June 27, 2005 Blue or Red Flags Will Fly from Watertown to Boston Daily to Alert
Boating Enthusiasts of River Conditions
Boston, MA -
Boaters, kayakers, and sailors on the Charles River will be notified daily
of the health and safety of the Charles River beginning on June 29th.
The flagging program, which is celebrating its eighth year,
is a public service of the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA).
Water quality forecasts are based on scientific prediction models
that estimate daily water quality. Blue and red flags flying along the
banks of the Charles River signal what the water quality conditions are
for boating, rowing, and sailing on the nine-mile stretch of river from
Watertown Dam to the New Charles River Dam. “Our flagging program is something CRWA has been
providing Boston boaters for eight years,” said Anna Eleria, CRWA’s
project manager who directs the flagging program.
“The Charles River Watershed Association has played a key role in
improving the water quality of the Charles for over two decades and we are
seeing a cleaner Charles River every year.
During the summer months, when thousands of boaters are out on the
Charles they will see either blue or red flags hoisted at boathouses along
the riverbanks that will signal the quality of the river water.” CRWA prediction
models estimate daily water quality conditions at four sites: North Beacon
Street Bridge in Brighton, Larz Anderson Bridge in Cambridge, and Boston Results are relayed to eight boating centers where
blue or red flags are hoisted and are also posted on CRWA’s website, http://www.charlesriver.org/water_quality/daily/programhome.html,
or by calling CRWA’s water quality hotline at (781) 788-0007 ext. 301.
Blue flags fly on days when the estimated probability of the river
exceeding the State boating standard for fecal coliform bacteria is equal
to or less than 50%. Red
flags are raised when the model predicts a greater than 50% chance of the
river exceeding the boating standard, which signals elevated bacteria
counts and potential health risks. Basin boathouses and clubs displaying flags include:
Charlesgate Yacht Club, Charles River Canoe and Kayak at Herter Park,
Community Rowing, Henderson Boathouse (Northeastern University), Newton
Yacht Club, Riverside Boat Club, Union Boat Club (near the DCR Hatch
Shell), and Weld Boathouse (Harvard University).
“The flagging program has been key to raising the
public’s awareness of the river’s improved health,” according to
CRWA Executive Director Robert Zimmerman.
“We have great support from many public and private organizations
to make the program work for Boston residents and summer visitors, as well
as a number of dedicated volunteers that monitor water quality at 37 sites
along the entire 80 miles of the river each month.” Major funders of the project are U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and Boston According to Eleria, the 2004 flagging season was a
success. “Our predication model performed well for the 2004 season,”
she said. “ Based on
available bacteria data during the four month period —June through
October — water quality in the Charles River Basin met the boating
standard 97 per cent of the time, a 4% increase from 2003.” ### One
of our country’s first watershed organizations, CRWA formed in 1965 in
response to public concern about the declining condition of the Charles
River. Since its earliest days of advocacy, CRWA has figured
prominently in major clean-up and watershed protection efforts that have
dramatically improved the health of the Charles.
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