Rep. McGonagle visits Market St. culvert progress

State Representative Joe McGonagle recently stopped by the Market Street culvert to observe employees of the City of Everett and BSC Group install an irrigation system and replant the riverbank with hundreds of native plants as part of a restoration program on the Island End River. Part of the project was funded by a MassWorks grant secured by McGonagle and State Senator Sal DiDomenico from the Baker Administration.

  “I am thrilled to see the progress in person,” said McGonagle. “It can be sometimes frustrating to not see the tangible results of money secured, but to visit this site and see the team working hard felt like a big victory. Projects like this are becoming increasingly more essential as we continue to see the effects of climate change and the damage caused by flooding. Many thanks to the city employees and the BSC group for their work.”

  After years of trying to solve the flooding caused by the collapsed culvert under Boston Market Terminal on the Everett/Chelsea line, the solution has been completed and a public-private partnership has ended a generation of flooding issues for Everett residents. Last month the Everett Conservation Commission issued a Certificate of Compliance to the Davis Companies and the City of Everett for “daylighting” a large portion of the river and completion of a new culvert on the Davis Company’s property. Daylighting is an environmentally friendly way to return the stream to its normal flow area while also allowing the water to be cleaned naturally through sunlight hitting it. It also prevents future collapses and expensive maintenance.

  In addition, a new tide gate installed recently helps to relieve monthly coastal flooding that occurs on Spring Street, and the daylighting of the river added storage capacity and increased flow rates to the Mystic River. The Davis Companies installed a 12 x 16 box culvert to handle the flow under their property and gave up some property in the parking lot for the City of Everett’s portion.

  The restoration project is part of the permit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which reviewed the project.