Project #1: WATERGOAT Pilot
Flowing through the heart of Boston, the Muddy River is one of the top two most polluted tributaries of the Charles River and a critical link in urban Boston’s flood control system. With the approval of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the MA Department of Environmental Protection and the Boston Conservation Commission, as well as the active engagement of water quality experts, water scientists, trash boom providers, engineers, and a host of eco-activist volunteers, we have embarked on a pilot project to rid the Muddy River of the trash—old bottles, clothing, shoes, balls, scrap plastic and fencing, and other toxic and unsightly debris—that currently pollutes the ecosystem.
The WATERGOAT Pilot Project installed a safe, heavily tested, and effective raw trash barrier and clean-up device at the critical Charlesgate East and Ipswich Streets juncture of the Muddy River just above where it empties into the Charles. This was the 104th WATERGOAT system implementation in the US and we hope it will be a model for ongoing river clean-up efforts in Boston and beyond.
We are grateful to the Brookline GreenSpace Alliance for their fiscal sponsorship.
Our WATERGOAT Launch
In 2019-2020, with the help of a state earmark, the Muddy Water Initiative researched, designed, and permitted a device called the WATERGOAT, a stormwater trash and debris boom that was deployed across the Muddy River at Ipswich Street in Boston on August 5, 2020. With tremendous community buy-in, the WATERGOAT was a much anticipated addition to the neighborhood and a game-changer in dealing with the trash that accumulated downriver at Charlesgate. In its first season, the WATERGOAT was emptied every week by teams of volunteers in conjunction with the DCR, and the trash hauled away by Save That Stuff, a conservation-minded, Boston-based waste removal company. Volunteers have included The Chica Project, Councilor Kenzie Bok and her Green Team, Expedia.com, the Taiwanese American Professionals Boston Group, and more. The WATERGOAT has been diving into the Muddy each summer for more than four years, gobbling up trash and inspiring hundreds of volunteers with our direct-action solutions for helping our environment.
Click here for more information on our WATERGOAT Launch: