Meeting on Charles River NVSA Master Plan Next Week

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a public meeting on April 19 in Millis, Mass., to discuss the draft Master Plan for project operations and federal land management of the Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area (NVSA) flood risk reduction project.

The public will have an opportunity to provide comments on the draft master plan at the public meeting or submit them to the Corps through June 15, 2017, the official announcement said.

The Charles River Natural Valley Storage Project lies in 16 eastern Massachusetts communities in the middle and upper areas of the Charles River. The creation of the Charles River Natural Valley Storage (CRNVS) Project was authorized by Congress in March 1974.

Federal funds of $8.3 million were used to purchase 3,210 acres of fee land and 4,891 acres of restrictive easement.

The CRNVS Area acts as a flood risk reduction project by using the natural flood attenuation characteristics of the more than 8,000 acres of protected wetlands purchased to reduce potential flooding. The CRNVS lies within the counties of Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The project has prevented approximately $11.9 million in flood damages through Sept. 30, 2016. The previous Master Plan was prepared in June 1984.

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