Recommendations
The operation and maintenance of the tide gates at Route 139 should be investigated. To the extent possible, a natural flow regime should be restored in Green Harbor to improve water quality conditions and allow for fish passage.
Implement recommendations in the DMF shellfish management plans for Area MB3.0.
Develop a monitoring plan and conduct bacteria sampling to evaluate effectiveness of point (Phase II stormwater permits) and non-point source pollution control activities and other actions and to assess the status of the Primary and Secondary Contact Recreational uses.
Support DMF efforts to improve availability/access (electronic or web site) to water quality and biological monitoring data collected from DMF shellfish sampling stations to assess the status of the Primary and Secondary Contact Recreational uses.
Plymouth Bay Subwatershed
The Plymouth Bay subwatershed (also known as the Plymouth/Kingston/Duxbury Bay system) includes the following segments:
Bluefish River (MA94-30) flows into Duxbury Bay
Jones River subwatershed (Segments MA94-12, MA94-13, and MA94-14)
Duxbury Bay (MA94-15)
Eel River (MA94-23) flows into Plymouth Harbor
Unnamed Tributary to Eel River (MA94-35)
Plymouth Harbor (MA94-16)
P
lymouth Bay (MA94-17)
Figure 12. Locations of segments in the Plymouth Bay Subwatershed.
Figure 12. Locations of segments in the Plymouth Bay Subwatershed.
Plymouth Bay Subwatershed Information
In the Town Brook subwatershed, there are currently two of six obstructions to fish passage along Town Brook between Plymouth Harbor and Billington Sea that should be replaced or lined with aluminum steeppass sections to improve fish passage efficiency. These two obstructions are the Jenny Grist Mill and the dam off Billington Street (Reback et al. 2004). A seventh dam was removed in September 2002 (see Appendix F, MWI Project Town Brook Dam Removal and Alewife Habitat Restoration). Reducing the weir height at Water Street should provide an opportunity to improve the degraded status of the smelt spawning habitat in Town Brook and may improve passage by allowing fish to pass over a greater range of the tide (Chase in preparation). Sedimentation control in downtown Plymouth should be supported and continued in order to correct the significant sedimentation of smelt spawning riffles between Water Street and Pleasant Street (Chase in preparation).
CZM has been working with the Towns of Plymouth, Kingston, and Duxbury on a federally approved boat sewage No Discharge Area (NDA) for the entire Plymouth/Kingston/Duxbury Bay. The Bay has approximately 1,600 boats, 10,000 acres of shellfish beds, and numerous recreational bathing beaches. The designation is seen as one more step in the municipalities' continuing clean water initiatives for the Bay. The ultimate goal is to designate the Bay as an NDA by the 2006 boating season.
Bluefish River (Segment MA94-30)
Location: Saltmarsh north of Harrison Street, Duxbury to mouth at Duxbury Bay, Duxbury.
S
ize: 0.06 square miles
Classification: Class SA
Land-use estimates (top 3, excluding water) for the 2.3 mi2 subwatershed (map inset, gray shaded area):
Residential 41%
Forest 31%
Open Land 18%
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