Milford To Unveil New Park System To Protect Charles River

MILFORD, MA — A years-long project in Milford to help clean up the Charles River will be celebrated this weekend with a ribbon cutting at Town Park.

Two years ago, engineers with the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) revealed designs for rain gardens and a large stormwater infiltration system at Milford Town Park. The project was designed and built over the last several years, and will get an official ribbon-cutting on Saturday.

That infrastructure will help absorb and filter stormwater and runoff — everything from engine coolant to pet waste — so it doesn't end up in nearby Milford Pond, which is part of the Charles River. The CRWA is especially focused on reducing phosphorous, which is linked to harmful algae blooms.

The $443,000 project received a $419,000 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant from the state due to its location in an urbanized area. The CRWA picked up the remaining costs.

The Charles River begins near the Milford-Hopkinton line along Route 85 just east of Cornell's Irish Pub.