scrAPES 20 - "Charles River Opens for First Public Swim Since the 1950's"

Charles River Opens for First Public Swim Since the 1950's  is about the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts.  Before the 1950s the Charles River was very unsafe to to swim in.  The EPA gave the Charles river a quality of grade D in 1995. But in 2011 The EPA gave it a quality grade of a B, which is a huge grade difference. The water was now safe enough for the public to swim in it, but the bottom of the Charles River was still a very mushy and toxic. Now in the year of 2015, its a whole different story. According to the Boston Globe, there has been huge algae bloom in the Lower Charles River Basin and twice the amount of bacteria.

I chose this podcast because my AP Environmental Science teacher showed us and I was very interested about it. All my life I have lived  in Boston and I always wondered why I have never seen anyone swimming in the river. Also, I always heard growing up that the river was dirty and unsafe to the touch and I thought it was just so that it was a tactic for my parents so i wont run in the river. But I guess it was true the whole time.

This is very important because of the way it effects everyone. It stops a lot of people from enjoying themselves because of how dangerous it is. But it is also a reality check. The problem we have in the Charles River is small compared to what is happening in developing countries. This can help us though. If we figure out a way to help the Charles River get cleaner, imagine what can do for developing countries.