2024 Watertown Dam Herring Festival

Since 1965, Charles River Watershed Association has been the voice of the river. Formed by a group of concerned citizens who raised alarm about the declining health of the Charles River, we are one of the oldest watershed organizations in the country.

In the fifty years since our founding, CRWA has guided the transformation of our river from the “Dirty Water” of the past–rife with industrial pollution, sewage, trash, and even cars–to the Charles River we know and love today, one of the cleanest, most celebrated urban rivers in the country. Today, the Charles River is once again a living river–but the work is far from over. New challenges have emerged that threaten to undermine our progress; climate change, stormwater pollution, and addressing environmental injustice. But we are rising to meet the moment–taking a regional approach to climate solutions, working with nature rather than against it with nature-based solutions, and centering environmental justice–to ensure the collective flourishing of our watershed and all who call it home.