Editing Charles River (section)

===History of pollution and remediation efforts===
[[File:Charles River - MWRA - Oil Spill - 3-0029053 (4381616745).jpg|thumb|alt=Oil spill on the river|Release of heating oil to the Charles River from an MWRA pumping station in Cambridge, 2010]]
[[File:BunkerHillBoats.jpg|thumb|right|Sailboats [[Mooring (watercraft)|moored]] on the [[Charlestown, Massachusetts|Charlestown]] side of the Charles River with [[Bunker Hill Monument]] in the distance]]
[[File:Sunset Charles River Boston.jpg|thumb|Sunset on the Charles River in December 2010]]
As [[sewage]], [[industrial wastewater treatment|industrial wastewater]] and [[urban runoff]] flowed freely into the river from the surrounding city, the Charles River became well known for its high level of [[water pollution|pollutants]], gaining such notoriety that by 1955, [[Bernard DeVoto]] wrote in ''[[Harper's Magazine]]'' that the Charles was "foul and noisome, polluted by offal and industrious wastes, scummy with oil, unlikely to be mistaken for water."<ref name="CRC" /> [[Fish kill]]s and submerged vehicles were a common sight, along with [[toxicity|toxic chemical plumes]] that colored parts of the river pink and orange.<ref name="BostonLawsuit">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/24/group_eyes_lawsuit_over_charles_river_pollution/?page=2|title=Group Eyes Lawsuit Over Charles River Pollution|work=Boston.com|date=April 24, 2005 |access-date=16 October 2014|last1=Daley |first1=Beth }}</ref> [[The Standells]] sang about the sorry state of the Charles in their 1965 song "[[Dirty Water]]".

Once popular with swimmers, awareness of the river's high pollution levels forced the state to shut down several popular swimming areas, including Cambridge's Magazine Beach and Gerry Landing public beaches.<ref name="CRC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.charlesriverconservancy.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511080608/http://www.charlesriverconservancy.org/projects/swimming/index.html|url-status=dead|title=Things to Know About Moving to Boston, MA &#124; Cross Country Move Guide|archive-date=May 11, 2010|website=Charles River Conservancy|access-date=September 27, 2020}}</ref><ref name="BSC">{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/yourtown/cambridge/articles/2011/10/11/a_river_that_is_clean_and_clear_again|title=Clear and Clean|work=Boston.com|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref>

Efforts to clean up the river and restore it to a state where swimming and fishing would be acceptable began as early as the 1960s, and the program to clean up the Charles for good took shape in 1965 with the creation of the Charles River Watershed Association.<ref name="CRWA">{{cite web|url=http://www.crwa.org|title=Charles River Watershed Association|publisher=Crwa.org|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref>
In 1978, a new [[Charles River Dam]] was constructed downstream from the Science Museum site to keep [[seawater|salt water]] out of the basin.

In 1995, the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] declared a goal of making the river swimmable by 2005.<ref name="CRC" /> In 1996, Governor [[William Weld]] plunged, fully clothed, into the river to prove his commitment to cleaning up the river.<ref name="welddive">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/election/september96/kerry_weld_9-19.html|title=Online NewsHour: KERRY / WELD: DEAD HEAT|work=PBS NewsHour|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-date=January 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119061948/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/election/september96/kerry_weld_9-19.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On November 12, 2004, Christopher Swain became the first person to swim the Charles River's entire length, in an effort to raise public awareness of the river's environmental health.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=266717&page=1|title=Person of the Week: Christopher Swain|work=ABC News|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041113/NEWS/411130384/1002/NEWS01|title=Vermont swimmer hates dirty water, but covers entire Charles River in Mass. : Times Argus Online|publisher=Timesargus.com|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021185315/http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20041113%2FNEWS%2F411130384%2F1002%2FNEWS01|archive-date=21 October 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1108/p11s02-sten.html|title=An 80-mile swim - with hubcaps|author=Mark Clayton|date=8 November 2004|work=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref> In July 2007, the river hosted the Charles River Masters Swim Race, the first sanctioned race in the Charles in over five decades.<ref>[[Malcom Glenn|Malcom A. Glenn]], [http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=519359 Brown Charles Gets Green Light], Harvard Crimson, July 20, 2007</ref>

A combination of public and private initiatives helped drastically lower levels of pollutants by focusing on eliminating [[combined sewer overflow]]s and stormwater [[surface runoff|runoff]]. Since Weld's stunt, the river's condition has improved dramatically, although it was not deemed entirely swimmable by 2005.

The [[Conservation Law Foundation]] opposes the permit given to [[Mirant]] for the [[Veolia]] Energy North America [[Kendall Cogeneration Station]], an electricity plant near [[Kendall Square]], charging that the water it releases causes blooms of hazardous [[microorganism]]s because of its warm temperature.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clf.org/newsroom/conservation-law-foundation-secures-groundbreaking-outcome-in-genon-kendall-plant-case/
|title=Conservation Law Foundation Secures Groundbreaking Outcome in GenOn Kendall Plant Case - Innovative Solution to Cooling System Issues Will Improve Charles River Health, Bring Lower Carbon Steam Heat and Power to City Buildings |publisher=Conservation Law Foundation |date=2011-02-02 |access-date=2015-04-06}}</ref>

The water quality of the Charles River is often at its worst after a large rainfall because of pollutants carried by runoff, and sewage overflows. For 2011, the EPA reported that the Charles met state bacterial standards for boating and swimming 96% and 89% of the time on dry days, and 74% and 35% of the time on wet days, respectively.<ref name="epa_report">{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.gov/region1/charles/reportcards.html|title=Report Cards - Charles River - New England - US EPA|date=May 29, 2014 |publisher=Epa.gov|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref> Overall boatability and swimability of 82% and 54% in 2011 compared with 39% and 19% in 1995. In June 2018, the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] graded the river's 2017 bacterial water quality "A−".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/charles-river-water-quality-improvements-earns-second-time-past-five-years|title=Charles River Water Quality Improvements Earns an A− for the Second Time in the Past Five Years {{!}} US EPA|last=EPA, OA, OEAEE, OMR|first=US|website=US EPA|language=en|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref>

A study<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hellweger|first1=F. L.|last2=Masopust|first2=P.|title=Investigating the Fate and Transport of ''Escherichia coli'' in the Charles River, Boston, Using High-Resolution Observation and Modeling|journal=JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association|date=2008|volume=44|issue=2|pages=509–522|doi=10.1111/j.1752-1688.2008.00179.x|bibcode=2008JAWRA..44..509H|doi-access=free}}</ref> published in the ''Journal of the American Water Resources Association'' in April 2008 and completed by researchers at Northeastern University, found high concentrations of ''[[Escherichia coli|E. coli]]'' [[bacteria]] in the Charles River after a long period of no rain. Using a [[mathematical model]], the researchers then determined that two major tributaries, the [[Stony Brook (Boston)|Stony Brook]] and [[Muddy River, Massachusetts|Muddy River]], are the predominant sources of ''E. coli'' in the lower Charles River.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newswise.com/articles/view/540300/ |title=Researcher Develops Model to Track ''E. coli'' in Charles River |publisher=Newswise.com |access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref>

Starting in 2007,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/us/22charles.html?_r=2& | work=The New York Times | first=Pam | last=Belluck | title=A Boston River Now (Mostly) Fit for Swimming | date=July 22, 2007}}</ref> the Charles River Swimming Club has organized an annual race for its members, but obtains a special permit and must monitor water quality and rainfall in the days leading up to the race.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlesriverswimmingclub.org/wp/?page_id=10|access-date=2013-07-30|title=FAQs}}</ref> The "first public swim" in the Charles since the 1950s was conducted on July 13, 2013, by the Charles River Conservancy,<ref group=Note>The Charles River Conservancy was founded by [[Renata von Tscharner]].</ref> Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA), Esplanade Association, and DCR.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/07/13/charles-river-opens-for-public-swim-for-first-time-since/4tgCdQ1cONXeN6SPvhe6rI/story.html | work=The Boston Globe | title=Charles River opens for first public swim since the 1950s}}</ref> Both the annual race<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlesriverswimmingclub.org/wp/?page_id=8|title=Charles River Swimming Club, Inc. : Maps|publisher=Charlesriverswimmingclub.org|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref> and the Conservancy event have been held in deep water with swimmers jumping in off a dock, to avoid the toxic sediments on the bottom of the river that still make beach swimming dangerous.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbur.org/2013/07/13/public-swim-charles|title=Public Swim Follows 50 Years Of Dirty Water|date=13 July 2013|work=WBUR|access-date=16 October 2014}}</ref> Swimming without a permit is punishable by a fine up to $250.<ref>Swimming and ice skating are prohibited by [https://web.archive.org/web/20141020165349if_/http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/legal/3501200.pdf#page=3&zoom=auto,-76,938 350 CMR 12.02 (7)] except where posted by the [[Department of Conservation and Recreation]], and as of 2013 there are no posted swimming areas. The maximum fine is set by 350 CMR 12.03.</ref>