Lake Cochituate Nonpoint Source Pollution Watershed Management Plan Introduction and Background Lake Cochituate is a critical water resource for the region west of Boston known as MetroWest. It features Cochituate State Park, which provides public access for swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking, as well as several town beaches, parks, and recreational facilities. The lake is also within the recharge area of two of the town of Natick’s public water supply wells. Numerous homes in neighborhoods of Framingham, Natick and Wayland enjoy lake-front property and access to the lake for boating and fishing, and several businesses and institutions make their home on or near the lake. Clearly Lake Cochituate is important to its host communities, and requires careful management to restore and protect its resources. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the towns on Lake Cochituate have long been concerned about water quality and resource management. This project reviewed previous studies, assessments, and plans for Lake Cochituate spanning the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s. Most recently, the Dept. of Environmental Management (now the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation) completed a Management Plan for Cochituate State Park. Water quality concerns were one of the issues featured in the plan. This project had its origin in the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative (MWI), which was a program administered by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) from 1993 to 2003. The MWI was organized around the 27 major watersheds of the state. Lake Cochituate lies within the “SuAsCo” Watershed, so named because it includes the drainage area of three rivers, the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers. Under the MWI, each of the 27 watersheds had assigned to it a “Watershed Team Leader” who led a multi-agency Watershed Team that also included the participation of local communities, watershed organizations, businesses, and interested citizens. In 2001, the team leader of the SuAsCo Watershed Team, Mike Flemming, arranged for a survey of stormwater outfalls on Lake Cochituate, which was conducted by student interns from Brandeis University. Knowing where the oufalls are located was just a first step in developing a watershed management plan for Lake Cochituate. The outfalls are literally the “end of the pipe;” but control of nonpoint source pollution requires an evaluation of the ultimate sources of pollutants where they are generated, a numerous locations throughout the land area of the watershed. Thus, after the outfall survey was completed, Mike Flemming sought to have a watershed plan developed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, working through the DEP’s 604(B) grant program. The result of that work is presented here in this report. In the chapters that follow, the reader will find maps and inventories portraying the resources of the Lake Cochituate watershed, the land uses and development activities that have an impact on its water quality, a listing of priority sites for remediation and recommendations for both structural and non-structural Best Management Practices as well as local bylaws and regulations, with the goal of long-term improvement of water quality in the lake and its tributaries. The long term success of this plan will depend on the ability of the towns in the watershed as well as the relevant state agencies, businesses, and residents to implement the recommendations presented. The nature of nonpoint source pollution is that it derives from many diffuse sources, thus it will require widespread adoption of different management practices to reduce pollution loads and yield a cleaner lake.
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