Massachusetts Rivers Alliance

06/18/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the annual River Restoration Tour!

A special thank you to our tour guides Sam Woods and Beth Lambert!

We learned about the river restoration process to see,firsthand, the impact of effective advocacy and the tremendous work being completed by Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and North and South Rivers Watershed Association!

We visited
📍Tack Factory Dam removal site in Norwell
📍Temple Street Dam construction site in Duxbury
📍Indian Head River Dam in Hanover

06/18/2026

We were proud to join last week's ribbon cutting of the Larkin Dam removal from the Parker River and to celebrate our partners Ipswich River Watershed Association and Division of Ecological Restoration, who led this restoration effort. 🤝

Improving connectivity via dam removal has returned migratory fish and free flow of water to this section of the river. 🐟

Congratulations to the Town of Newbury, project volunteers, and all the dedicated experts who contributed to this goal. And thank you to those who continue to champion the health of our state’s rivers, including Senator Tarr and Representative Kassner.

06/15/2026

Starting off your week with views of the North River. 🐟

A beautiful river along the south shore that has been protected by activists for decades for its ecological and cultural importance! 🛶

Thank you to our partners at North and South Rivers Watershed Association for all you do to protect this vibrant watershed!

06/10/2026

Protecting our rivers is vital for conserving these endangered species. By ensuring these species have a healthy ecosystem to thrive in, we can support natural population growth.

Have you spotted any of these critters? 🐢🐟🌱

06/08/2026

Get to know the Ipswich River! There is so much to explore with over 20 river access points!

By working together to protect the Ipswich River, we can help ensure that future generations continue to enjoy the wildlife, clean water, and natural beauty that make this watershed so special 🐟

Thank you to our partners Ipswich River Watershed Association for the essential work you do to protect this beautiful river!

06/05/2026

Happy World Environment Day! 🌏🌱💧

Here’s how some of our team likes to spend the day!

06/02/2026

For centuries, our waterways have been fragmented and riverine habitats have degraded after the installation of dams. Many of these dams are no longer in use and pose ecological, economic, and safety risks.

Fortunately, the more we educate ourselves and those around us, the better equipped we are to solve the problem together.

Through our advocacy, programming, and strong network of member organizations, we are already seeing incredible progress. Share this post and let’s keep up the momentum!

Happy River Month! 🐟

Read more about Dam Busters here: https://www.massriversalliance.org/dambusters

05/29/2026

Our Dam Busters Technical Assistance program is off to a strong start! We visited the Town of Templeton, one of our technical assistance recipients, at Otter River Pool Dam on Mellon Brook, a tributary of Otter River in the Millers River Watershed. We met with Pare Corp consultants and Town of Templeton staff to begin early phase analyses for this dam removal project.

This dam is in rough shape, demonstrating the need for technical support and the ecological benefits that would result from its removal in this cold water fishery resource area. We will continue to share project updates, and we are thrilled to see how this program is already creating change for the award recipients!

Thank you to our partners at Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and Charles River Watershed Association for making the Dam Busters program such a success!

05/26/2026

Check out this new article by The Open Source Investigation Lab of Northeastern University School of Journalism. In this piece, they explore the impacts of severe precipitation events on outdated dam infrastructure and what is being done to remove them.

There are over 300 high-hazard dams throughout Massachusetts, meaning they post a high risk in the event of failure. Namely, the Charles River Dam and Hager Pond Dam have the potential to flood highly-populated neighborhoods and cause flood-damage to historic sites.

Luckily, when public funding is upheld, there are opportunities for municipalities to study, repair, and remove dams in thier neighborhoods.

Shoutout to our amazing member orgs and community leaders who participated in the article- Blackstone Watershed Collaborative, OARS—Watershed Organization for the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers, Charles River Watershed Association, and Senator James Eldridge

Read more here:

The fight over Hager Pond Dam in Marlborough is a window into the hundreds of “high hazard” dams in Massachusetts that no longer serve any purpose.

05/12/2026

Thanks to Kate Selig from The Boston Globe for this excellent article on combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and for the opportunity to share our perspective on the broad CSO challenge.

“Combined sewer overflows are a statewide challenge, from the Pioneer Valley to Buzzards Bay,” said David McGlinchey, the alliance’s executive director.

River advocates are not satisfied with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) proposal that would continue to send sewage into the Charles River, Mystic River, and Alewife Brook for decades to come. MWRA says that eliminating all combined sewage overflows (CSOs) would be prohibitively expensive.

“We don’t want raw, untreated sewage going into the river at all,” said Julie Wood, the climate resilience director at the Charles River Watershed Association.

The regional water authority wants to continue dumping sewage into the Charles River, Mystic River, and Alewife Brook for decades to come.