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Improving the River The Blackstone River: A River is Reborn
Grassroots efforts have protected the Blackstone Gorge and other scenic areas throughout the Valley. New river access points, docks in Central Falls and soon Woonsocket, RI, and other improvements are helping a wide range of people enjoy the river. The Blackstone River Bikeway – which parallels the river - is well on its way, improving access and increasing public awareness of this valuable resource. Community development is also increasing along the river. These developments and more point toward a new Blackstone River – one that serves as a source of pride for the entire Valley. Today, the Blackstone River is classified as Class C, suitable for boating and other secondary contact recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and industrial processing and cooling. A major goal of the Commission is a pollution-free river – to enable Valley residents to take full advantage of the recreational opportunities on and along the river and to contribute to the quality of life in Valley communities.
Organizations like the Blackstone River Watershed Association, the Friends of the Blackstone, the Blackstone River Watershed Council, Blackstone Headwaters Coalition and the Massachusetts Audubon Society/Broad Meadow Brook are all working to improve the river through organizing water quality monitoring programs, sponsoring river events, doing cleanups, building river access sites, and providing the public with information and a hands-on approach to river improvement. For more information,
you can download the following:
This designation brought new federal resources and additional focus to the Blackstone River and provided a “River Navigator”, Johanna Hunter, to assist with river improvement programs. The River Navigator is a critical position that links the needs of the river communities with federal programs that can assist with financing or technical expertise, and foster an atmosphere among local groups and federal agencies that will encourage coordination of resources and programs. In 2000, the Commission and its partners up and down the river held Expedition 2000 – a four-day river trip down the Blackstone River from Worcester, MA to Pawtucket, RI to raise awareness about the River and its issues and to explore opportunities for its renewal with the help of local, state and federal partnership projects. This event also launched the ZAP! the Blackstone river campaign to focus efforts along the river to improve its water quality and public access. Each river improvement project along the Blackstone is a ZAP! project at a certain site - with the total accumulation of these efforts resulting in a cleaner, vibrant river. Currently, the Commission is in the process of developing a vision for the Blackstone River in 2015. If you are interested in helping us develop this vision, or want to find out more about the Blackstone River 2015 project, contact Johanna Hunter at Hunter.Johanna@epa.gov. For more information on river programs in the Blackstone River Valley, you can download one of the following documents. ZAP
at 30 Years Teaching
Science New
Life for the Blackstone River
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