After floods, water level in Charles plummets

By Sarah Thomas

Boston Globe, Saturday, April 24, 2010

Michael St. Clair, a psychology professor at Emmanuel College, is a man with a unique hobby. He has lived in Newton, along the banks of the Charles River, for 35 years, and he likes to measure the water levels in the river.

“I have a wooden depth gauge, just a stick, stuck into the riverbed, and I measure the level of the river whenever I walk by,’’ St. Clair said. “It’s not something I have to do, just something I do because the river has given me enormous pleasure over the years.’’

This week, less than a month after record rainstorms drenched Massachusetts, St. Clair’s stick was poking out of dry earth. And he’s not alone in noticing there’s a problem.

Residents, outdoor sports enthusiasts, and hydrologists say the Lakes District of the Charles River — the bend immediately upstream of Waltham’s Moody Street Dam, which was opened last month to cope with massive river flows — is looking more parched than they have ever seen it in April.

And the river may go down even further, at least temporarily.

Yesterday, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation announced it would replace the flashboards that were removed along the dam during last month’s rains to alleviate flooding and prevent the dam from failing.

But the water level upstream must first be lowered 3 feet below normal so officials can inspect the catwalk and flashboard system for structural damage. Beginning tomorrow night, water will be diverted from the Charles into Mother Brook and in turn into the Neponset River to Boston Harbor.

“Doing this necessary work now will help ensure there is adequate river flow to quickly restore the Charles River to its normal level after the work,’’ DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. said in a statement. “Also, we anticipate minimal impact to migratory species by doing this work as early as possible in the season.’’

DCR will monitor Mother Brook and the Neponset River, and no flooding is expected on either stream, officials said.

Though the Moody Street Dam itself is not in question, visual inspections showed significant deterioration of the catwalk and flashboard system, officials said. Once repairs are made, the flashboards will be replaced, and water levels should return to normal in about a week.

Julie Wood, watershed scientist at the Charles River Watershed Association, said yesterday that she thought the DCR’s strategy was sound, but cautioned that a further drop to the river level would have a further effect on the ecosystem.

“If they get their river management system online, it sounds like it should be sufficient to fix the problems on hand,’’ Wood said. “However, in the meantime, habitats will continue to be affected.’’

“Some areas of the Lakes District are as low as we’ve ever seen them,’’ said Bob Zimmerman, executive director of the watershed advocacy group. And that’s a problem, for reasons of access and recreation and also from an environmental standpoint.

“When the water levels in a river drop, the temperature goes up, which can affect the wildlife,’’ Zimmerman said. “Also, you start getting more sunlight hitting the bottom of the river, which means it’s easier for invasive species like water chestnuts to flourish. And a smaller river means a higher concentration of chemicals and other pollutants.’’

Larry Smith, co-owner of Charles River Canoe & Kayak in Newton, has noticed the change, as well.

“This is below any level I’ve ever seen the river,’’ Smith said. “We still have a good current going through, so in the short term it should be OK, but we’ve all noticed that we’re seeing parts of the bank that we normally don’t see in the spring.’’

While it is unusual to reduce the water level as far as is being planned, it is not unprecedented, DCR officials said. Water behind the dam was dropped to similar levels in the early 1970s for maintenance purposes.

And the latest work is being scheduled to minimize disruptions to recreational events, such as the Run of the Charles canoe and kayak race tomorrow. “One of the main values of the Charles River is its recreational value,’’ Zimmerman said. “. . . But there are aesthetic and environmental issues at hand here, too. It’s a very complicated system.’’

As for St. Clair, he’s looking forward to the day when his depth gauge strikes water, instead of dirt.

He estimates that the river level has gone down 30 inches since the storms.

“This is the lowest I’ve ever seen the river, in all my 35 years of living here,’’ he said.

“I used to monitor the snapping turtles and the many rare birds and ducks that would be building nests in areas that are bone dry right now. I haven’t seen any turtles this year.’’ 

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