As the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) construction season has started in earnest with projects all over Dorchester and Mattapan underway or on the drawing board, one local pilot effort could revolutionize cleanliness in the water of the Charles River: Replacing a 100-year-old stormwater storage vault on Talbot Avenue near Franklin Field while bringing a bit of new science to the process, said John Sullivan, BWSC’s chief engineer (and an Adams Village resident).

“All the water that drains from this area comes by that spot,” he said. “The vault there is old and needs repair. We decided that because we’re trying to keep down pollution in the Charles River – the problem being phosphorous – we are going to try something new while replacing the vault. Believe it or not, that area there goes to the Charles River. We are going to re-build the vault and create a charcoal-based treatment facility inside it to catch the phosphorous.”

The chemical is often used as a fertilizer, but large amounts of it flowing into the Charles River from areas like Talbot Avenue have been known to promote the toxic cyanobacteria algae growth, which in turn harms the river’s ecosystem and often triggers stay-away warnings in the summertime.

The $1.5 million project will take about eight months to complete and won’t affect traffic as the vault is over the sidewalk and part of Franklin Field.

Sullivan said the hope is that by filtering it out at the point of inflow, the phosphorous could be eliminated from the Charles River and other waterways.

A rendering of the new Talbot Avenue stormwater storage vault that will be retrofitted with a charcoal-based treatment system that will filter out excess phosphorous from runoff.

At the Talbot Avenue point, an estimated 177 pounds of phosphorous is introduced every year. “This system could go a long way to stopping a lot of the phosphorous – up to 60 percent, officials believe – from getting into the system from this part of the city,” he said. “We’re really trying to take advantage of the need to rebuild the vault and we want to put advanced science inside it to serve a different need.”

As part of the contract and the project, BWSC will bring in researchers from Northeastern University to analyze the data and make sure the new system is working. If the data show an improvement, then Sullivan said they will replicate it in other similar projects.

As an environmental bonus, when the charcoal treatment product is replaced every two or three years, the spent charcoal and phosphorous will be ground up and sold to potato farmers in Maine who find this byproduct to be an excellent fertilizer for their crops.

Sullivan said the new vault will also be a factor in confronting the effects of larger rain events. In the case of a high-volume rainstorm where excess water needed to be stored somewhere, the vault will be able to release water into Franklin Field, which has the capacity to store three or four acres of water and prevent major flooding in the neighborhoods. According to BWSC models, the Talbot Avenue area is a hot spot for potential flooding in future megastorms,

“In every project we do,” he said, “we’re thinking about resilience and preparing for what storms in the future could be like.”

Neponset Circle and Port Norfolk
A major project to improve water and sewer services in Port Norfolk is in its second year and is about to wrap up, Sullivan said. The work has targeted several streets in Port Norfolk and Neponset Avenue/Neponset Circle.

“We have all the water 100 percent complete, and sewer is around 95 percent,” he said. “We’ll be out of there very soon.”

Savin Hill due for attention
A major project affecting Savin Hill Avenue and Playstead Road that is in design will replace water mains and rehabilitate the sewer system as well. BWSC is coordinating with the McConnell Park reconstruction project as they will be running pipes up Playstead Road to tie in at Savin Hill Avenue. Construction will start at Sydney Street, go over the Expressway bridge, and continue to Denny Street.

“That will make sure that whole area will have improved service,” said Sullivan, who also indicated that Eversource was looking to do some work at the same time, with a 150 kV electric line project out to bid this month. Its construction being coordinated with BWSC’s project.

Projects in construction or design — Dorchester
Construction: Gallivan Boulevard eastbound from Hallet to Neponset Bridge; Neponset Avenue from Chickataubut to Neponset Bridge; Lawley Street; Port Norfolk Street. Walnut Street; Taylor Street/Water Street; Oakman/Taylor/Rice Streets; Westglow Street from Adams to Garner Street; Morrissey Blvd. Southbound (near Patten’s Cove).

Design: Dunn’s Terrace; Savin Hill Avenue from Sydney to Denny street; Playstead Road from Savin Hill Avenue.
Mattapan

Construction: Morton Street near American Legion Highway; Walk Hill Street from Fottler to Harvard Streets; Hazelton Street from Fottler to Harvard Street; Wellington Hill Street from Ormand to Duke Streets.; Westmore Road from Gilmore to Hazelton Streets; Ormond Road from Outlook to Wellington Hill; Goodale Road from Blue Hill to Wellington Hill; Deering Road from Westmore to Harvard St.; Wildwood Street from Woolson to Morton Street; Jacob Street from Ballou to Jones Street; Stanton Street and parts of Evans Street; Fairlawn Road; Harvard Street, various parts by Stonecrest Avenue.

Design – Clarkwood Street from Norfolk St. to Blue Hill; Arborcrest Terrace and extension.