Why join the BRWA?
- protect and preserve local waterways
- ensure that rivers and streams in the Blackstone Valley are monitored and that water quality is constantly improved
- restore the healthy relationship between man and his environment
- guarantee that your voice is heard by local officials
- become part of a larger group of like minded individuals
- volunteer in your own neighborhood
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Calendar of Events
Come to the… BRWA Member Paddle
- Sundays 12 noon to 4pm
- River Bend Farm Visitor Center
- July 12, 1009, Pendragon
- July 19, 1009, Rainbow Palette Art & Music Fest
- August 9, 2009, Smokey Bear's 65th Birthday Celebration
- August 30, 2009, Quintessential Brass Band
- September 13, 2009, Grandparents' Day
- October 4, 2009, Blackstone Valley Heritage Homecoming
- Members can use the BRWA canoes for free.
- Not a member? You can join the BRWA and use the canoes for free all 5 Sundays.
More things to do this summer
What is the BRWA?
The Blackstone River Watershed Association (BRWA) was founded in 1976 and is dedicated to enhancing and preserving the Blackstone River system and its watershed. In support of this commitment, BRWA monitors conditions, identifies areas of concern, and engages local citizens in the protection and enjoyment of our natural resources.
What does the BRWA do?
- collaborates with the Blackstone River Coalition (BRC) in the Watershed-wide Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. BRWA is proud to have 27 volunteers involved in monitoring 33 sites in Blackstone, Douglas, Hopedale, Mendon, Northbridge, Sutton, Upton and Uxbridge. The data are compiled into a Report Card and are shared with MA DEP, EPA and local communities.
- advocates for the River and its tributaries by working with town administrations, conservation commissions, DPWs, and the Blackstone River Coalition (BRC), a group of organizations whose interest is the regeneration of the Blackstone River.
- educates homeowners on the threats of stormwater runoff and demonstrates how homeowners can minimize the impacts of their outdoor routines. In 2008, over 50 volunteers distributed 600 Homeowner Guides to Protecting the Blackstone River Watershed to residents along the Mill, Mumford and West Rivers in Blackstone, Douglas, Hopedale, Mendon, Millville, Northbridge, Sutton, Upton, and Uxbridge.
- addresses and corrects environmentally harmful conditions discovered during the riverbank surveys conducted along the Mill, Mumford and West Rivers in 2006-2007. In addition, a shoreline survey of the Quinsigamond River is planned for Grafton in the spring of 2009.
- organizes clean-ups of the riverbanks in the Blackstone River watershed. In 2008, BRWA sponsored an Earth Day clean-up, partnered with Boy Scout Troop 131 of Sutton to clean a 1.5 mile section of the Mumford River and mobilized 50 volunteers for a major clean-up along some of the most affected sections of the Blackstone, Mill, and Mumford Rivers and along Lake Nipmuc in Blackstone, Douglas, Hopedale, Mendon and Northbridge as part of Make a Difference Day. The 50 volunteers collected 57 bags of trash, a car door, tires, a mattress, a 50-gallon drum and many tires.
- provides public workshops to increase public understanding and community stewardship of the ecological resources of the Blackstone River watershed, publishes newsletters and holds monthly public meetings on the 2nd Thursday of every month at River Bend Farm Visitor Center, Uxbridge, MA.
- informs local businesses and towns in stormwater management techniques and other environmentally sound housekeeping practices as part of BRC's In Business for the Blackstone program.
- plans and coordinates the BRWA Annual Canoe/Kayak Race, an event which promotes the recreational opportunities of the River, and raises awareness of river problems.
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