• Upstream Border: Arlington Street, near Agawam Road
• Downstream Border: 2 branches: a. Rte. 2, near Charter Road; b. Rte. 2 near Olde Barn Way

Team: Lisa Wolf, Karen Null

The segment from Route 2 to Freedom Farme Road is surrounded by forest cover. The stream is about three to six feet wide and several to one foot deep in this part, with slow to medium flow. We found no evidence of erosion, but the stream was occasionally partially blocked by branches and fallen trees (see the photo log). The water was a clear tea color and had no odor. There was occasional trash (which we picked up – including a wheelbarrow) along the banks and in the stream, but not too much. There was some yard debris being disposed near the banks in a few places. There were no lawns that came right down to the stream in this segment. We saw no algae, but did see about a dozen blobs of off-white foam, each with hundreds of tiny bugs in it. It appeared to us to be a natural substance. The streambed was mostly organic material, with some sand, pebbles and rocks upstream.

The segment from Freedom Farme Road to Arlington Street consists of a few hundred feet of stream which opens up into a pond near Arlington Street and St. Elizabeth's Church. The stream is in much the same condition as the previous segment, except that it contains a small island about fifteen feet in diameter which is used by neighborhood children as a fort and play area. Boards have been placed in the stream to reach the island. Around the island lies a substantial blockage composed of branches and other debris. Just past the island there is a cement dam spanning the stream. The dam has an opening about twenty-four feet wide. The pond area appeared fairly clean with no erosion, but some landscaping trash was near the bank on the church side. There are two sections of black sheet-plastic "construction protection fencing" along the Arlington side of the pond that no longer serves a purpose. Also on the northeast side of the pond there is a lawn which comes all the way down to the pond. Ducks, herons and turtles have been seen in the pond. People also catch fish in the pond. The stream then goes under Arlington Street to the other side.

The segment extending from the opposite side of Arlington Street back to Arlington Street near Agawam Road runs through a large wetland consisting of clumps of low grass growing out of muck. Here the stream was in similar condition (no odor, tea color, similar depth and width and flow). It also had a dozen or so aluminum cans in the water way. We, however did find a few small areas (each about one foot square) covered with a bluish oily sheen which recoagulated when stirred with a stick. This substance did not appear natural or to have any obvious source.