Volunteer Monthly Monitoring Program
BMI Monitoring
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Healthy streams support an abundance and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs): tiny bugs that live in the Charles River. CRWA volunteers collect BMIs living in streams around the watershed each year, and assess their habitat. This data helps us track stream health and identify restoration projects.
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Cyanobacteria
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Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, are microscopic cells that naturally grow in rivers and lakes. Cyanobacteria populations can explode in warm water with excess nutrients, and exposure to these blooms can have negative health effects for humans, animals, and ecosystems. CRWA monitors cyanobacteria levels in the Charles River Basin in Boston and Cambridge during the summer and reports high levels to the Department of Public Health.
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