Charles River Water Quality Notification Flagging Program

Flagging Program Project Background Subscribe to daily water quality report Map of Flagging Sites  Muddy River Rain Gauge (Operated by USGS) 1998-2011 Complete Historic data Monthly Water Quality Data Development of the bacteria prediction model for the Charles River (PDF) Watch a video of the flagging program (Get Real Player here) Flagging program home

Thank you for your interest in Charles River Watershed Association's summer water quality notification flagging program. The Water Quality Notification Program has ended for the Summer 2012 Season and will resume in July 2013.

CRWA's Water Quality Notification Program presents the daily flag colors of the river's health, which signify whether or not the river is safe for boating at twelve boating locations from Watertown to Boston. Flag colors are based on bacteria levels and blue-green algae counts. CRWA estimates bacteria levels using a model that takes into account a variety of environmental factors including antecedent rainfall and river flow. CRWA collects river samples for bacteria weekly to verify the model forecast. Blue-green algae monitoring is conducted at least every two weeks.

A blue flag indicates suitable boating conditions

A yellow flag indicates inconclusive data to preclude a possible health risks

A red flag indicates potential health risks

For background information and more details on this project, click here.