Charles river 2

Charles River History

By Group 6....

  • Entrepreneurs on the Charles River

    Entrepreneurs on the Neponset River engineer a diversion of water from the Charles River to power their mills.

  • Construction of the Moody Street Dam

    The construction of the Moody Street Dam to power cotton mills created a 200-acre "mill pond" with many lovely bays and inlets between Newton Lower Falls and Waltham. This scenic area drew thousands of boaters from Norumbega Park around the turn of the 20th century. The premier social and recreational spot of its time, Norumbega featured several boathouses, canoe rentals and two steamboats that made trips through the Lakes District in the summertime.

  • Noticeable Pollution

    A government report listed 43 mills along the 9.5-mile tidal estuary from Watertown Dam to Boston Harbor. The Charles River was so polluted from industrial and domestic wastes that the report recommended abandoning cleanup efforts on the river from south Natick (its midpoint) to the ocean, and focusing instead on the upper half.

  • Dam built at mouth of Charles River to create a river basin

    Dam built at mouth of Charles River to create a river basin

  • Construction of Quabbin - Boston water supply system

  • river in terrible shape due to low rainfall, raw sewage, and toxic discharges

  • CRWA was formed, and it cooperated with other groups to work on clean up.

  • Clean Water Act passed; the industrial discharge was strictly limited.

  • Conservation Law Foundation sued federal and state officials; MWRA have significantly reduced regular raw sewage discharges into the Charles River.