Combined Sewer Overflows: Do's and Don’ts Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) events occur when there is heavy rainfall that causes a combined sewer system to get overwhelmed, causing household sewage to be discharged into a nearby body of water. We experienced the worst...
CSO's in the Merrimack River We experienced the worst year on record for Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) events in the Merrimack River in 2023, with over 2 billion gallons of sewage being discharged into the river, toppling the previous record of ~ 800 million gallons....
Spring has sprung in the Merrimack Valley! As Earth Day approaches, local communities are gearing up for a celebration of our planet through a variety of efforts, and MVPC has rounded them up below for easy planning! Events...
So, we’ve all heard of March Madness (a month to revel in the joys and woes of everyone’s favorite college court sport), but…have you heard of MARSH Madness (a month to ‘ohh’ and ‘awe’ over the truly mind-boggling benefits that our coastal wetlands provide)? During...
Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) events are a common and concerning occurrences in the Merrimack River. CSOs occur during instances of heavy rainfall when the volume of sewage and rain exceed system capacity, causing untreated stormwater and wastewater to discharge...
On a clear and blustery day in November, we geared up and headed out to Plum Island. With buckets of loamy soil, shakers of nutrients, spades, and bundles of American beach grass, we made our way towards the ocean, stopping at the top of the sand dunes. Over the next...
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), in collaboration with the Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC), Groundwork Lawrence (GWL), and the Cities of Methuen and Lawrence, are excited to share an opportunity for the public to learn about ongoing efforts to...
MVPC has been awarded new funding in the realm of regional clean energy planning for the Merrimack Valley communities.
This year, MVPC’s Environmental Program hosted a Trails and Sails event! Trails and Sails is a free ten-day event series (9/15-9/24) put on by Essex Heritage. Community groups and organizations host different programs as part of the series to build awareness about the...
In Northeast Massachusetts, we are fortunate to have an abundance of coastline. While we often think of sandy beaches and rocky bluffs, there is a diversity of habitats that make up our coastal ecosystem. Vegetated sand dunes, salt marshes, and coastal shrublands...