Western Massachusetts is full of nature getaways that brighten and enrich our lives. But, even here, our natural treasures are at risk.
Our family’s special place is a swimming hole on the Fort River in Amherst’s Wentworth Farm Conservation area. Locals call this spot Jump Bridge. It’s where my sons learned to swim. Where we’ve constructed hundreds of castles made of mud and sand topped with leaf flags. Where we visit with friends who love romping outside as much as we do.
Jump Bridge is a place of respite for so many beyond my family. Every year, as soon as the weather gets warm, and especially this year during COVID, families from all walks of life flock there for refreshment and relaxation.
But recently that changed. In early August, this gem of a swimming hole was closed because tests revealed high levels of bacteria in the water. So now, every day when we walk our dog over the bridge, bright signs warn us that swimming in the water could threaten our health.
That’s a sad and unacceptable state of affairs. Rivers, lakes and streams offer critical opportunities for recreation and are essential to the fish and wildlife that call them home. They are our jewels. But like a tarnished and scuffed gem, if our rivers are allowed to be polluted for too long, they may become stigmatized and deemed worthless.
Recently, I wondered if the stigmatization of the Fort River was already underway when I picked a diaper and other trash off the banks at Jump Bridge. It’s as if the signs warning people not to swim whispered a second more sinister message: This river is polluted. Go ahead. Pile on. No one will care. It’s already too late.
A different message is possible.
Our rivers, lakes and streams should be respected, valued and cherished as the sources of life that they are. Many waterways in our region are indeed pristine — you can see recent data on swimming holes and fishing spots on the Connecticut River Conservancy’s “Is it Clean” searchable database: connecticutriver.us/. Making sure every river and stream is fishable and swimmable is a goal worth striving for.
Getting the Fort River back to swimmable status will require some detective work. Thankfully, there are clues to guide us. We know that one mile upstream from Jump Bridge, at Amethyst Brook, the water is extraordinarily clean. So what happens between that location and the Jump Bridge that leaves the water unsafe for swimming?
One way to answer the question is to do DNA testing on the bacteria to help determine its source and there’s precedent in town to do that. When Puffers Pond in North Amherst tested positive for high levels of bacteria in August of 2019, the town worked with scientists at the University of New Hampshire to determine the likely source of the contamination.
A second approach is for trained water samplers to walk upstream from Jump Bridge and collect samples every several hundred yards and analyze them. This method would help determine at what point in the river the bacteria spike. Once identified, a closer investigation of that section of river can be conducted and a mitigation strategy planned.
The truth is, stopping water pollution is not rocket science. But, the sampling costs money, and many interventions do too. There are two reasons to be hopeful that we can solve this problem.
The first is that a group of dedicated volunteers from Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown and Pelham came together several years ago to share their voices and lend their talents to study, enjoy and advocate for a healthy Fort River. Today the Fort River Watershed Association, in partnership with the Connecticut River Conservancy, is equipped to recruit and train volunteers to do water testing. But they need community support to pay for the testing.
If you’d like to help make sure the Fort River and its tributaries get tested so we can identify the source of the problem, you can donate to support these efforts at fortriver.org/
The second reason to be hopeful is that funding recently advanced in Congress to improve sewer infrastructure, protect and restore wetlands and encourage the use of rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable surfaces and other “green” infrastructure that make a big impact to reduce bacterial loads in waterways. Last month, the House of Representatives passed a series of spending bills that included $6.35 billion in emergency funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and funding for grants. If the Senate passes these bills, communities working to curb sewage overflows and prevent runoff pollution will get a big boost.
And perhaps there’ll be support from the state as well.
When it comes down to it, clean water is vital for our health. Locally, our water is at risk and it needs help.
Johanna Neumann of Amherst has spent the past two decades working to protect our air, water and open spaces, defend consumers in the marketplace and advance a more sustainable economy and democratic society. She can be reached at columnists@gazettenet.com.