. Protecting the health, beauty and accessibility of the Charles River .
VOL. 33, NO. 2
A PUBLICATION OF THE CHARLES RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION
The Future of Water: SmartStorm
Contents
SmartStorm continued . . . . . . . 2
President’s Message . . . . . . . . 3
Watch for the Flags . . . . . . . . . . 3
Run of the River . . . . . . . . . . . 4–5
Forecasting the River’s Health . 6
On the Charles in the 1920s . . . 7
Summer 2002 Calendar . . . . . 8–9
Charles River Report Card . . . 10
Tracking Tributaries . . . . . . . 11
20th Anniversary
Run of the Charles . . . . . . . . . 12
Charles River Earth Day
Clean Up 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Watchdog for the River . . . . . 14
For several years you have
read stories about rain,
stormwater, and the Charles in the Streamer.
You know that the Charles suffers from low
flows, particularly in the summer. You know
greater Boston is at the front end of water
shortages due to increasing demands and
increased impervious land surfaces which deny
rain the chance to filter into the aquifers that we
and the river need. You know CRWA has been
studying the relationships between rainwater,
surfaces impervious to rain, groundwater, water
quality, and sustainability since 1994. You know
our work has transformed CRWA as an organi-
zation and resulted in a complete refocusing of
our efforts.
We are focused on new approaches to how
cities are designed which will make them more
environmentally friendly and sustainable, to make
them behave more like urban forests than asphalt
jungles. We have developed and continue to
refine community planning tools like environ-
mental zoning. We are working on better use of
SUMMER 2002
by Bob Zimmerman
TM
regulation to promote environmental health and
sustainability. We are exploring uses of
economies of scale and market forces to reduce
costs to communities facing sizeable water/
wastewater infrastructure expenses, including
the possibility of using the amount of flow in the
river as a medium of trade between dischargers
to the river and other sources of pollution (more
on that in the fall). We have also spent a great
deal of time since 1996 examining “soft” solu-
tions for dealing with rainwater as it accumu-
lates in communities. “Soft” solutions are those
approaches that capture and slow rainfall
before it gets polluted on pavement, and before
it enters stormdrains and combined sewer
systems where the impact and treatment are
very expensive.
Part of the work to capture and slow rainfall
while it is still clean has led us to the creation of
SmartStorm, a cistern/drywell system in the very
early stages of introduction and testing in the
metropolitan region. SmartStorm is not, however,
your garden variety rain barrel. Rain barrels
continued on page 2
 STREAMER
SmartStorm continued from page 1
typically hold from 40 to 110 gallons of roof runoff. SmartStorm,
in what we expect will be a typical application, can provide 1400
gallons of storage and as much as 2000 gallons of recharge to the
ground through a high-tech drywell system. A drywell is conven-
tionally a hole in the ground at least 10 feet from a foundation and
filled with gravel and then covered with soil and grass into which
roof runoff is piped. The SmartStorm drywell is the same hole, but
filled with a plastic grid system allowing for 94 percent of the hole
to remain open and empty, so that it can store more water and
therefore recharge more water into the ground.
SmartStorm is designed to store and recharge 1.26 inch/24 hour
rainstorm from a 2000 square foot roof, yielding approximately
2500 gallons of water. In a year when eastern Massachusetts
receives normal precipitation, SmartStorm is designed to store
and recharge about 90 percent of the roof runoff — approximately
50,000 gallons of water.
The benefits of SmartStorm are potentially enormous. As you
drive around the city and the suburbs, observe the roof down-
spouts. Most dump on driveways, where the runoff is collected
in street drains and lost through stormdrains. Others go into the
ground where they connect to the sanitary wastewater system
and increase the activation of combined sewer overflows, where
sanitary sewage and rainwater are mixed. Since the sewer pipes
lack the capacity to handle all the water, the excess runs through
overflow pipes and flows directly into the Charles or Boston
Harbor. SmartStorm would eliminate much of that excess.
The stored water is suitable for outdoor use such as irriga-
tion, and washing cars or home siding. A pump is provided with
SmartStorm to allow homeowners to use the stored water in
exactly the same way they use municipal water, with hoses and
sprinklers. Consequently, demand on potable (drinkable) water
supplies would be greatly reduced in the spring, summer, and fall,
2
leaving more water in underground aquifers to promote a more
healthy environment. Furthermore, the drywell system will
enhance those underground aquifers year-round, increasing their
sustainability and restoring flow in the river and its tributaries.
We believe SmartStorm will become an important new tool
in municipal design and planning to restore the environment and
protect and sustain our potable water supplies. We also believe
it will offer municipalities a cheaper alternative to traditional
solutions for overflow from combined sewers and polluted
stormwater runoff.
Our first pilot project is underway in the town of Bellingham,
and we will be monitoring the systems there closely over the
next year to determine their effectiveness. Limited quantities of
SmartStorm will be commercially available this summer, and we
expect the system to be on the market by spring 2003. For more
information and to view photographs of a recent installation,
visit www.charlesriver.org. Stay tuned. This is a new and exciting
project for CRWA.
Ken Dews, CRWA staff, at recent
SmartStorm installation.
 STREAMER 3

President’s message
Kelly McClintock Watch
SmartStormTM: A solution for river
problems, a new role for CRWA for the flags
With SmartStorm, our new cistern system, CRWA again in the Charles
redefines its role as an advocate for the Charles River. River Lower Basin!
For 37 years, we have fought to make the Charles
clean, healthy and beautiful. Until ten years ago, with a CRWA’s flagging program
small staff that was smart and hard working but lacked kicked off its fifth season on
technical expertise, that usually meant urging public agen- July 1st and we will continue
cies to address problems along the river and building pub- to provide daily water quality
lic support — or pressure — for action. updates through October
We matured through the 1990’s. We built scientific, engineering, and computer
2002.
modeling capabilities that enabled CRWA not only to better understand what really
are the river’s problems, but also to define and pursue specific policies to solve
them. We earned the respect and credibility that enabled us to join in setting the Blue flags signal suitable
public agenda for water management on the river. boating conditions while red
But we were still dependent on implementation of policies by public agencies, flags are posted on days
from local Boards of Appeal to the EPA. when water quality exceeds
SmartStorm, which CRWA has developed and is rolling out in several demon- the acceptable boating stan-
stration sites this summer, takes CRWA even further. SmartStorm not only saves
dards.
money for homeowners who install the system, but helps address serious public prob-
lems including aquifer recharge, water supply, river pollution, and CSO capacity.
Most solutions to the river’s problems will always require implementation by
public agencies and urban water departments will be SmartStorm’s biggest cus-
tomers. But by developing and marketing the product ourselves, CRWA puts itself
squarely in the business of implementing solutions. BLUE
CRWA is the largest watershed association in the country, and for years has set
a national standard for creativity and effectiveness in addressing our river’s prob-
lems. We hope SmartStorm will continue that tradition. RED

Thank You!
 STREAMER
Run of the River
By Dudley Bonsal and Anna Eleria
Upper Watershed
Recommendations to Minimize
Impacts of Development
A 290-unit apartment complex in five buildings with 537
parking spaces is planned in the Town of Bellingham.
The project would impact 17.3-acres that overlies criti-
cal water supply recharge areas with well-drained soils.
CRWA recommends that the developers study alterna-
tives to surface parking — such as underground or
other structured parking— and to the filling of the two
isolated wetlands, and they should offer comprehensive
landscaping and stormwater management plans that
promote water conservation, infiltration of stormwater
and mitigation of stormwater pollution.
Redevelopment in Holliston
Developers of the Hopping Brook Park, a research and
development office complex in Holliston, are proposing
to build out the 281 acre site and an adjacent 85 acre
site. Although the Notice of Project Change prepared by
the developers identified several modifications to the
project, including net reduction of land alteration and
impervious area, the Secretary is requiring that the
project proponents prepare and file a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Report because the area provides
important spotted turtle habitat, and regulatory require-
ments have changed significantly in the 20 years since
this project was reviewed under MEPA.
4
Additional Water Withdrawal
CRWA recently reviewed a draft water withdrawal
permit issued by the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) for the Town of Holliston.
CRWA is concerned about the potential adverse impacts
that increased water withdrawals may have on wetlands
and streamflow in Dopping Brook. CRWA offered strong
recommendations for monitoring the water levels and
the wetlands, and for conserving outdoor water use,
which were adapted by DEP in the final permit.
Middle Watershed
Route 128 Construction Changes
The Massachusetts Highway Department has submitted a
Notice of Project Change for its Route 128 Transportation
Improvement Project. MassHighway proposes to make
design changes to several bridges, including the con-
struction of additional lanes where Route 128 crosses
over Route 135 at the Charles River, and the widening
of the clearance at Great Plain Avenue Bridge. CRWA
called for a Supplemental EIR to discuss construction
impacts, water quality issues and wetlands and
stormwater impacts.
National Trails Day
On June 1st, the Metropolitan District Commission
sponsored and organized a volunteer trail work-day
on the Upper Charles Greenway Loop, a trail that runs
through Cutler Park and Brook Farm on both sides of
the Charles River. Approximately 40 volunteers assisted
with the construction of a small footbridge over a
wetland and the rerouting of a trail section in Dedham.
 STREAMER
Run of the River continued
Lower Watershed
Muddy River Environmental
Concerns Addressed
Boston and Brookline are preparing the Final
Environmental Impact Report for the Muddy River
Project. At the same time, the Executive Office of
Environmental Affairs (EOEA) has given the go-ahead
for the Charlesgate portion of the project to proceed
in permitting. The Charlesgate area connects the Back
Bay Fens to the Charles River Basin. The Charlesgate
restoration involves the removal of stop logs that
form a weir under Ipswich Street, dredging of 3,300
cubic yards of sediment and debris, and landscape
rehabilitation.
CRWA supports the overall project, but has a num-
ber of concerns. A large portion of the budget is slated
for the creation of “in-stream sedimentation basins,” to
capture pollutants after they have entered the Muddy
River. CRWA believes the stormwater management
should place greater emphasis on practices that control
stormwater pollution close to its source rather than
after it has entered the river. CRWA also wants a strong
management and maintenance structure for the project,
as well as a clear commitment from the Metropolitan
District Commission to maintain the parkland and
parkways under its jurisdiction.
5
Rebuilding a Community School
The Lincoln Park Community School in Somerville pro-
poses to build a new school within the limits of Lincoln
Park, demolish its existing structure, and redevelop the
area as athletic fields. The park property requires the
conversion of “Article 97” land, public parkland held
in trust for natural resource purposes. CRWA does not
per se oppose the relocation of the school but strongly
believes that a thorough alternatives analysis should be
conducted to consider renovation or redevelopment at
the existing school site, and other locations not involv-
ing Article 97 land. CRWA also sees the redevelopment
as an opportunity to improve the quality and reduce the
quantity of stormwater runoff.
Permanent Materials
Handling Facility
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC)
plans to replace a temporary materials handling facility
with a permanent facility, located on the UMass/Boston
campus, approximately 1,000 feet away from its current
location. Although the facility is located outside of the
Charles River watershed, it would benefit the Charles
River by receiving solids from the watershed. Because
of potential noise and odor impacts, CRWA recommends
that BWSC include more soundproofing in building
construction and an odor control system at the proposed
facility.
 STREAMER 6

Forecasting the River’s Health

Exciting Changes to
CRWA Flagging Program
For the fifth year in a row, CRWA is sponsoring water quality
flags in the Charles River Basin, the 9-mile stretch of river from
Watertown Dam to the New Charles River Dam in Boston, to
signal the river’s health to rowers and boaters. With funding from
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CRWA will rely on fore-
casting models (developed by CRWA staff scientist Anna Elena) to
predict daily water quality conditions at four sites. These mathe-
matical forecasting models are based on the relationship of rain-
fall at Watertown Dam and the previous day’s fecal coliform bac-
teria concentration. Rainfall data collected by the United States
Geological Survey at Watertown Dam in the previous 24 to 168
hours will be used daily to forecast the probability of the river turn, could mean that disease-causing bacteria or viruses are
exceeding the State boating standard for fecal coliform bacteria, present. Eight boating centers hoist the color-coded flags in the
1,000 colony forming units per 100 milliliters. Basin; Newton Yacht Club, Community Rowing, Inc., Northeastern
If available, the previous day’s bacteria concentration at each site University Crew (Henderson Boathouse), Charles River Canoe and
will also be used in the models to make predictions and verify the Kayak at Herter Park, Harvard University Crew (Weld Boathouse),
accuracy of the forecasting models. In the past, CRWA based Riverside Boat Club, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
daily flag colors on the previous day’s bacteria concentration, (MIT) Crew (H.W. Pierce Boathouse), and MIT Sailing. Water
rainfall conditions and combined sewer overflow activation, quality conditions are also reported daily on CRWA’s website,
however, there was no formal, quantitative mechanism to predict www.charlesriver.org and on our phone hotline (617) 965-5975
daily water quality conditions. ext. 301. The information is also disseminated during the week
Blue flags fly on the days when the probability of the river in the Boston, Brookline, Newton, Watertown, Cambridge and
exceeding boating standards is less than 50 percent, meaning Allston-Brighton TAB newspapers and the Cambridge Chronicle
bacteria levels in the river are safe for boating. Red flags signal and Beacon Hill Times. Finally, the Boston Globe prints our web
that the probability of the river being unsafe for boating is above site address on its weather page to inform readers of where to
average to high (50% or greater). The presence of fecal bacteria find information on the river conditions and the Boston.com web-
in water suggests contamination with sewage or feces, which in site provides a direct link to our up-to-date water quality pages.
 STREAMER
On the Charles
in the 1920s
Part three by Barbara Winslow
Part III. Races and Concerts
I just missed the hey-day of the canoe. I think I can
remember one of the last regattas — or perhaps it was
just told to me by a vivid describer —- when the river
would be almost solidly bridged by canoes, with just
enough of a channel left for the canoeist racing hell-bent
for election with jutting chins and flailing arms driving the pad-
dles deep into the water and thrusting it behind them. There
would be short sprints and longer endurance matches that ended
far downstream at Nuttings Boathouse and Ballroom. I am sure
I remember the big white police boat moving with the throaty
gurgle of its engine downstream, keeping pace in case of an
upset. There were single paddlers and double paddlers and
occasionally a big Indian war canoe would come down from
Norumbega, manned by stern and silent paddlers, to join in a race
or just show off. People clapped and shouted and paddles were
held straight up in the air in encouragement and salute.
When the races were over, some canoes would head for
their various boathouse wharves, others would paddle leisurely
upstream to assemble around Fox Island for the evening band
concert. There was then a little wooden-railed and floored and
roofed bandstand on Fox Island. Someone would row the chesty
uniformed members of the band over to it, and there they would
beat and blow out Sousa marches, Strauss waltzes and glittering
7
glowworms while the dark came down, surrounding the
bandsmen, not by the waters of the Charles so much
as by a rising and falling and swaying sea of canoes.
Afficionados —or sager suitors — had little metal
hoops covered with cretonne or plaid gingham to span
over the forward section of their canoes, for all the
world like be-ruffled pram bonnets, to keep the sun off,
or the rain or the world out. A very cozy and comfort-
able arrangement, to loll on the matching mattress with
canoes to either side and before and aft with everyone
listening to the reeds and strings of the band sound over the
water. My mother used to cluck in disapproval when a misty
Sunday sunrise disclosed here and there among the friendly rush-
es at the foot of the cemetery two or three canoes, nodding their
bonneted and be-frilled canopies, that had not bothered to find
their ways home at all the night before. We two girls weren’t sup-
posed to guess at what made my mother disapprove. For that mat-
ter, I don’t think my mother thought my brothers guessed either,
for she certainly had no hesitation about sewing my elder brother
Hart a canopy out of discarded curtains for his canoe when he
asked her to.
But for them it must have been peaceful and one was as
close to the nature of water as can be — sleeping overnight bed-
ded within the slim ribs of a canoe. I suspect more comfortable,
too, and one’s view of the night sky and stars, and of the doubled
darkness of trees above and trees mirrored below at the edges
of the Charles must have been a very special and unforgettable
delight.
 Summer 2002 Calendar 8
“Events organized by environmental and recreation groups, neighborhood associations and the MDC”

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
Charles River Eplorations
1 CRCK
Introduction to 2 CRCK
Redbones Tours 3 MDC Mounted Unit
Demonstration

AUG for students entering grades 6, 7, and 8

Session 3: August 5–16, 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. daily
For more information call: 508-655-2296
Kayaking
For more information
contact:
For more information
call CRCK at 617-965-5110
1–2 p.m.

www.ski-paddle.com

4 Hatch Memorial
Shell Tour 5 6 7 8 CRCK
Introduction to 9 Aug. 10
Grand Circle Swim 10 Discover the
Lost Half-Mile
Call (617) 727-9650 Kayaking for Boston Harbor, Meeting Location:
x 445 for reservations For more information for more information: In front of the
contact: www.savetheharbor.org main entrance
www.ski-paddle.com to the Museum of Science

11 Exploring
Urban Trails
12 CRCK
Introduction to 13 14 Walking Tour:
Elm Bank: 15 CRCK
Introduction to 16 Redbones CRCK
Tours 17
Meeting Location: Kayaking Past, Present, and Future Kayaking Broadmoor Wildlife
Galen Street Bridge, For more information 10:00–11:30 a.m. For more information Sanctuary Evening Canoe
Watertown Square. contact: www.masshort.org contact: Trip on the Charles, more
www.ski-paddle.com www.ski-paddle.com information: 508-655-2296

18 CRCK
Moonlight Tours
19 CRCK
Introduction to 20 21 Aug. 22 — CRCK
Introduction to
22 Moonlight CRCK
Tours
23 24 Charles River
Dam Tour
of the Charles: Kayaking Kayaking of the Charles: Meeting Location:
For more information For more information For more information For more information Paul Revere Park,
call CRCK at 617-965-5110 contact: contact: call CRCK at 617-965-5110 Charlestown
www.ski-paddle.com www.ski-paddle.com

CRCK
25 26 Introduction to 27 28 29 CRCK
Introduction to 30 31 Charles River
Basin Walk
Kayaking Kayaking Meeting Location:
For more information For more information In front of the
contact: contact: main entrance
www.ski-paddle.com www.ski-paddle.com to the Museum of Science

Charles River
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dam Tour
Meeting Location:
Paul Revere Park,
Charlestown

8 Hatch Memorial
Shell Tour 9 10 11 12 13 14 Race to Stop
Global Warming
Call (617) 727-9650 in Newton, for more
x 445 for reservations information contact:
www.racetostopglobal
warming.org

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Moonlight CRCK
Tours
of the Charles:
For more information
call CRCK at 617-965-5110

Charles River
22 Moonlight CRCK
Tours 23 24 25 26 27 28 Fishing Clinic
of the Charles: Meeting location:
For more information Charles River Esplanade,
call CRCK at 617-965-5110 behind the Hatch Shell

29Meeting Location: 30
Riverside Ramble

Galen St. Bridge,

Watertown Square,
Watertown.
SEPT
1 2 3 4 5 Stony Brook
Wildlife Sanctuary

OCT Canoeing the Charles,

for more information:
508-528-3140

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 CRCK
Moonlight
Canoe Tours
of the Charles

Head of the Charles

20 CRCK
Moonlight
21 22 23 24 25 26
Canoe Tours
of the Charles

Head of the Charles

27 28 29 30 31 Looking ahead: CRWA Annual Meeting

Tuesday, November 12
 STREAMER 10

Charles River Report Card Stays at “B”

For the third consecutive year . . . By Kathy Baskin
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) announced a
report card grade of “B” for the Charles River this spring. After six
years of dramatic improvements in water quality, data collected
by CRWA volunteers have indicated that improvements in the
Charles have leveled off. EPA Regional Administrator Bob Varney
announced that in 2001, bacteria levels in the river were low
enough for boating 82 percent of the time and met state’s swim-
ming standard 54 percent of the time.
While the river has seen tremendous gains since 1995 when
EPA gave the Charles a grade of “D” for meeting bacteria boating
standards, we are approaching the home-stretch of the 10-year
effort to make the Charles River clean enough for swimming and
fishing by Earth Day 2005. EPA and CRWA agree that the level Several CRWA staff members with SmartStorm tank
grade of “B” means that a stronger emphasis on individual
responsibility is needed to reduce stormwater pollution. "We've
been highly successful closing off the pipes and eliminating illegal
connections that were responsible for much of the river's pollu- Funding
tion," Varney said. "Now it is time to focus our attention to the
challenge of getting every homeowner, every car owner, every
for the Fish
dog owner and every small business owner to play an individual CRWA was thrilled to learn it will receive a grant
role in reducing the flow of contaminants into the river." CRWA is from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust to
doing its part to reduce impacts of polluted stormwater runoff by help study fisheries in the Charles. CRWA will work
piloting an alternative stormwater technology, called SmartStorm, with the Massachusetts Division of Fish and
beginning with homes in Bellingham this summer. "Our SmartStorm Wildlife to inventory species residing in the river
product can dramatically improve stormwater runoff problems and to develop a list of the species of fish that are
by capturing stormwater before it becomes polluted so that it can expected in the Charles but are missing. This is a
be used for irrigation and recharging groundwater," said CRWA tremendous opportunity for CRWA to learn from
Executive Director Bob Zimmerman. A typical SmartStorm system experienced state biologists! The project will kick
includes two 400-gallon storage tanks and dry wells with capacity off this summer.
to recharge 50,000 gallons of water a year.
 STREAMER
Tracking Tributaries
CRWA is leading a nutrient . . .
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) project to quantify the pollutant
loads impacting the Upper Charles River (from Hopkinton to
Dover). In wet weather, stormwater runoff contributes most of the
pollutants to the river while in dry weather or drought-like condi-
tions the contaminants likely originate from wastewater treatment
facilities. The major goal of the TMDL project is to be able to
model and predict what these pollutant loads in the Upper Charles
River will be at any given time. Armed with this information the
state will be able to assist sewage treatment facilities in develop-
ing discharge plans based on the flow in the Charles.
Since pollutant loads in the river are highly correlated with
flow, monitoring stream flow is crucial to quantifying pollutant
loads. There are three flow monitoring stations on the Upper
Charles River, however the Upper
Charles receives water from several
major tributaries which are potential
sources of polluted stormwater. In
order to better quantify the contri-
bution of pollutant loads from the
tributaries, CRWA has expanded
the flow monitoring network to
include nine additional tributary
sites. These tributaries include
Bogastow Brook, Chicken Brook,
Fuller Brook, Hopping Brook, Mill
River, Mine Brook, Stop River, Trout
Brook, and Waban Brook.
11
By Nigel Pickering and John Carney
At each tributary site, a rela-
tionship between flow and
water level, called the rating
curve, needs to be estab-
lished. The rating curve is
determined by a series of five
to ten measurements of both
water level and flow under
different stream conditions
(i.e. after rainy or dry peri-
ods). Water level is measured
on a staff gauge and discharge is measured using a velocity meter.
Once the rating curve has been established, flow can be continu-
ously estimated by monitoring water level with a depthlogger.
The flow monitoring effort has progressed favorably during
the winter and early spring because of the mild temperatures and
low flow conditions. Tributary sites were identified and permis-
sion to install the gauges was obtained from the relevant town
officials and conservation commissions. Each site now has a
staff gauge, which is a graduated metal ruler mounted in the
water to a nearby fixed object like a bridge support. CRWA has
also begun to install depthloggers, which are battery-operated
devices that use an immersed pressure transducer to continu-
ously record water depth.
Once the depthloggers are in, tracking the flow in tributaries
will truly begin. For more information, contact Nigel Pickering
at npickering@crwa.org or John Carney at jcarney@crwa.org.
 STREAMER
20th Anniversary Run of the Charles
Cold, raw winds and up to 3/4-inch of constant rain
did not dampen the spirits of nearly 1600 paddlers
who entered the 20th Anniversary Run of the
Charles Canoe and Kayak Race on April 28,
2002.
The Run of the Charles competitors were
cheered on by thousands of soggy specta-
tors watching the six race divisions that
traveled the winding Charles River through
Dedham, Needham, Newton, Wellesley,
Waltham, and Watertown, to end at the
Finish Line Festival at MDC Herter Park on
Soldiers’ Field Road in Allston.
Serge Corbin of St. Boniface, Quebec,
Canada, and Jeff Kolka of Grayling, MI,
repeated as champions in the 26.2-mile
$16,650 Professional Flatwater Marathon,
sponsored by Boston Duck Tours. Corbin has
now won the Pro Marathon all seven years the
Pro race has been held at the Run of the Charles.
An increased prize purse for the Women’s
Photo: Tony DeCosta
division in the Pro Marathon brought more women’s
teams to the race which was won by Gloria Wesley,
Pittsfield, MA and Sue Slowick, Westhampton, MA, with a finish-
time of 4:06:43.
The 24-Mile Relay Race brought the tightest competition of
the day. The Powwow Paddlers team, captained by 2000 Run of
the Charles Relay Champions Michael and Steven Dylingowski of
Amesbury, MA, finished a mere ten seconds ahead of the 2001
Champion Relay Team Quinobequin Canoe Club.
12
By Janice Halpern
In the 19-Mile Races, the fastest boat was a racing
kayak, again paddled by Connecticut’s Mark R.
Jacobson, who finished in 2:40:23. Elizabeth
O’Connor of Bohemia, NY won the 9-Mile race,
paddling a recreational kayak for Team LIKRR
in 1:27:48. The Manuiwa Outrigger Men’s team
won the 7-Mile Outrigger canoe race, finish-
ing the course in 1:10:27. Gordon Chamberlin,
of Otisfield, ME, was the fastest in the
6-Mile race, crossing the finish line in
his recreational kayak after only 48:17.
While the Run of the Charles draws
many of North America’s best paddlers, it
also brings out the best volunteers. CRWA’s
Stream Team volunteers, Parrot Head Club
members, individuals, and a corps of Newton
Serves Community Service Day volunteers
kept the Run of the Charles organized, fun, safe,
and rewarding for everyone who participated.
CRWA thanks the following for their support:
Boston Duck Tours, Community Newspaper
Company, Charles River Canoe and Kayak, Outback
Kayak, Nantucket Nectars, Patagonia, S.R. Weiner/WS
Development, Polynesian Racing Craft Inc., Natick Outdoor Store,
the Charles River Boat Company, Eastern Mountain Sports,
Metropolitan District Commission, Paratore Hartshorn, American
Red Cross, Honorary Race Chairman Hal Gill of the Boston Bruins,
and the Amateur Radio Club.
For a complete list of results, please visit www.charlesriver.org.
The Run of the Charles returns April 27, 2003.
 STREAMER 13

Charles River Earth Day Clean Up 2002

By Anna Elena
Thank you to over Pahud Kissinger Band.
1,200 volunteers “We are very excited that this event continues to attract
who participated widespread support from so many diverse constituencies con-
in the 3rd Annual nected by the Charles River and that each year the event has
Charles River Earth drawn more volunteers than the previous,” remarked Bob
Day Cleanup. Zimmerman, Executive Director of CRWA.
On Saturday, April 20th,
The event was organized by CRWA, Massachusetts
over 60 organizations
Community Water Watch, Senator Steven Tolman’s office, and the
spanned out over the
Charles River Stream Team, with support from the Clean Charles
length of the river at 40
Coalition and the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC). All vol-
sites — from Milford to
unteers received t-shirts designed by a Mass
Boston — to remove
College of Art student. The following
trash from the river and
groups provided generous financial
its banks. Over 2,000
and in-kind support for the event:
trash bags were
MDC, Home Depot, Stop and
filled with common
Shop Supermarkets, Co.,
items such as
DiAngelo’s Submarine
cups, plastic bags and candy wrappers and some unusu-
Shops, Harvard University,
al items such as toilet seats and a dead octopus. Several
Bread and Circus,
volunteers used kayaks, canoes and whitewater rafts to
Massachusetts Institute
gather floating debris from the river. This was the sixth
of Technology, Boston
year in a row that Senator Steven Tolman’s office has
University, Newton
recruited residents of Brighton, Watertown and
Marriott Hotel, Royal
Waltham to volunteer along the banks of the Charles.
Sonesta Hotel,
Another group, the Box Pond Association, has been
Triumvirate
organizing a clean up of Box Pond in Bellingham for
Environmental, ESS
close to twenty years. For the first time this year, clean
Group, Genzyme, Ionics,
up efforts were broadcast live from Herter Park in
Pfizer and Senator
Brighton by WUMB Radio. After the clean up, volunteers
Tolman’s office.
enjoyed a post-cleanup celebration at Herter Park where
they were treated to lunch and live folk music from the
 STREAMER
Thank You
CRWA asks its members to renew in the spring
and donate to our Annual Appeal in the fall.
Membership renewals have been coming into
CRWA steadily since late March. What’s particu-
larly noteworthy is the number of members who
have increased their donations from a year ago.
These increments help us continue to be an effec-
tive organization as we forge ahead with our vital
work protecting the river. If you haven’t done so
already, please renew your membership. You can
renew your membership on line by going to our
website: www.charlesriver.org, clicking on
Support CRWA, and then Join. Also, if you would
like to be reminded to renew, give to the annual
appeal, or receive the Streamer via email, just
email ltaylor@crwa.org with your request.
Since the beginning of March over $112,000 has
been raised in member renewals. CRWA received
an extremely generous donation from Larry and
Carol Strasburger and also from the Kahn
Charitable Foundation. One anonymous dona-
tion was made to our Headwaters Society ($1,000
or more), as well as those from Beacon Hill
Garden Club, James C. Beck, Mr. and Mrs.
Rodrigo Botero, Elisabeth Harper and David
Persampieri, and Anne and Jim Davis.
Crossroads Community Foundation, in collab-
oration with American National Power, gave
$130,000 for SmartStormTM related pilot proj-
ects. Earth Share donated $2372, and numer-
ous in-kind donations were received for our 20th
Annual Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race
including the T-Shirt design by Paratore Hartshorn
Design, Inc. Thanks to everyone for your commit-
ment to a clean Charles and sustainable water
resources. We are most grateful.
14
Watchdog for the River
Below is a list of the projects on which CRWA commented to the state, town,
or developer between March 16 and June 15, 2002. Copies of comment letters
are available at CRWA.
Town Project
Bellingham Expanded Environmental Notification Form for Jefferson
at Bellingham Apartment Community
Boston Environmental Notification for Boston Water and Sewer
Commission Materials Handling Facility
Boston Draft Environmental Impact Report for Museum of Fine Arts
Boston Draft Environmental Impact Report for Phase I Muddy River
Restoration Project
Cambridge Draft Environmental Impact Report for North Point Project
Cambridge Draft Environmental Impact Report for Charles E. Smith
Residential
Franklin Environmental Notification Form for Grove Street
Business Center
Holliston Draft Water Withdrawal Permit for Holliston Well #7
Holliston Environmental Notification Form for Holliston Transfer
Station — Daily Tonnage Increase
Holliston Notice of Project Change for Hopping Brook Park
Hopkinton Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan for
the Town of Hopkinton
Somerville Environmental Notification Form for Lincoln Park
Community School
Regional Notice of Project Change for I-95/I-93 (Route 128)
Transportation Improvement Project
Statewide Draft Guide to Integrated Water Resources
Management Planning
Statewide Amendments to the Perennial Versus Intermittent
Provisions of the Massachusetts Wetland Regulations
 STREAMER 15

Staff
The Streamer Robert Zimmerman, Jr. Executive Director
Charles River Watershed Association Margaret VanDeusen Deputy Director, General Counsel
2391 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA 02466 Kathleen Baskin Project Manager
Phone: (617) 965-5975, Fax: (617) 332-7465 Dudley Bonsal Environmental Scientist
Email: crwa@crwa.org, Web:www.charlesriver.org Kate Bowditch Senior Environmental Scientist
John Carney Environmental Scientist
CRWA is a tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation established
Kenneth Dews Finance Administrator
in 1965 to protect and enhance the health, beauty and
Anna Eleria Environmental Scientist
enjoyment of the Charles River and its tributaries.
James Fitzgerald Laboratory Manager
CRWA is a member of Earth Share and the
Meg Gray Office and Publications Manager
Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative.
Nigel Pickering Senior Engineer
Board of Directors Peggy Savage Environmental Scientist
Kelly McClintock President Louise Taylor Membership Manager
Phillip L. Hillman Vice President/Environment Interns: Marc Gilmore, Jennifer Morin,
Jane Sender Clerk Karen Fung, Shengnen Su
William Tedoldi Treasurer
Edward E. Watts, III Assistant Treasurer Streamer logo: Lou Mucci
Ralph W. Abele Past President Streamer design: Richard Gönci
Lee Breckinridge Ken Shemchuk
Stephen H. Burrington Calendar Photos: Eric Endlich
Lucy Caldwell-Stair
John P. DeVillars New Staff Changes at CRWA
CRWA welcomes two familiar faces to our staff this summer. Kate Bowditch previ-
Elizabeth C. Gilmore
ously worked for CRWA as the Coordinator for Advocacy and Policy from 1994 until
Richard G. Gönci 1997, and as Senior Hydrologist until 2000. She has a wide range of experience in
James Healy her work on the Charles including field work, volunteer training, research and policy
Jonathan D. Katz analysis. She has worked closely with individuals, citizen groups, other nonprofit
organizations, local, state and federal governments, and CRWA's own talented staff
Virginia M. Lawrence
to understand and improve conditions in the watershed. She returns to CRWA,
Elizabeth Levin in the role of Senior Environmental Scientist, after living abroad with her family.
Charles D. McCrea
Brian O’Donovan John Carney joins the staff after serving as a water quality monitoring volunteer
and intern on various projects with CRWA since October of 2000. He is bringing
John G. Palfrey, Jr.
his resources to our TMDL project and will be responsible for measuring flow
William D. Rieders at CRWA installed staff gages amongst other duties.
STREAMER NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
Charles River Watershed Association PAID
NATICK, MA
2391 Commonwealth Avenue PERMIT NO. 61
Auburndale, MA 02466

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If you are interested in receiving the
email version of the Streamer vs. a
mailed hard copy, please email
crwa@charlesriver.org with your
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