UNH Sustainability Fellowship: Town of Concord, Massachusetts Integrated Water Resource Outreach Fellow
Town of Concord, Massachusetts
Integrated Water Resource Outreach Fellow
Concord, Massachusetts
Hybrid
About the Host Organization:
The Town of Concord, MA is a historic town of 18,000 people located 20 miles northwest of Boston. Concord is known for its revolutionary, literary, abolitionist, and agricultural history. It is home to the Minute Man National Historical Park, Walden Pond State Reservation, and many other historic sites. Concord also has a long history of sustainability, including a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
The Town completed its first comprehensive climate action and resilience plan, Sustainable Concord, in the summer of 2020 that outlines 22 priority actions organized into 5 plan elements: built environment, energy, mobility, natural resources, and preparedness. Each priority action has a blueprint with specific actions and implementation steps. Community engagement and outreach bisects every element of the plan. We also recognize the need to ensure that our climate and sustainability work advances racial equity and social justice.
About the Fellowship:
Limited freshwater resources, which are impacted by climate change, are essential to any town’s drinking water needs, wastewater management, and water recreation. The 2023 Fellow’s work will feature a combination of community engagement work and outreach development focused on three aspects of water resource management: Stormwater management, drought, and lead water service replacement. The Fellow will analyze water resource data sets and develop scalable critical outreach for sensitive customers/populations. The work accomplished by the fellow will support Concord Public Works’ integrated water resource planning effort and will enhance resilience and assist the Town with the development of an integrated resource management plan, one of the Town’s top three priority actions. The fellow will create essential water resource outreach for Concord, which will be made available for other communities nationwide to customize.
Integrated water resource planning captures a range of water disciplines from drinking water and wastewater to stormwater and recreational water, all of which are affected by climate change. This fellow will have the opportunity to work with Town staff to enhance our outreach goals and move towards meeting the goals of Concord’s Climate Action Plan. Some projects the fellow will be supporting are as follows.
Stormwater Management: The Town of Concord Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit requires a public education and outreach program that reaches four different audiences and includes messages that are relevant to our community. The fellow will help customize brochures, pamphlets, and other potentially interactive materials to help comply with Section 2.3.2.c of the MS4 Permit.
Drought: Extreme weather and drought are happening at a greater frequency with climate change: Concord has experienced 2 summers with Extreme Drought conditions in the last 10 years alone. The fellow will help analyze water use data and create heat maps (using ArcMap/ArcEnterprise) to better understand where water is being used most. The fellow will incorporate these findings into innovative outreach materials, such as brochures and pamphlets. The fellow will also review existing indoor and outdoor water conservation programs to create a memo documenting progress toward meeting the goals of the Indoor and Outdoor Water Conservation Blueprint as detailed in the Sustainable Concord Plan.
- Lead Water Service Replacement Program: As part of the Revised Lead and Copper Rule Issued on December 16, 2021, the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) strengthen the existing Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) by:
- Improving lead sampling and corrosion control
- Expanding public education and customer outreach
- Starting lead testing in schools and childcare facilities
- Requiring a public inventory of lead service lines
- Initiating more lead service line replacements
Concord has a plan to systematically identify lead water service locations and has submitted a Project Evaluation Form (PEF) for a Massachusetts Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan for the replacement of known lead water services. The fellow will be working with Town and consulting engineer staff to support the completion of the water service line material survey by evaluating data previously collected and stored in GIS geodatabases. The fellow will also create and perform outreach to residents with known lead water service lines to:
- inform them of the presence,
- share information on the no and low-cost programs for lead water service line replacement, and
- share information on mitigation methods if replacement is not an option.
Outcomes:
Using the guiding principles of equity and resilience as identified in the Sustainable Concord Plan, this fellow will build off work already in progress to create the below deliverables:
Stormwater Management:
- Scalable outreach materials - Exact target audience to be determined, based on conversations with Stormwater Program Manager. Examples of target audiences include residential homeowners, small businesses and large commercial properties.
Drought:
- Provide memo detailing programs associated with the increase indoor and outdoor water conservation blueprint (page 62)
- Scalable outreach materials
Lead Water Service Replacement Program:
- Engagement strategy in the form of a memo, work plan, and metrics to track success of outreach
- Presentation that can be given by Town officials (or the fellow) to share the program history, strategy, and impact
- Scalable outreach materials
Impact:
The fellow will have the opportunity to help Concord make real progress on their sustainability initiatives by effectively engaging the community. The fellow will gain insight to the operations of a municipality and a municipal utility. The fellow will gain experience with document design and community outreach. The fellow will report to the Concord Public Works staff with support of the Director of Sustainability. Additionally, the fellow will interact with other Town departments, consulting engineers, state and federal regulatory agencies and local community members.
Scalable, easy to understand community outreach materials for resilient water and stormwater infrastructure are hard to come by. These materials are necessary to effectively engage the community and make progress on water resource management. Many communities do not have the time or resources to develop them. We hope that the outreach the fellow creates while in Concord, can serve as a model for other communities, not just in Massachusetts but beyond.
Desired Qualifications:
Academic Background :
- Recent graduate or graduate student in Urban Planning, Sustainability, Environmental Studies, Environmental Policy, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Water Resource Management, or related field
Experience:
- Ability to communicate effectively across social barriers
General / Soft Skills:
- Creative problem solver and self-starter willing to think outside the box and deploy innovative equitable outreach
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively internally and externally, with the public, or with community-based organizations
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Technical / Specialized Skills:
- ArcMap/ArcEnterprise
- A solid understanding of program evaluation, graphic design, and equitable outreach is preferred
- Ability to effectuate change and effectively share ideas
- Skilled in persuasive speaking and writing
- Ability to convey complex technical ideas to practical action
Interests:
- Water Resource Management
- Passion for sustainability and local government
Location:
Concord Public Works
135 Keyes Rd.
Concord, MA 01742
Work will be performed primarily onsite and in the community. Flexibility will be provided for working remotely one day per week (optional).
Mentors:
Melissa Simoncini, Senior Environmental and Regulatory Coordinator
Eric Simms, Sustainability Director