New England Inland Rivers Geographic Response Strategies
Blackstone River (MA)
GRP Project
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
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US Environmental Protection Agency
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Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
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US Fish and Wildlife Service
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US Coast Guard
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Moran Environmental Recovery
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Towns of
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Auburn
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Blackstone
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Grafton
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Millbury
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Millville
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Northbridge
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Sutton
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Uxbridge
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Worcester
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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.