"City Splash" Celebrates Clearer Waters for the Charles River

We love our "Dirty Water" here in Massachusetts - that, of course, being the nickname for the Charles River, which has been infamous over the years for its polluted state. These days, though, thanks to the work of many environmental groups, including the Charles River Conservancy, the water is much clearer - to the point where you can actually swim in it! The Conservancy's "City Splash" event is coming up, whcere you can grab a floatie, dip your feet, dog paddle, or do a killer cannonball into the river to cool off on a hot summer day. Laura Jasinski, Executive Director of the Charles River Conservancy, talks with Nichole this week about the state of the Charles and this exciting event.

Episode Transcript

(00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston.This is New England Weekend. Each week
we come together and talk about allthe topics important to you and the place
where you live. It's so goodto be back with you this week.
I'm Nicole Davis. Well, thesedays, you could say the Charles River
is kind of in the middle ofa glow up of sorts. See decades
ago, swimming in the Charles wassomething you would never consider doing as experts

(00:28):
had realized it was extremely polluted withall sorts of stuff sewage and runoff industrial
waste. Do you pick your poison? I suppose. Ever since though,
it has been an all hands ondeck effort to try to get the river
cleaned up. Government agencies have beenworking hand in hand with residents and organizations
like the Charles River Conservancy to dothis. Today, the water quality in

(00:49):
the Charles is much better, somuch better that coming up here in just
a few weeks. You can grabyour water wings and go swimming in the
Charles if you want to get arespite from the heat. Work is continuing
to make the river summertime oasis forcity dwellers. The City Splash event is
all about highlighting that work. Let'stalk about it. Laura Chazinski is the
executive director of the Charles River Conservancy. She is here on the show with

(01:11):
us. Now, Laura, thankyou for being here. Let's start by
talking a bit more about the historyof the Charles and how it kind of
got that dirty water reputation in thefirst place. Sure so well, really,
the Charles River was used as aswimming beach. There's a park magazine
beach in Cambridge that is called Beachbecause it used to be exactly that,
a swimming beach up until the nineteenfifties and sixties, when we then realized

(01:34):
it was probably not a great ideato have people swimming in the river and
that wasn't an option anymore. Andthen you could spend a lot of time
talking about so much that has goneinto making the Charles much cleaner and actually
not really worthy of the dirty watertitle and kind of jingle it has.
It definitely still has challenges, butit's so much cleaner due to the advocacy

(01:57):
of so many different groups, alot of infrastructure improvements, and there's still
a long way to go, butwe are much cleaner, and I think
that goal of being able to swimin the Charals again regularly is much closer,
but we're not quite there yet.So this event, we started several

(02:19):
years ago as the first community riverswim in about fifty years in the Charles,
and it's really meant to just bringattention back to that goal, bring
the attention to that we are gettingcloser, but we still have work to
do and to really create that connectionbetween community members and the river in a
unique way and in a way thatthey don't always have the opportunity to.
I can personally say that I hadnot swim in the Charles until I joined

(02:44):
this organization about six years ago now, and it really is kind of a
transformative experience. You know. Ihesitate to say that because it sounds so
cliche, but when you were swimmingin a body of water, when you
have that recreational relationship with it,your outlook and your capacity to care about
it just changes. And so youwant to make those you want to understand

(03:05):
more, you want to know howyou can do your part to help make
your environment and your river cleaner,and it's really transformational. So this event
is about just that. It's aboutmaking a connection with the river in a
fun and exciting way and in anew way for a lot of community members.
Sure, and this event is goingto be the seventh of the City
Splashes that you have held so farand over the years, you know,

(03:28):
there have still been plenty of effortsto try to clean up the river.
Where are we now as opposed towhen you first started City Splash all those
years ago? Sure there is stillyou know, as I mentioned, there's
been a lot of work done toreduce the runoff into the river through the
changing of our pipe system. Westill have things called combined sewer overflows or

(03:53):
CSOs, which when we have bigrain events that kind of fills up that
pipe system and can wash them intothe river. But we've taken a lot
of those out. We still haveto take more of them out to make
the river cleaner. And we alsoneed to think about how we can stop
other runoff going into the river.And what I mean by that is things
coming off the road. Right.If you think about how we have roadways

(04:15):
next to the river and we havea strong rain event, the kind of
you know, the muck and thereally the phosphorus is the chemical there that
gets washed washed into the river cancause can cause harm and can make is
what the challenge is with the healthof the river, and so what has
really changed since we first started thisis we're making progress on that front,

(04:38):
but we're also seeing more impact fromclimate change. We're seeing heavier rainstorms,
which is washing more of that kindof unwanted material into the river and so
increasing kind of that risk and thatchallenge. And at the same time,
we're also seeing more of a needfor opportunities to cool down because we're seeing
higher temperatures. So we kind ofhave like really that we're realizing the impacts

(05:00):
of climate change even more in thelast couple of years, and how important
this event is, you know,just kind of logistically for having a place
where people can cool down in thesummer, and also as that goal in
that driver of continuing infrastructure improvements,for looking for ways of implementing green infrastructure,
for solutions for reducing the amount ofasphalt or concrete or impervious surface next

(05:21):
to the river so that we cancontinue to get closer to that small river
goal. So I think we've learneda lot since we first started doing this
event, and so our kind ofinformation and education around why and how we
get there has changed, and Ithink about this too. You mentioned climate
change and how urban areas we haveheat islands. You know, lots of

(05:45):
neighborhoods in Boston have heat islands.It can be really difficult for people to
find a place to cool down.DCR is really good about splash pads,
and there are pools, but theycan get really overwhelmed pretty easily. And
it seems almost like a tease,right to have the Charles River, this
big beautiful river running right, youknow, along the city, and not
being able to swim in it.So the efforts, I think, especially
as you as we make our wayfurther into a world that's more impacted by

(06:09):
climate change, you think about thepeople who live in the city of Boston.
I mean, this is really criticalfor us to be able to offer
that that's right. Not everybody cango to the north shore, go to
the subshore, get to a beachthat is currently used for swimming, right,
So we need to look for moreof those opportunities and also look for
more ways to just connect people topublic parks and to waterfronts, because while

(06:31):
swimming is incredibly important, that's ourgoal. Even when you're sitting by the
river right or under the shade ofa tree, you feel cooler than when
you're surrounded by concrete and on ahot sidewalk. Right, So we need
to create more access points for peopleto get to these spaces, make sure
that we're really prioritizing the preservation andcreation of new urban spaces and tree canopy

(06:54):
in the city so that there arethose other kind of opportunities for natural cooling
in the summer, which we're backinto that season, yes, indeed we
are. And if the forecast pansout the way they say it's going to
be, it's going to be abit of a scorcher. So events like
this are even more important. Sohow do you prepare for this sort of
event when really you you know,we don't have permission to swim in the

(07:16):
river for the rest of the year. How do you make it okay for
us to swim in one spot forone day? That there is a lot
of planning that goes into city Splash, because as much as it is about
that fun and that connection, it'salso first, second, and third about
being safe, right, right,we want to make sure that we're providing
a safe environment for people, andso step one of that equation is making

(07:41):
sure that the water quality on thatday is good for swimming, so we
work with Massachusetts Water Resources Authority totest. And we also abide by some
important regulations where if we get acertain amount of rain happen into rain within
forty eight hours starting the event,we automatically cancel. It's that's one of

(08:03):
the kind of guidelines or regulations forthat. So we're very careful and we're
very take those regulations very seriously.We also create a safe swimming area in
that you know, we bring outthe buoys. We also partner with the
YMCA of Greater Boston to provide areally well trained and well resourced lifeguard team.
They're an incredibly important partner. Wework with Community Voting, who gives

(08:24):
us kayaks and who helps us makesure that we can set up that area,
gives us walkie talkie so we cancommunicate across the event. So I
also can't say enough about just howmany partners are involved in making this event
a success. Because we hope thatswimmers show up and you know, you
have a great experience. It seemslike, you know, no big deal
at all, because that means we'vedone our job. When we've done all

(08:46):
of our planning in advance and madesure that that can be the case for
that day. Yeah, you don'twant to think we can really focus on
that fun and that experience exactly.You just want to go cannonball into the
Charles. You don't want to thinktwice about it. You know, Please
help me dispel this myth that Ihave heard. I've heard, you know,
because I live in Boston, Ihave a long time. Somebody told

(09:07):
me once that if you go,when you swim in the Charles, you
can't touch the bottom of the Charlesbecause like there's you know, radioactive material
or something that's going to take offyour feet. I know it sounds insane,
but when you're going to this eventand you swim, any place that's
in the safe area is safe toswim. It doesn't matter how deep you're
at. That that's right. Thatsaid, this is a deep water swimming

(09:28):
event, so that you don't touchthe bottom. Part of that is because
that there are some contaminants that aretrapped in that sediment, and so you
don't want to mix those up.But there in the sediment, and so
we test the water to make surethat water column is safe. Okay,
the other part is it's just ickyright, Like yeah, I mean in
the least scientific way, Like youknow, if you step into a like

(09:50):
like sometimes you get into that muck. There's a lot of that muck in
the Charles and so it would alsojust not be a very pleasant experience for
the most part. Generally you wantto avoid touching the them. And so
this is also a deep water swimmingevent, so that's important to know and
again makes that safety component that muchthat much more important. We're really excited
this year because our partnership with theYMCA Greater Boston, we're able to open

(10:13):
up access for swimmers twelve to eighteen. This used to be something you had
to be eighteen years or older toparticipate in, but with our partnership with
the WHY, people are within thattwelve to eighteen or age range can go
get swim tested ahead of the eventor join us at eleven a m.
On the day of the event toget a swim test and then be able
to join as a young person inthe event. That's something that for lots

(10:37):
of complicated safety reasons, we haven'table to offer, but a partnership with
the WHY is opening up that opportunityfor a broader audience this year. I
think that is the coolest thing tobe able to be a kid and say
I learned. You know, Igot my swim test done in the Charles
River, you know, not justsome lousies and pool. I did it
in the Charles. It's a badgeof honor. I think as a Boston
you know, we should have somebadges of honor for pay for that for

(11:00):
that day. There you go,like a girl scout patch or something.
Right, you get, Oh,I love this, so you know you
did. Mention safety is very importantand if you are coming to the event,
what are some items you should bring? What should you do to be
prepared to come swim in the Durnals? Sure, first of all, you
should be comfortable swimming in deep water. That's the number one thing. We

(11:22):
also ask if people register in advance. So our registration opens on Thursday,
June sixth. Swim slots will buildup really quickly. We have about three
hundred or so of them. Atwenty five minute swim slot every half hour
between noon and four pm on Saturday, July thirteenth. A rain date will
be Saturday July twentieth. Okay,so making sure that you've read all the

(11:46):
information that we provide and really understandthe event. We have a waiver we
ask people to sign as well tothat to that extent and then com ready
to enjoy it. Know that youshould do your cannon balls the best cannonball
possible, but we do ask peoplenot to die or do backflips and that
sort of thing. Okay, andlisten to the lifeguards the way you would
in any sort of open water swimmingor you know, community pool. Of

(12:09):
course, always a good idea tohave things like sun protection and all the
things that you want to be comfortablein the part. Yes, yes,
And are there going to be youknow, food trucks or anything for people
to enjoy. What's the rest ofthe area going to be looking like on
that day? We'll have we'll havemore information at an info table about what
the Charles ver Conservancy does outside ofproviding events like City Splash. We will
also have a food truck and we'reworking on trying to get a few other

(12:31):
drink and dessert vendors there as well. Again, we are also partnering with
Community Voting and the American City's Coalitionto provide some additional information and programming at
the event, and it's also afun spectator event. We use the Feedler
Dock at Feedler Field on the Esplanadeand we partition up half of the dock

(12:54):
for again kind of safety check incheck out reasons for the swimmers, but
the other half of the dock isstill very much open to the public.
So a great place to come outand hang anytime, but especially during this
event and watch people try to getthe biggest splash out of their cannibal.
That's going to Hopefully it's going tobe a beautiful day because you know,
you've got the sailboats from community boating, and you've got everybody just milling about

(13:15):
on the esplanade. It's always sucha fun place to be in the summertime,
and then you just will get splashedby everybody diving in. I mean,
it's manifesting that beautiful mid eighties lowbreeze day. Right. Obviously,
the conservancy you are working twenty fourseven three sixty five to try to make
the river a bit cleaner, andwe talked to for a couple of minutes

(13:35):
about certain things that still need tobe done. What else is going on
at the conservancy right now? Sure, so one of the other ways that
we're working to help the child orwill be healthier is by thinking about green
infrastructure and technology. And one ofour really exciting projects we have is an
artificial island in the river are floatingwetland and so especially if you think about

(13:56):
the lower stretch of the Charles,rather than having what used to be riverbanks
and marshland along that stretch of theCharles, we now have sea walls,
those kind of hard edges and sothe river, the river banks in the
marsh, they played a really importantrole in habitat creation, you know,
and supporting the food web infiltration ofsome pollutants, and we don't have that

(14:20):
with sea walls anymore. So we'relooking to test this type of technology,
these artificial islands as a means ofbringing back some of that biodiversity and some
of that function that those plants anddifferent habitat played. And it's not going
to be a one for one replacement, but it's thinking about how do we
continue to add these tools to ourresilience toolbox that we can look for more
ways to mimic nature, use naturebased solutions what they're often called, to

(14:46):
help make the Charles healthier. Sowe're looking at, uh, those types
of you know, fun kind ofinnovative projects and also education, you know,
working with school groups, working withvolunteers that help us in the park
with things like cleanups and in basespecies removal, just education and really thinking
about empowering individuals to be a partof just making our overall urban ecology and

(15:07):
environment healthier. Okay, Well,then if people want to find out more
about what you're doing in the educationspace and so on and so forth,
or learn more about city splash,where can they go to do that.
Our website is ww dot Charles dotorg, so head over to check that
out and then also follows on socialmedia also the Charles riverconserpency on our platforms.

(15:28):
All right, and that is wherepeople can go sign up to go
get one of these swim slots rightfor the event. Yeah, so if
you go to and through our website, we have a sign up button right
up top to sign on to oure newsletter. We send a monthly newsletter,
so we don't overfill your inbox oranything like that. But folks that
are on our E news list willbe the first ones to see when registration

(15:48):
opens, which will be through ourwebsite on the morning of Thursday, June
sixth. Well, Laura, thankyou so much for your time and I
hope you have a great event andI hope you do the best cannonball of
your life into the river. Thankyou so much. Have a safe and
healthy weekend. Please join me againnext week for another edition of the show.
I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radioon iHeartRadio.