Come for coffee, treats and conversation with Elissa Brown about the quality of rivers in Concord.
Water quality in the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers has changed wildly over time—from pristine precolonial times to the days when sewage and industrial waste spewed from the many water-power fueled mills along the rivers. Today’s rivers have recovered significantly since those days but contain residuals of our historical past. Current regulations aim at further reducing contamination in the rivers, but contamination remains and knowledge of emerging contaminants is in its infancy.
Elissa Brown spent most of her career in the environmental consulting field primarily working with soil and groundwater quality issues—from Safe Drinking Water Act compliance to assessment and remediation of hazardous waste sites. After 30 years, she retired from private practice to become the Conservation Agent for the Town of Dedham working to protect wetlands and manage stormwater.
Since her retirement from Dedham, she has served as the River Ambassador for the SuAsCo Wild and Scenic River Stewardship Council. In that role, she serves as “boots on the ground” for the council, spreading the word about the unique value of our rivers and coordinating with other stakeholders in advocating for their protection. She also spends a lot of time paddling on the rivers, maintaining put-ins, and helping out with such efforts as aquatic invasive species removal and water quality sampling. Over the years, Elissa has served on Concord’s Natural Resources Commission, Planning Board, Public Works Commission, and a variety of other ad hoc committees. She has a bachelor’s degree in Geology and a master’s degree in Geochemistry.