All About Water

Brookline's drinking water comes from two sources in central and western Massachusetts, the Quabbin and the Wachusetts Reservoirs. Before reaching our homes, the water travels through a system of surface aqueducts, covered storage tanks, treatment facilities, and deep rock tunnels known as the Metropolitan Boston Water System. Once it is used in homes and businesses, all this water is then discharged into sewers and carried to the Deer Island wastewater treatment plant for cleanup, and then discharged into Massachusetts Bay. On this evening, Kate Bowditch from the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) will present an overview of our water resources, from the Quabbin Reservoir to the Massachusetts Bay. Starting with the infrastructure that brings drinking water to our homes and carries away our wastewater, we will also examine the environmental impacts of this system, how it may be affected by climate change, and what we can learn from disasters like the water main break of May 2010. Kate Bowditch directs Charles River Watershed's numerous science, research, and modeling projects, including water quality testing programs, streamflow modeling efforts, land use and infrastructure planning, and stormwater management programs. For the past five years, she has developed CRWA's Blue Cities Initiative, building a strong staff team of engineers, designers, and planners whose focus has included the design of Harvard's North Allston campus, and the development of Green Streets in Boston. Kate also coordinates CRWA's policy and regulatory programs, working to develop stronger state and federal programs to reduce stormwater pollution, conserve water, and prepare for climate change. Kate grew up in Brookline and chairs the Brookline Conservation Commission.