October 27, 2008

Hodgson Brook Restoration Project receives EPA support

PORTSMOUTH - The Hodgson Brook Restoration Project has been selected by EPA as one of fifteen New England environmental organizations to receive loans of water monitoring equipment. The water level recording instrument awarded to the Hodgson Brook project will allow for the continuous monitoring of the water depth in the brook.

"Because of development and roadways around the brook, much of the rain which falls in the watershed flows directly through storm drains into the brook instead of soaking into the ground," said Hodgson Brook Watershed Coordinator Candace Dolan. "The increased stormwater flowing into the brook ends up in the North Mill Pond and contains pollutants from the watershed and sediment from eroding stream banks. It also washes out habitat that is important for the survival of many smaller species."

The equipment will allow project staff to record rainfall and determine how rainfall affects this urban brook. It will also help assess the Brook's current condition and, over time, determine the effectiveness of efforts to restore the brook.

The equipment loan program in New England, initiated by EPA in 2006, was the first EPA program of its kind in the nation. This is the third year of the loan program and the second time the Hodgson Brook Project has been selected.

The restoration project for Hodgson Brook is focused on improving the water quality and habitats of the Brook and has been designed as a collaborative effort between the Advocates of North Mill Pond, a neighborhood association, the NH Department of Environmental Services Volunteer River Assessment Program, the City of Portsmouth, and other local agencies. The Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation acts as the fiscal agent for the project.