| October 26, 2006
| Along with Jim Hunt, I met with a City Councilor LaMattina and a delegation of North End residents to go over the groundwater situation in the neighborhood and to discuss the considerations about whether to extend the GCOD into that area. We agreed to meet again soon as the City got closer to making a decision to make sure that there would be adequate neighborhood input. |
| June 21, 2007
| Along with John Sullivan, I attended the June meeting of the North End Waterfront Residents Association groundwater committee (I had previously attended the meeting in May). John shared the information that he had about the condition of BWSC pipes in the area and plans to begin the video study of the low pipes in the next few days. He also went through some of the changes to piping in the area that could have impacted the former tidal flooding of basements that also served to keep pilings wet. |
| August 2, 2007
| BWSC and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority are investigating an area of very low groundwater between Fulton Street and the Callahan Tunnel approach. Our wells in the area show nearby zones with much higher levels. All parties are working to discover the cause and extent of the depression. |
| September 27, 2007
| There will be a meeting of concerned agencies on October 9 to discuss groundwater issues in the North End, focused on the area around Fulton, Richmond, and Commercial Streets. There are locations in the area where very low groundwater readings are occurring close to where we have wells with much higher readings. |
| October 25, 2007
| We are scheduled to install an injection well in the BRA owned parking lot near Fulton and Cross Streets so that BWSC can inject dye into the ground so that we can attempt to find where the groundwater is going. There is a very sudden and drastic dropoff in groundwater levels occurring in that area, and no one has been able to come up with a reason. Infrastructure inspections to date have not shown a cause. |
| November 29, 2007
| We have encountered some unanticipated delays in the installation of the injection well in the parking lot at Fulton Street. Our first attempt literally struck an underground brick wall. Christian identified a nearby site which was vacuumed yesterday. The injection well is scheduled to be installed tomorrow. |
| December 20, 2007
| The injection well was installed in the parking lot in the North End and a substantial amount of dye was injected. Because of freeze concerns, flow to the well has been cut off; however, both BWSC and the MTA are continuing to monitor multiple locations for the dye. Additional dye may be injected when the weather gets a little warmer. |
| January 31, 2008
| BWSC injected over 500,000 gallons of water with green dye at the injection well that we installed in the North End. So far none has been seen. They plan to resume the process when the weather warms up. BWSC, the MTA, and the Trust are looking for dye at locations where it is thought likely to show up. |
| April 29, 2008
| BWSC is once again injecting dye at the well installed in the North End to attempt to understand why there is a huge variation in groundwater levels in a short distance in the area near Fulton Street. They are inspecting multiple BWSC and MTA locations daily but have yet to find any of the dye. |
| May 29, 2008
| 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 considering what the next step will be to eliminate the groundwater flow to the drain. |
| June 27, 2008
| 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. |
