• Welcome
  • Residential Rain Garden Project
    • Rain Garden Tour
    • Rain Garden Guide
    • Rain Garden Kit
    • Resources
    • Project Partners
  • See how Franklin is "Soaking It Up!"
    • Rain Gardens
    • Tree Wells
    • Road Narrowing
  • Water Conservation
  • Rain Barrels

Welcome to Soak it Up Franklin
Franklin's Portal to Water Stewardship

Rain gardens help keep pollution out of our rivers and streams


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Why is Water Conservation Important?

Like many towns in Massachusetts, traditional development and infrastructure in Franklin has disrupted the natural water cycle creating water resource challenges. Franklin's town water supply, sourced from local wells, is stressed in summer months. Water levels in local rivers and streams often drop to levels that threaten wildlife and recreation. Rainfall, which used to be naturally absorbed where it fell, by plants or soil, is now entering the River as stormwater runoff from paved surfaces, causing water pollution, flooding and erosion. Stormwater carries high levels of phosphorus to the river harming the ecosystem and wildlife in the Charles River.  

Soak It Up Projects

Franklin is committed to the long term stewardship of its rivers and water sources and actively seeks sustainable approaches to managing its natural resources. The Town of Franklin and Charles River Watershed Association have been working together for many years to develop projects to improve the health of the Charles River and its tributaries and protect Franklin's water supplies.
River
Spruce Pond Brook at Fisher Street
Franklin, MA
Projects include: 
•Creating plans for priority sub-watersheds in Franklin to demonstrate approaches for meeting the Upper/Middle Charles River Nutrient TMDL.  
•Designing and building green infrastructure retrofits on town property to manage stormwater on site.
•Developing a brand new Rain Garden program for Franklin that will provide training to and encourage Franklin residents to build rain gardens on their own property.

Learn More

Residential Rain Gardens
Town Rain Gardens
Tree Wells
Road Narrowing
Water Conservation
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