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Blackstone River (MA)

 GRP Project

MA Blackstone EPA website.png

This project was completed in 2020.  The 10 Geographic Response Plans that were developed are listed below and are available at the Regional Response Team 1 website located here.

BR-MA-01 Worcester

BR-MA-02 Millbury North

BR-MA-03 Millbury South

BR-MA-04 Sutton/Tricentennial Park

BR-MA-05 Grafton

BR-MA-06 Riverdale Dam

BR-MA-07 Plummer's Landing

BR-MA-08 Rice City Pond

BR-MA-09 Uxbridge/Stanley Woolen Mill

BR-MA-10 Uxbridge/River Rd.

Work Group Participants
  • US Environmental Protection Agency
  • Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection 
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service
  • US Coast Guard
  • Moran Environmental Recovery
  • Towns of
    • Auburn
    • Blackstone
    • Grafton
    • Millbury
    • Millville
    • Northbridge
    • Sutton
    • Uxbridge
    • Worcester
Initial Work Group/Site Selection Meeting

November 4, 2019 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Massachusetts DEP

Central Region Office

8 New Bond St., Worcester, MA

Work Group participants were briefed on project goals and timeline, reviewed the site sensitivity data compiled by Work Group members including the EPA, CT DEEP, and Nuka Research, and identified 10 GRP development sites.

Site Surveys

June 25, 2020

Work Group members conducted site surveys to obtain additional information about each GRP site that informed the development of tactics, logistics, and other plan elements.

Tactics Sub-Group Meeting

August 18, 2020

Held virtually via Zoom

The Tactics Sub-Group was comprised of select individuals from the project Work Group with direct experience and expertise in inland spill response, GRP development, and/or in-depth knowledge of the Blackstone River. The Sub-Group reviewed draft GRP maps showing the tactics and strategies recommended by the site survey team. Changes to these initial tactics and strategies were made based on input from the Tactics Sub-Group, and the GRPs were updated prior to final review by the Work Group. 

Final Work Group Meeting

September 22, 2020 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Held virtually via Zoom

This was the final meeting of the Blackstone River GRP Work Group. During this meeting, each draft GRP was presented for review and comment prior to finalization.

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