MISSION

The Charles River Conservancy works to amplify community voice and catalyze bold solutions, to make the Lower Charles River and its parks more vibrant, healthy, and welcoming now and in the future.

We CONNECT organizations, people and communities to each other and the river and its parks.

We CREATE bold, impactful solutions that elevate and strengthen the river and its parks as an essential ecological foundation and cultural asset for Greater Boston.

We CELEBRATE the river and its parks and the intersection of people and nature to inspire involvement.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CRC BOARD:
The CRC is actively expanding our board of directors. Learn about the leadership opportunity here.

READ OUR 2025 ANNUAL REPORT:
With the help of our supporters, we had a great year increasing volunteer engagement, investing in unique ecological programs, and centering our work on the communities around the Charles. Check out our FY25 Annual Report to learn more.

E-NEWS:
Our April 2026 News Stream is out! Read about the latest happenings at CRC. Browse recent issues and sign up for upcoming e-newsletters.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
Our work is carried out across traditional territory of the Massachusett, Nipmuc, and Wampanoag Nations, and homelands of the Pawtucket peoples. Read our history page for a detailed acknowledgement and resources to learn more about Indigenous territorial history and existing Native-run groups

IN SOLIDARITY:
Our work depends on equity, and we therefore cannot stay silent to racism and police brutality. Read our statement of solidarity with Black Lives Matter protestors in Boston and around the country.

Lead photo by Hans Nedde

Swim the Charles at City Splash 2026

Save the date for Saturday, July 18, 2026 on the Esplanade! Celebrate the joy of a swimmable Charles River at City Splash, the only sanctioned recreational public swim in the Charles. Swim slots fill up fast when swimmer registration goes live, so stay tuned for announcements. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow @CharlesRiverConservancy on Instagram to be the first to know when swimmer registration opens.

Artemisia Luk

Season Opener: The Floating Wetland Returns!

Moving day success! On March 30, 2026, the Charles River Floating Wetland made its annual Spring journey from its winter berth at the MIT Sailing Pavilion back home for its 7th season (moseying downstream along a towpath that runs under the Longfellow “Salt and Pepper” Bridge). Come say hi to “FWed” and its usual spot near Broad Canal. Visit often to see its raft of native plants change colors and textures throughout the season, mirroring the change in trees and shrubs along the riverbanks. Island buds and blooms are soon to come, and you don’t want to miss them!


Sign of Spring! Riverbend Park Opens Sunday, April 26

Chris Rycroft, licensed under CC BY 2.0

It’s almost that time of year again! From the last Sunday of April through the second Sunday of November, Memorial Drive in Cambridge is closed to vehicular traffic from 11am to 7pm, creating a large stretch of open space alongside the parklands to accommodate cycling, skating, running, and a range of other activities.

Due to ongoing construction associated with the Memorial Drive Greenway Improvements, Phase III project, Riverbend Park will be temporarily modified throughout the 2026 season. Learn more.


MWRA: Board Approves CSO Control Plan That Still Releases Sewage in the Charles River During Heavy Storms

Update Mar. 10, 2026: Paul Levy and Emily Norton co-author op-ed “The MWRA cleaned up Boston Harbor. It’s time for it to do the same for the Charles and Mystic rivers.” for CommonWealth Beacon.

In hiring the next MWRA executive director, the MWRA board of directors — which is chaired by Rebecca Tepper, Gov. Healey’s secretary of energy and environment — should be seeking a leader who is committed to finishing the job of cleaning our major waterways from these polluting CSOs. We all deserve rivers that are free of sewage.

Update Mar. 9, 2026: The Crimson publishes “Environmental Groups Push Back on MWRA Plan Allowing Sewage Overflows Into Charles“.

Environmental advocates said the current proposal would still permit significant wastewater discharges into the Charles, rendering the river unsafe for swimming for at least 48 hours after major storms.

Update Mar. 3, 2026: The Charles River Conservancy has submitted a letter to Governor Healey re: the CSO Long-Term Control Plan approved by the MWRA Board.

Update Feb. 26, 2026: The MWRA Board of Directors voted “YES” to approve staff’s recommendation of the “2050 Typical Year” plan, which will allow raw sewage to be dumped into our waterways for generations. We are disappointed that the MWRA did not vote for the strongest level of control (“Zero CSO discharges in a 2050 25-year, 24-hour design storm”) to eliminate sewage overflows in the face of worsening climate change—especially when the difference in cost to MWRA ratepayers between the approved plan and the plan preferred by advocates is less than $4 per household per month.

Take action: Write to Governor Healey, EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper, and your elected officials (find your legislators) to share your disappointment with the MWRA vote, why you believe sewage does not belong in our rivers, and ask them to invest in the long-term benefits the strongest level of CSO control delivers for the people of Massachusetts.

Timeline for Next Steps:

  • Deadline for the Draft Updated CSO Control Plan: April 30, 2026.
  • Draft Updated CSO Control Plan submittal will be followed by public meetings and hearings within a five-month MassDEP/EPA and public review period.
  • The Variances require that a Final Updated CSO Control Plan, which addresses comments received on the Draft Updated CSO Control Plan, be submitted for review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office by January 31, 2027.
  • The Variances also provide that during the period between January 31, 2027 and August 31, 2029, MassDEP, in coordination with EPA, will review the Final Updated CSO Control Plan, review and consider public comments on the Plan, confer with the MEPA office, and take action to approve or disapprove the Plan.

Update Feb. 5, 2026: MWRA Feb 4 board meeting materials are available for review. In short, the four levels of CSO Control currently under evaluation by MWRA Staff:

  • Zero CSO discharges in a 2050 5-year, 24-hour design storm (“2050 5-year”)

Staff will request approval from the MWRA board to move forward with the draft plan in the MRWA board meeting (hybrid) on Wed Feb. 25 at 1pm.

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You might see a plethora of green in the city for St. Patrick’s Day, but the green wave has only just begun! As the snow begins to melt and the seasons shift, the CRC is gearing up for exciting warmer-weather events and programming, along with the return of natural green beauty in our local parks.

With spring just around the corner, life is coming back to @massdcr parks. Take some time to explore the many public parks in your area, and discover creative ways to get outside and reconnect with nature. What green space is next on your “to visit” bucket list?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us, but don’t let the green stop there! 🌿🍀

#stpatricksday #publicparks #nature #gogreen