Environment - Page 4

Pizza + Heat Pumps in Acton

December 13, 2024

On Wednesday, December 4, the Town of Acton Sustainability Office, in collaboration with Energize Acton, hosted a Heat Pump Pizza Party in Room 204 of Acton Town Hall to educate residents about the benefits of heat pumps as a sustainable alternative for home heating and cooling. (Yes, heat pumps do both!) The event drew approximately 130 participants, including State Senator Jamie Eldridge and State Representative Dan Sena, who joined residents eager to learn about heat pumps. The event featured presentations from David Martin, one of Acton’s Clean Energy Coaching Program coaches, and Kit Wu of the Laminar Collective, a group…

8 hatchling wood turtles on a person's open hands

Wood Turtles Get a Head Start

March 23, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

On March 6, six volunteers joined Acton’s Land Stewardship Coordinator Ian Bergemann and Zoo New England (ZNE) Field Biologist Jimmy Welch to create habitat for threatened wood turtles, Glyptemys insculpta, along a brook in Acton. ZNE’s website describes the species as “once the most common freshwater turtle in…

The author lends a hand to a Wood Frog crossing Fort Pond Road in Acton.

Big Night for Amphibian Helpers

March 14, 2024

by Alissa Nicol

After the sun went down on February 28, a wet and unseasonably warm evening, several local residents put on rain gear, head lamps, and reflective vests to report for Amphibian Crossing Brigade duty. This was the earliest such night of assisting road crossings of frogs and salamanders seen…

Why Does the Acton Water District Want a Picture of Your Water Pipe?

March 14, 2024

by Ron Parenti

You may have recently received an email or letter from the Acton Water District that requested information about the service line that sends water from the District’s water main in the street into your home or business. These mailings ask the occupant to submit information and a picture…

Board of Health Meeting of March 5, 2024: New Director, Battery Storage, and Wastewater Treatment

March 14, 2024

by D.K. Halley

The March 5 Board of Health Meeting convened at 7:30 PM in Room 9 of the Acton Town Hall. Present for the meeting were Chair Mark Conoby and Members Bill McInnis and Bill Taylor (by remote Zoom). Staff present for the meeting were Interim Health Director Matt Dow,…

A portion of the FEMA National Flood Hazard Map covering southern Acton, from Acton's Stormwater Management Asset Plan

NEWS BRIEF: Town of Acton kicks off Hazard Mitigation Planning Process

March 6, 2024

by Kim Kastens

The Town of Acton has begun the process of revising its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). A municipal HMP documents the types of natural hazards that may harm the community, and details actions the town has taken and is planning to take to mitigate potential damage from such hazards. Natural hazards…

Photo of Electric Vehicle charger at the South Acton Commuter Rail parking lot.

Expedition to Find the Best EV Charging Stations in Acton, MA

February 15, 2024

by Greg Jarboe

Recently, I went on a journey to find the lowest gas prices in Acton, MA. That article triggered questions about the location, price, and charge-speed of public EV charging stations in and near Acton. So, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, I set out on an expedition to find the…

AWD Commissioners vote a 50% increase in water rates for FY25

February 1, 2024

by Kim Kastens

At a joint meeting of the Acton Water District (AWD) Commissioners and the AWD Finance Committee (FinCom) on January 22, the Commissioners voted for a 50% increase in water rates beginning in July 2024. The water rate increase will be applied evenly across residential, municipal, and commercial water…

Zoo New England Proposes to Improve Habitat for Wood Turtles in Acton

January 8, 2024

by Bettina Abe

In the fall of 2023, Zoo New England and the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program contacted the Acton Conservation Department with a plan to enhance the habitat for Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) along Nashoba Brook in Acton. The enhancements are designed to protect overwintering turtles from…

Acton Water District Finance Committee Discusses Financial Policy and Fiscal Year ’25 Budget and Water Rates

January 8, 2024

by Kim Kastens

The Finance Committee (FinCom) of the Acton Water District (AWD), along with the District Treasurer and Manager, met on January 4 to continue crafting the District Financial Policy, review the draft Fiscal Year ‘25 (FY25) budget and Annual Meeting warrant articles, and discuss water rates for FY25. FY25…

State Approves Acton’s Participation in Fossil Fuel Free Building Construction and Renovation Demonstration Project

January 3, 2024

by Jim Snyder-Grant

On December 22, 2023, the Town of Acton received approval from the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) approving the Town’s participation in the Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Construction and Renovation Demonstration Project. This approval means that beginning March 22, 2024, new buildings and major rehabilitation projects in…

Car in motion heading towards the new Pedestrian Traffic Light

Pedestrian-friendly Traffic Signal Installed at Great Road and Brook Street

January 3, 2024

by Kim Kastens

On December 29, workers and a pair of bucket trucks were observed setting up a new traffic signal on Great Road, near the intersection with Brook Street. This intersection was the site of a fatal accident in October 2022. At several meetings in the fall of 2022, the…

A dard arrow and an outlined location on a topographic map

Planning Board Discusses Quarry Road Development Project

January 3, 2024

by Ron Beck

The Acton Planning Board convened on Wednesday evening, Dec 20, for a “continuation” hearing for a Planned Conservation Residential Community (PCRC) application for 123 Quarry Road. According to Acton’s Zoning Bylaw section 9, PCRC’s are communities with housing clustered in one section, leaving at least 60% of the…

Rushing flood waters as seen from the stream bank

Stormwater Rages Across Acton

December 21, 2023

by Kim Kastens

Every fifteen minutes, 24/7, the US Geological Survey stream monitoring station on Nashoba Brook in Acton reports how much water is flowing through the brook. Since monitoring began sixty years ago, the highest streamflow ever recorded on December 18 was 99 cubic feet per second (cfs). In this week’s storm,…

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Environment - Page 4

Pizza + Heat Pumps in Acton

Wood Turtles Get a Head Start

Big Night for Amphibian Helpers

Why Does the Acton Water District Want a Picture of Your Water Pipe?

Board of Health Meeting of March 5, 2024: New Director, Battery Storage, and Wastewater Treatment

NEWS BRIEF: Town of Acton kicks off Hazard Mitigation Planning Process

Expedition to Find the Best EV Charging Stations in Acton, MA

AWD Commissioners vote a 50% increase in water rates for FY25

Zoo New England Proposes to Improve Habitat for Wood Turtles in Acton

Acton Water District Finance Committee Discusses Financial Policy and Fiscal Year ’25 Budget and Water Rates

State Approves Acton’s Participation in Fossil Fuel Free Building Construction and Renovation Demonstration Project

Pedestrian-friendly Traffic Signal Installed at Great Road and Brook Street

Planning Board Discusses Quarry Road Development Project

Stormwater Rages Across Acton

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