Massachusetts Rivers Alliance

Happy World Environment Day! 🌏🌱💧

Here’s how some of our team likes to spend the day!

For centuries, our waterways have been fragmented and riverine habitats have degraded after the installation of dams. Many of these dams are no longer in use and pose ecological, economic, and safety risks.

Fortunately, the more we educate ourselves and those around us, the better equipped we are to solve the problem together.

Through our advocacy, programming, and strong network of member organizations, we are already seeing incredible progress. Share this post and let’s keep up the momentum!

Happy River Month! 🐟

Read more about Dam Busters here: https://www.massriversalliance.org/dambusters

Our Dam Busters Technical Assistance program is off to a strong start! We visited the Town of Templeton, one of our technical assistance recipients, at Otter River Pool Dam on Mellon Brook, a tributary of Otter River in the Millers River Watershed. We met with Pare Corp consultants and Town of Templeton staff to begin early phase analyses for this dam removal project.

This dam is in rough shape, demonstrating the need for technical support and the ecological benefits that would result from its removal in this cold water fishery resource area. We will continue to share project updates, and we are thrilled to see how this program is already creating change for the award recipients!

Thank you to our partners at Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and Charles River Watershed Association for making the Dam Busters program such a success!

Check out this new article by The Open Source Investigation Lab of Northeastern University School of Journalism. In this piece, they explore the impacts of severe precipitation events on outdated dam infrastructure and what is being done to remove them.

There are over 300 high-hazard dams throughout Massachusetts, meaning they post a high risk in the event of failure. Namely, the Charles River Dam and Hager Pond Dam have the potential to flood highly-populated neighborhoods and cause flood-damage to historic sites.

Luckily, when public funding is upheld, there are opportunities for municipalities to study, repair, and remove dams in thier neighborhoods.

Shoutout to our amazing member orgs and community leaders who participated in the article- Blackstone Watershed Collaborative, OARS—Watershed Organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers, Charles River Watershed Association, and Senator James Eldridge

Read more here:

Mass. removed more than a dozen dams last year. Hundreds more are considered hazardous The fight over Hager Pond Dam in Marlborough is a window into the hundreds of “high hazard” dams in Massachusetts that no longer serve any purpose.

Thanks to Kate Selig from The Boston Globe for this excellent article on combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and for the opportunity to share our perspective on the broad CSO challenge.

“Combined sewer overflows are a statewide challenge, from the Pioneer Valley to Buzzards Bay,” said David McGlinchey, the alliance’s executive director.

River advocates are not satisfied with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) proposal that would continue to send sewage into the Charles River, Mystic River, and Alewife Brook for decades to come. MWRA says that eliminating all combined sewage overflows (CSOs) would be prohibitively expensive.

“We don’t want raw, untreated sewage going into the river at all,” said Julie Wood, the climate resilience director at the Charles River Watershed Association.

New plan would dump sewage into the Charles River for decades to come - The Boston Globe The regional water authority wants to continue dumping sewage into the Charles River, Mystic River, and Alewife Brook for decades to come.

Mass Rivers is excited to welcome Sarah Golden as our new Development Manager!

Sarah has strong experience in sustainability and a deep commitment to environmental conservation. We are thrilled to have her join the team as we grow our work to protect and restore Massachusetts rivers and waterways.

We also want to extend our deep appreciation to Anna Renkert for her incredible contributions over the past three years. Anna's work on development and engagement with the Mass Rivers community has built a foundation that will endure well into the future.

We are grateful for all that Anna has contributed, and wish her the best as she heads off this summer to study public interest law at the University of Denver!

We are thrilled to join North and South Rivers Watershed Association and Mystic River Watershed Association for this webinar exploring "What Watershed Associations Wish Municipalities Knew."

What Watershed Associations Wish Municipalities Knew Panel - Thursday, May 7 from 12:00noon-1:00pm. The panel will help deepen understanding of the factors affecting both the quantity and quality of our waters, the implications for communities, and key considerations to address these challenges at the local level. Register for webinar by May 6.
https://barrettplanningllc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ag8ALjuWROWFyfB6LXCAKA #/registration

Happy Earth Day! 🌎

Today is the perfect day to celebrate the Massachusetts Senate passing the Environmental Bond Bill (also known as the Mass Ready Act) last week!

Their version includes an amendment which encapsulates key provisions of the drought management bill which will create a more coordinated, transparent, and proactive approach to drought across the state.

The advocacy of the many Mass Rivers member groups and individuals was critical in ensuring this Amendment’s passage. This outcome is a reminder that we are stronger together and that our voices do make a difference for the future of our rivers and waters.

What a perfect way to celebrate !

📸: Ipswich River, June 2025

Happy Earth Month! This month is a time to reflect on the health of our plant and a reminder of the importance of clean water and healthy rivers.

This Earth Day, April 22nd, we're bringing our community together for a special webinar on an issue that sits at the intersection of water, justice, and resilience: aging dams across the United States that sit near contaminated waste sites and the potential consequences for rivers and communities downstream if they were to fail.

Based on his piece from Undark Magazine, science and environmental journalist James Dinneen will discuss the project, and how to gather information about dams from state and federal officials.

Register here: https://www.massriversalliance.org/event-details/toxic-relationships-investigating-aging-dam-infrastructure-near-contaminated-waste-sites-across-the-united-states

Thrilled that our previous Executive Director, Julia Blatt, will be speaking on April 22 about her work to gain federal Wild and Scenic River status for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers!

Alongside WBUR environmental reporter Barb Moran, Julia will talk about the Wild and Scenic status, what it means, and the almost-12-year process it took to get it. Stop by for the fantastic event as part of OARS—Watershed Organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers' 18th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival on April 22-26!