Organization for the Assabet River
Damonmill Square
Concord, MA 01742
Tel: 978-369-3956
Email: oar@assabetriver.org
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Intel Massachusetts Establishes $1.5M Fund to Develop Groundwater Recharge Project in Assabet River Watershed
The following is a press release from Intel Corporation CONTACT:
HUDSON, Mass., June 3, 2002 - Intel Corporation announced today that it is setting up a $1.5 million fund to support groundwater recharge projects in the Assabet River watershed. On its own campus in Hudson, Intel will reroute storm water from its storm basins and catch drains to a new 2.5-acre infiltration basin. The water there will percolate into экскурсии на катере в Санкт-Петербурге the ground and add an average of 175,000 gallons per day to the natural base flow or groundwater inflow into the Assabet River. The Intel fund can support a variety of projects that capture, store, and recharge storm water into natural aquifers that supply a steady base flow to the Assabet. The fund could also pay for projects that recharge aquifers with highly treated wastewater, or for small-scale projects that store storm water with cisterns or dry wells. . "Intel has decided to take a leadership position in encouraging projects that will return storm water to ground water in one of the fastest-growing areas of the state," said Intel Massachusetts Public Affairs Manager Ann Hurd. "Too much storm water goes down storm drains, into the river, and out to the ocean. Our fund will encourage model projects along the Assabet Watershed that will demonstrate how storm water can be returned to the aquifers, where it will help maintain both base flow in the Assabet River and sustainable municipal water supplies." Intel has asked the Organization for the Assabet River (OAR) to join the advisory board that will direct Intel's groundwater recharge fund. "Intel is providing a good model of sustainable, industrial development that should be replicated by other water users," said OAR Director Julia Blatt. "We appreciate Intel's willingness to work with us to develop this approach to mitigation, and to reach out to the environmental community in general. "We look forward to a long-term working relationship with Intel, and to working with other water users to replicate this program elsewhere in the watershed." Sustainable development means taking logical steps to protect the future "Intel's decision to build a storm water recharge system on its own Hudson campus, and fund similar projects in the Assabet Watershed, demonstrates that "sustainable development" is more than a phrase. It's a series of logical steps that we can take today to protect our future," said Robert Durand, Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs. "Intel's investments bring us closer to the day when MetroWest business, government, and other builders will routinely include such recharge systems in their development plans." The Assabet River does not meet applicable water quality standards because it carries excessive nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) contributed by seven wastewater treatment plants, story water runoff, and sediments. Efforts to increase and sustain base flow help the Assabet, particularly during the low-flow period from July to September, when additional base flow can dilute nutrients and other pollutants and keeps Assabet tributaries from drying up. Over the long-term, the proportion of treated wastewater in the Assabet will grow unless base flow increases. The increasing number of wells in the MetroWest area, as well as withdrawals from ponds and other surface waters, can reduce base flow into the Assabet Watershed. So can paving for roadways, parking lots and other building, which blocks storm water from naturally recharging the aquifers that feed the Assabet. Intel and OAR welcome grant applications from Assabet River watershed municipalities and private, nonprofit organizations in the Assabet River Watershed. Consultants may also apply on behalf of a town or private, nonprofit organization. Letters of interest, the first step in the proposal process, are due October 1, 2002, and announcement of grant awards are expected in spring 2003. Grant applications can find a Request for Proposal (RFP form on both the Intel and OAR Websites at www.intel.com/go/tomassachusetts and www.assabetriver.org respectively (starting in July -ed) Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom. *Third party marks and brands are property of their respective holders.
For more information: Contact Julia Blatt
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Intel
to Build Catch Basin on its Hudson Campus to Recharge 175,000
Gallons per Day