Comeback of a River
The Charles River flows 80 miles along Boston. It is one of
the busiest recreational rivers in the world and a major rowing
venue. Being situated next to a major city has taken its toll
on the water quality, and in the 1950s the river was so polluted
that it was known as ‘The Dirty River’. However,
conscious efforts to better the situation resulted in steady
improvement over the years. In 1995 EPA considered the river
safe 39% of the time, while in 2001 it was deemed safe 90% of
the time for water sports.
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Daily Report Card
Environmental scientists at Charles River Watershed Association
have undertaken the Charles River Basin Flagging Program in
1998. Between June and October they collect water samples from
four locations in the River and test for bacterial content.
If the bacterial content is high, red flags are posted in participating
establishments around the river, indicating that there is potential
health risk and there should be minimal contact with the water.
Blue flags indicate days when the water is safe for rowing and
other water sports. |
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Informed Decision Making
The Flagging program not only informs citizens about the state
of the water, but it also makes them more aware of how their
actions affect the water quality of the Charles River. Residents
understand how some of their choices contribute to the pollution,
and as they are more knowledgeable, they become more conscious
and comfortable on their conservation and usage of water. |
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| More information...
Charles
River Watershed Association
All you want to know about the Charles River and its watershed,
including daily reports on water quality.
Charles
River Basin Flagging Program 2002
Find out project background and other relevant information
including detailed monitoring data from the Flagging Program
Clean
Charles: 2005 Progress Report
Learn more about EPA’s comprehensive efforts in order
to make Charles River safe enough for swimming by Earth Day
2005.
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The videos on this site are part of an hour long
video produced by the Environmental Fund for Pennsylvania/GreenWorks
for the Environmental Protection Agency's EMPACT Program. To
get a copy of the entire video, contact GreenTreks at talktous@greentreks.org.
Learn more about our Outreach Efforts for this production. Email
us at talktous@greentreks.org. |
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