston Harbor” to local marinas and yacht clubs. TBHA also handed out 250 bilge socks (eco-friendly devices which absorb excess petroleum before the bilge water is pumped overboard) to recreational boaters. The bilge socks were made available free of charge, courtesy of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). If used to their capacity, these bilge socks have the potential to prevent more than 1,100 quarts of petroleum product from entering the marine ecosystem. Besides CZM, The Boston Harbor Association also coordinated its Responsible Boating Initiative with the City of Boston, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston. A limited number of pamphlets, pump out location charts, and bilge socks are still available free of charge from TBHA at 617-482-1722.

Last fall, East Boston residents and waterfront visitors began enjoying the Condor Street Urban Wild. A four and a half acre site managed by the City of Boston's Park and Recreation Department, the open space includes salt marshes along the shoreline, public art, and a landscaped area planted with native trees and meadow grasses and passive walkways leading through the site to a boardwalk and viewing platform overlooking Chelsea Creek.

The focal point of the Urban Wild is a 30-foot conical mound, which offers excellent views from its summit. Interpretive displays are incorporated to provide information to the public about the ecology and history of Chelsea Creek. A rock garden, with beautifully carved granite rocks tells the history of East Boston and its famous shipbuilder, Donald McKay.

In October 2002, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) completed a review of the boundaries of the Charlestown Shore portion of the Mystic River Designated Port Area (DPA). The full contents of CZM's boundary review are available on CZM's website at www.state.ma.us/czm/publications.htm within the "Regulatory Decisions, Supports, and Notices" section. For additional information, call Maureen Gaffney of CZM at 617-727-9530. To receive a copy of The Boston Harbor Association's comment letter, call TBHA at 617-482-1722.

In December 2002, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) completed a review of the boundaries of the East Boston Designated Port Area (DPA). This review found that the DPA as currently configured is in substantial conformance with DPA designation standards. Modifications to the current DPA boundaries included changing the boundaries to remove the Umana/Barnes School and the upland portions of 4-26 New Street. The public comment period for boundary review closed in late February and the final decision is expected to be completed this Spring. The full contents of CZM's boundary review are available on CZM's website at www.state.ma.us/czm/publications.htm within the "Regulatory Decisions, Supports, and Notices" section. For additional information, call Maureen Gaffney of CZM at 617-727-9530. To receive a copy of The Boston Harbor Association's comment letter, call TBHA at 617-482-1722.

A. Fort Point Channel Watersheet Activation Plan

Implementation of the Plan will take place over the next decade as new development occurs in the Fort Point Channel area. Considerable public sector improvements are well underway, including the completion of the HarborWalk around the Fort Point Channel and a new water transportation facility at 500 Atlantic Avenue by early 2005 as part of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project's mitigation requirements, removal of an abandoned water line and derelict pilings in conjunction with the renovation of the Congress Street Bridge, a new park next to The Children's Museum in 2005 as part of the MBTA Transitway Project's mitigation, and the completion of the South Boston Transitway Project in late 2004.

B. Municipal Harbor Planning

East Boston Municipal Harbor Plan
In July 2002, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs approved the Boston Redevelopment Authority's (BRA) Municipal Harbor Plan (MHP) for the East Boston Waterfront. The MHP establishes a framework for future land uses along the East Boston waterfront in compliance with the regulatory context of the Massachusetts Waterways Regulations. The MHP was formulated in consultation with an Advisory Committee that involves residents, property owners, government agencies and advocacy groups, including The Boston Harbor Association. Following the Secretary's decision, the BRA is undertaking a Designated Port Area (DPA) Master Plan that will address the portions of East Boston that are mandated by state regulations to be reserved for water-dependent industrial uses.

• South Boston Municipal Harbor Plan
  Amendment In November 2002, the BRA submitted an amendment to the South Boston Municipal Harbor Plan to the Secretary of Environmental Affairs. This amendment is designed accommodate the design of a new Institute for Contemporary Art on the Fan Pier. The amendment requested two modifications to the South Boston MHP to allow: 
• The encroachment of the fourth floor overhang over the Harborwalk into the vertical plane above it; and 
• Reductions in the 30-foot setback zone in certain locations

The Boston Harbor Association served on the Advisory Committee for the South Boston Municipal Harbor Plan and has submitted comment letters to on the MHP and the amendment.

Fort Point Downtown Municipal Harbor Plan, Phase 1 (500 Atlantic Ave.)

In May 2002, the Fort Point Downtown Municipal Harbor Plan (MHP), Phase 1 was submitted by the BRA to Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM). The Fort Point Downtown MHP, Phase 1 covers a 122,000 square foot parcel at 500 Atlantic Ave most of which is filled tidelands.

Current CA/T plans will place a 240-foot tall vent structure for the depressed Central Artery on the site. Boston Edison Company (now Nstar), the property owner, is working with a development team to construct a 20-story hotel and residential condominium building with ground floor retail uses surrounding the ventilation tower. The Fort Point Channel Downtown MHP, Phase 1 recommends these hotel, residential and retail use as well as the incorporation of a number of public amenities. It also requests a height substitution for the development, allowing it to exceed what is permitted under Chapter 91 so that the building can adequately provide mitigation for the ventilation stacks.

In November 2002, the developer, Intell Boston Harbor LLC submitted a Chapter 91 Waterways License Application for 500 Atlantic Avenue requesting a substitution that allows for a building height that exceeds the Chapter 91 limit.

The Boston Harbor Association served on the Advisory Committee and has submitted a comment letter to CZM on both the Fort Point Downtown MHP and the Chapter 91 License Application.

For a complete list of recent TBHA comment letters, please see the Policy Positions Page (Click here).

The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary protects 842 square miles of submerged seafloor and waters at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay. Identified as "an area of special national significance", Stellwagen Bank supports large numbers of marine life including seabirds, fish, sea turtles, invertebrates, and marine animals. The Sanctuary offers opportunities for wildlife viewing, education, research, and monitoring and is easily accessible from the Boston Area.

The current Management Plan for the Sanctuary, developed in 1993, is undergoing a review process. The new plan will outline functions, regulations, boundaries, staffing and budget needs, and set priorities for future programs and activities. This process, begun in late 1998 will address areas of concern for Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary. These concerns include alterations of seafloor habitat and ecosystem protection, impacts of human activities on marine animals, condition of water quality, lack of public awareness, and effective enforcement. Most recently, a series of scoping meetings and the public comment period concluded in October, 2002. A number of comments made in this forum concerned sewage discharges and the possibility of imposing speed restrictions within the Sanctuary's boundaries. During Winter and Spring 2003, a review process developed plans of action based on input from citizens. The Final Management Plan will be released in mid-2004. For more information on this process, call (781) 545-8026 or visit www.stellwagen.nos.noaa.gov.

Since Fall 2001, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) has been reexamining alternatives to control Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) discharges into North Dorchester Bay and the Reserved Channel. CSO discharges contribute to water quality standards violations and beach closings in South Boston during wet weather. A previous CSO control plan had been approved in 1997, but was not implemented due to community concerns about facility siting. The reassessment process considers a range of CSO control alternatives, including projects with different costs and different levels of CSO control. TBHA strongly supports the improvement of water quality along Boston Harbor Beaches.

During Phase I of the Reassessment, MWRA identified four major control options, with associated costs and levels of CSO control:

Option 1: Constructing a second sewer parallel to the current interceptor under Day Blvd and sewer separation adjacent to the Reserved channel. At an estimated cost of $100 million, this option requires the least amount of construction and no long-term aboveground facilities. This option would prevent CSO discharges to North Dorchester Bay in rain events during a typical rainfall year.

Option 2: Constructing a storage tunnel along North Dorchester Bay with a pump-out facility (4-acre construction site) and odor control facility (0.75-acre construction site) at either end in addition to sewer separation at Reserved Channel. The estimated cost of this option ranges from $130-230 million and would prevent CSO discharges to North Dorchester Bay during storms up to a 25-year storm event.

Option 3: Same facility and construction requirements as Option 2 as well as phased in sewer separation along North Dorchester Bay. At an estimated cost of $190-270 million, this option provides similar levels of CSO control as Option 2.

Option 4: Construction of a consolidation conduit along North Dorchester Bay and a 6-10 acre site for building a 600 million gallon per day (mgd) pumping/treatment and odor control facility. At an estimated cost of $220-330 million, this option is the most costly and eliminates CSO discharges to North Dorchester Bay during any size storm. The exact cost depends on where the facility is located.

At the most recent public meeting on 16 December, MWRA staff presented results of further screening which reduced the number of alternatives that will be carried forward into Phase II of the Reassessment. This screening eliminated alternatives that cost significantly more but do not provide a higher level of CSO control. For example Option 3 will not be carried forward since it provides similar CSO prevention as Option 2, but at a cost of nearly $60 million more.

Concerns raised during this meeting included the consequences of siting the 600 mgd facility near neighborhoods in South Boston, the impact of building this facility in a Designated Port Area (such as Conley Terminal) which would compete for land that could be used for water dependent businesses, and issues of final cost for some of the more expensive alternatives.

Phase II of the Reassessment began in February 2003 and included completion of a water quality monitor and modeling program and more detailed evaluations of remaining control alternatives and siting options. MWRA filed a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report in 2003, including a new recommended plan for CSO control in South Boston, which was subsequently appointed in 2004.

The City of Boston filed a formal petition for "No Discharge Zone' designation for the Boston Harbor in early 2003 with the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program.

In August 2002, the City of Boston released its Long Island Limited Public Access Plan setting forth Mayor Thomas M. Menino's vision of opening Long Island Head and Parade Ground to Boston residents and visitors. The Office of Environmental Services and the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership propose water transportation access to Long Island, recommend a permanent handicapped-accessible pier, and suggest management and landscaping changes to implement limited public access. The City envisions the Long Island Shelter's organic garden and "Serving Ourselves" culinary job training program providing food services for Long Island tours and potentially other parts of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area over the long-term. The Mayor's vision builds on the successful activities already on Long Island, including the City's Harbor Discoveries camp, a partnership with the New England Aquarium, the Public Health Commission's Kids with Asthma - Can Camp, and the City of Boston's Park and Recreation Department's Fishing Derby.

The New Charles River Basin will link the Charles River Reservation with Boston Harbor, reshaping the river and its banks in what is referred to as the "lost half mile." The goal of the Department of Conservation and Recreation is to reinvigorate and rediscover this under-used resource as a new recreational opportunity that will connect the 19th Century Metropolitan Park System with Boston's developing waterfront.

Project plans include over 40 acres of new parks and greenways, more than one mile of shoreline improvements, and over seven miles of pedestrian, bicycle and ADA-accessible pathways. These new features will allow increased accessibility to Boston Harbor for thousands of park users on the Esplanade and the Charles River path system.

North Point Park is a major component in the New Charles River Basin. Groundbreaking for the "newest jewel in the Metropolitan Park System's Charles River Basin" took place on 13 June, 2002. When complete in early 2004, the nine-acre North Point Park will have a playground, pedestrian and bicycle paths, extensive trees, shrubs and flower plantings. The park will also include the creation of two islands, five pedestrian bridges, a canal and 1,500 square feet of restored wetlands. The site is located opposite of the Museum of Science in Cambridge across the O'Brien Highway.

For more information on this project and others, including the design of the Charles River Basin above the Museum of Science, please check out the Department of Conservation and Recreation's website at www.state.ma.us/mdc.

The Boston Harbor Association   -   374 Congress Street, Suite 609   -   Boston, MA 02210   -   617-482-1722 (P)   -   617-482-9750 (F)   -   mail@tbha.org