Commentary: Plenty of love for Canton River

By Guest

The following is in response to a letter that appeared in last week’s Canton Citizen.

Dear Editor:

Why does the town hate the Canton River? The official name of that body of water is the East Branch of the Neponset River. I have a copy of the earliest map of what is now Canton and it was called One Branch of the Neponset River. Why then do we call it the Canton River if we hate it so much?

When I moved to Canton in November of 1981 after retiring from the Air Force, we took one look at the little house with the “river” in the back yard and we fell in love with it/them. During closing I found that my property line extended halfway into the riverbed. We were linked.

Over the next couple of years I showed up for every Planning Board, ConCom, and Zoning Board meeting that had anything to do with the river. I seldom showed up alone. Around 1992 I was introduced to and became a member of the Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA). I found that the Canton River was part of the Neponset Watershed and it became my focus. Canton was the most represented town in the association. A lot of people cared about the river.

The Massachusetts Watershed Initiative program launched in 1994. In that year I helped form a “stream team” that called itself the Canton River Watershed Watchdogs. One of the founding members is now the chairperson of Canton’s Conservation Commission and another is/was the chairman of Canton’s Planning Board. I recently discovered a packet of photographs of a Forge Pond Cleanup Day on April 20, 1997. There they were — one even dragged her husband and twin daughters along. An Earth Day event. Over the years NepRWA has grown and assimilated the Watchdogs, but “once a watchdog always a watchdog,” and those folks are still active in the town. One of them provided a picture for the front page of the 9/22/16 issue of the Citizen.

Although I respect the fervor of the writer, her passion seems to be misdirected. All of the wonderful examples she cites have nothing to do with the river. They all seem to pertain to the diversion channel and the evolution of the habitat that surrounded the channel as a result of years of neglect. The real river still “flows” into Factory Pond — under the Viaduct and Neponset Street — through my backyard and down to the main stem of the Neponset River.

As the ConCom representative on the Paul Revere Heritage Site’s Open Space Committee, I have had the opportunity to listen to and meet with the landscape architect who has his own love affair with the river and its environs. His respect for the natural beauty and the role of the river is touching. I hope that some other issues on the project can be resolved soon so that we can start soliciting public input on best use for this historic and inspirational “heart of Canton.”

Please be assured that there are a number of “watchdogs” looking out for our river. Because we love it.

Carl D. Lavin

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