Vandals are said to be the source of the release, which happened early in the morning on Sunday, August 8th. Black River Produce, a long-standing community partner in North Springfield, hosts a diesel fuel pump on their lot to service their fleet of delivery trucks. Over 4,000 gallons of fuel are estimated to have washed into the storm drain on the lot and poured out the drainage pipe directly into the Black River on the other side of the road.
I took this photo at our kayak dock/sampling station down at Riverside Middle School this evening about 6:30, and you can see there is still a sheen of oil. I did spot a few crayfish and one bottom-dwelling slimy sculpin, but no river bugs. Perhaps they sensed my presence and hid or fled, but I didnt see a single caddisfly or scud or boatman…nothing. I’ll know more as I do bug hunts over the next few weeks; I am hoping to get down there in the morning tomorrow or Friday with my net and will post results.
The Springfield Fire Department agrees that the fuel will most likely be long gone by our annual RiverSweep on August 28th: as the river slowly pushes the water downstream, what fuel escapes the boom will be evaporated by the many waterfalls on the river.
I am in touch with Black River Produce to see if there is any way we can help them with cleanup or anything at all. A good rain storm will help dissipate the fuel and wash it off the rocky shores, so it can more easily be vacuumed up by the cleanup company hired by BRP.
Broken pine tree becomes potential oasis for wildlife.
Early in the spring, a large pine tree behind the Springfield Shopping Plaza cracked and the top half splashed into the river. It floated downstream just a short ways and lodged into the silty bottom, it’s branches sticking up out of the water. Over the next few months and years, I plan to keep a photographic record of its development as wildlife takes advantage of this new habitat.
Mark your calendars, it’s official! This is the 11th Annual RiverSweep, taking place at all points along the Black River in Windsor County, VT. We share our results with our umbrella organization, the CT River Watershed Council, to combine with their trash tally for the annual Source-to-Sea cleanup they do.
As usual, I’ll have an HQ station at the Springfield Shopping Plaza (in the bank drive-up near the footbridge) and at the gazebo on the Town Green in Veterans’ Park in Ludlow. Come on by anytime between 8am and noon to sign in, pick up your free tee shirt and refreshments, grab a pair of workgloves and a trash bag and see where you’d like to work.
Stay for an hour or all morning! Free lunch is generously donated by local businesses, as a ‘thank you’ for donating your time and elbow-grease.
Can’t make it on the 28th? Show your support by mailing us a check in any amount, and we’ll use it to offset the costs of our projects throughout the year. Send it to the BRAT, 45 Coolidge Road, Springfield VT 05156.
Tax-deductible donations may be mailed (with “BRAT” in the memo section) to the CT River Watershed Council, 15 Bank Row, Greenfield MA 01301.
Join the fun as we clean the river from bed to banks and beyond!
It’s been ten years since our first ripple! We have grown from a once-a-year cleanup with a handful of folks to a dynamic, organic grassroots team of dozens of wonderful volunteers.
From hunting river bugs to exploring the upper reaches of our watershed, we’ve really begun to have FUN!
There are big plans for lots of great projects and events for 2010, so stay tuned.
I’m working up a grant proposal to see us through 2010; so many cool projects either continuing or evolving, some new ones, and best of all, some new faces and partners!
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/waterq/lakes/docs/lp_watershed.appl%20guide%202010.pdf
A river is an intricate puzzle, with many pieces or elements coming together in various ways to influence each other and the overall system.
