Reports: Executive Director’s Reports

June 27, 2008

  1. DCR - DCR confirmed at the June 4 public meeting that the recharge system will be installed early in the interim repair project for the Storrow Drive tunnel. If all goes well, we should see recharge from the project into the BWSC installed galleries on Back Street later this year.
  2. MBTA - The Action Team, including BGwT, reviewed the request for proposals prepared by the MBTA to solicit designers for the Back Bay Station area groundwater improvement project. The proposals were due at the T today. The T plans to award the design contract after its September Board meeting.
  3. BWSC - BWSC continues to be responsive to our requests. We saw some improvement near the manhole that they repaired at Dartmouth and Beacon Streets in our last set of readings. Hopefully, readings will be back to their normal level when we check them next week.
  4. GCOD - There have now been almost 90 recharge systems approved by BWSC and the Board of Appeals. Groundwater levels in areas with recharge rose more than other areas when we had high levels of rainfall, and those areas appear to retain higher levels longer than other areas. I will be meeting with the BRA’s project managers next month to review the procedures involved with GCOD to make sure that we can eliminate some of the confusion that has arisen for some projects that have been undergoing Article 80 Small Project review.
  5. North End - Dye was discovered in an MTA pumping station near Haymarket. It was traced back to a storm drain in the exit ramp near Fulton and Cross Streets. The MTA is still considering what the next step will be to eliminate the groundwater flow to the drain.
  6. Website - Traffic at the website has dropped off somewhat in June, as tends to happen in summer months. We have posted a link to an interesting report prepared by an MIT graduate student on the groundwater problem in Boston.
  7. Recharge - Nancy Grilk and I met with a representative of the Boston Public Schools to discuss the possibility of a pilot installation of porous pavement in one of their parking areas in the GCOD. We are hopeful to reach agreement soon on proceeding.
  8. Meetings - I attended scoping sessions on the Seaport Square, Grand Marc at St Botolph, and 350 Boylston Street projects, as well as public meetings on the Storrow Drive and 350 Boylston Street projects.
  9. Comment Letters - I filed comment letters on the Seaport Square, Boston East, and Grand Marc at St Botolph projects, all of which are posted, as always, on our website. I expect to file comments in the next few weeks on the 350 Boylston Street and Copley Place expansion projects.
  10. Financial Report - With the fiscal year ending on June 30, I have made arrangements for our annual financial review.