Charles River

Friends and family of David G. Mugar gathered on the Charles River Esplanade on Saturday morning to unveil a statue honoring his life and legacy. Mugar was the founder and executive producer of the Fourth of July Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular show for over four decades and was a respected community member, philanthropist, and civic organizer in the city. He…

The idea for building a water shuttle on the Charles River came to Drew Rollert as one might expect: After a particularly terrible attempt to get around by car in Greater Boston. 

Public health alerts have been issued for parts of Massachusetts’ Mystic River and Charles River because of Tuesday’s very wet weather. Sewage was discharged into the waterways during the downpours. The release is common during heavy rains to keep contaminated water from getting into homes, businesses and streets, but it does make the rivers’ water unhealthy. “In one hour,...

People are being warned to temporarily avoid contact with a popular stretch of the Charles River, after stormwater mixed with sewage was released into the river on Tuesday. Cambridge health officials said the stormwater and sewage release was done on Tuesday between Magazine Park and the Boston University Bridge, and was needed to prevent water backing up into buildings. The…

Sections of the three major rivers flowing into Boston Harbor received poor grades, including Cs and some failing marks, according to new report cards that cite impacts from millions of gallons of dirty sewage and stormwater releases. There’s been “vast overall improvement” for the Charles, Mystic and Neponset rivers compared to past decades, and some other swaths of waterways...

He’s been fishing all his life, but one Massachusetts man is helping reel in something much bigger. Using his fish finder when the bite is slow, Jim Thames of Wellesley has taken up a new hobby — finding vehicles submerged in the depths of the Charles River. “I’m like, ‘This looks pretty suspicious beneath me,’ so I get my...

Town leaders in Natick, Massachusetts, have voted to remove an iconic but aging dam on the Charles River. The dam, which passes through South Natick Dam Park, has stood for nearly 90 years, but its condition as deteriorated. It holds 160 million gallons of water, and a breach would be catastrophic. A 4-1 vote by Natick’s select board Wednesday brought…

A girl was raped on the Waltham Riverwalk in September and a woman was groped twice by a man on a bicycle last week, Massachusetts State Police said Wednesday. Both sexual assaults are under investigation and more troopers have been sent to the area, the agency said, shortly after Waltham police announced they were stepping up patrols in the state…

John Anastas was on a third date paddleboarding on the Charles River when he accidentally kicked his phone into the dirty water. So, he did the unthinkable and jumped right in. “I definitely figured it was going to be disgusting,” he said, “and when I got down there I had severely underestimated my assumption.” John didn’t find his own phone,...

Despite recent rain, the statewide drought is getting worse. According to the State Drought Task Force, most of Massachusetts is experiencing critical drought levels with many rivers and streams seeing record low daily flows. According to the National Weather Service, Worcester, Essex, Bristol and Norfolk counties are in particularly bad shape. “We’re seeing culverts with no stream coming out...

A woman’s body was found in the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge on Wednesday night after police searched the water for hours, officials said. Massachusetts State Police said their preliminary investigation indicates the woman was seen lying on a ledge of the John W. Weeks Bridge near Harvard University. Witnesses who were walking across the bridge at the...

Severe drought conditions affecting much of Massachusetts have had a clear impact on parts of the Charles River. In a matter of days, Liz Loewen said she noticed a drastic difference. “I’ve never seen anything like this. All that land right there is usually water, and you wouldn’t be standing right here,” she said, pointing to the bottom step...

A lack of federal regulation aimed at stopping polluted runoff from seeping into three rivers in the Boston area is driving local environmental organizations to sue the Environmental Protection Agency, they said Thursday. The Conservation Law Foundation and the Charles River Watershed Association said they will sue the EPA, claiming that the Charles, Mystic and Neponset rivers are being threatened…

As officials in Natick, Massachusetts, continue to debate the future of a dam that has stood for nearly 90 years, some in the area are pushing for the structure to remain in place while others want the spillway to be removed. The area of the Charles River that passes through South Natick Dam Park is beloved for the serenity it…

A dam that has stood for nearly 90 years in Natick, Massachusetts, is falling apart, and there’s a push to preserve it for future generations. The South Natick Dam has been a popular spot since it was established on the Charles River in the 1930s. It holds 160 million gallons of water, and officials are concerned about what could happen…

A diamond ring was plucked from the bed of the Charles River over the weekend, saving the day for the couple who lost it, firefighters said. The ring fell off a boat at the Charlesgate Yacht Club in Cambridge on Sunday. They didn’t say how it went into the water, but the woman who lost the ring “was obviously...