Around Town

Watertown Hosting Community Paddle With Short and Long Courses

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Watertown Recreation will host a paddling event on the Charles River open to all ages and abilities. See more details provided by the City of Watertown, below. Join Watertown Recreation on Saturday, May 9, 2026, for a morning of community fun featuring an on-water competition and family-friendly shore activities, highlighting the amazing resource that is the Charles River. Choose the Cookie Chase Family Fun Race or the 5-Mile Community Paddle. Boat Rentals: Canoes and kayaks are available to rent through Paddle Boston.

Around Town

Registration Open for the 2026 Run of the Charles Paddle Race

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The Charles River Watershed Association announced registration is open for the 42nd Run of the Charles. Boston’s Premier Paddling Race will take place on Sunday, April 26. See details in the announcement from the CRWA, below. Join CRWA for the 42nd Run of the Charles paddling race at DCR’s Artesani/Herter Park, featuring live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and more! Races begin in Brighton and Newton, running through Watertown, Waltham, and Cambridge.

Around Town

Keeping the Charles Clean: A Conversation on Stormwater Innovation in Watertown

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The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Watershed Association:

Join CRWA staff and City of Watertown officials for an in-depth conversation about stormwater — what it is, how stormwater pollution impacts the Charles River, and the major challenges municipalities face in managing it. Learn how Watertown is implementing innovative solutions and leading the way in stormwater management within the Charles River watershed. Where: Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown

When: Thursday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Link to event page: https://www.crwa.org/events/keeping-the-charles-clean-a-conversation-on-stormwater-innovation-in-watertown

Link to register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/j8j77de

Environment

City Council Sends Letter to MWRA Opposing Allowing Sewage Overflow in the Charles River

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Dave MartinA view down the Charles River from the Bridge on North Beacon Street. The City Council sent a letter to the MWRA opposing allowing sewage overflow from being released into the Charles River and returning to the days when the river was a “dumping ground for sewage.” The Council voted unanimously to support the letter at the Dec. 9 meeting. City Council President Mark Sideris said Watertown has invested in cleaning up the river.

Around Town

See the Art Making a Former Lumber Yard into a More “Pleasant Landscape”

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Vitoria Regia said “Charles River and the Joseph Thompson Bridge” was inspired by an area of the river she finds very soothing. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Six new banners like the fence line around a former industrial property on the Westside of Watertown. The images were created by local artists and will be displayed around for the foreseeable future. “Transitions” by Cynthia White is an abstract piece which she thought fit into the theme of A Pleasant Landscape. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The project was organized by the City of Watertown to make the area look a little nicer, said Liz Helfer, the City’s Public Arts & Culture Planner.

Around Town

Snapping Turtle Found in Dead in Watertown from Rodent Poison

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The snapping turtle found dead from rodent poison. (Photo by Lauren Ulm)

A large snapping turtle was found dead near the bank of Charles River in Watertown, and the cause of death was determined to be from a rodent poison that prevents blood from clotting. The case is the first documented death of a snapping turtle by rodenticide in Massachusetts, according to a wildlife advocacy group. The turtle was found in July and the veterinarian who determined the cause of death, Amanda Leef from Heal Veterinary Clinic in East Watertown, said it is unusual to see a turtle die in that way. Leef has a wildlife rehabilitation license, and does work with Save Mass Wildlife to study sick and dead wildlife.

Environment

Group Calls for Legislature to “Cut the Crap,” Support Bill to End Sewage Flows into the Charles River

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The Charles River Watershed Association announced that the bill asking to end sewage overflows that drain into the Charles River. There are 10 places where sewage can mix with stormwater and flow into the river, according to the CRWA. None are in Watertown, but one is near Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge and another is in Brighton near the Harvard athletic fields. The bill will be heard by the State Legislature on June 17.

Around Town

CRWA Hosting Building Resilience in the Charles River Watershed Webinar

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The following information came from the Charles River Watershed Association:

Join us on Thursday, June 12, 2025, from 6:30-8 p.m. for the Building Resilience in the Charles River Watershed webinar on Zoom to learn about innovative green and grey flood mitigation solutions, how we could use ponds for added storage and their potential to reduce extreme flooding, and actionable recommendations to safeguard our watershed’s future. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation! Discover how the Charles River Watershed Association and local communities are working together on innovative solutions to manage future flooding from climate change as part of our regional flood initiative. Adapting to the impacts of climate change is a daunting task, but many local cities and towns are facing this challenge head-on! For the past four years, about two dozen communities in the Charles River Climate Compact (CRCC) have collaborated with CRWA and Weston & Sampson to identify opportunities to reduce flooding and build resilience to climate change.