The tests will determine sources of bacteria in the Massachusetts river.
BOSTON (AP) – New DNA tests will be launched on water from the Charles River to determine whether persisting bacteria is from human or animal waste, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
The river’s bacteria levels mostly meet the state’s swimming standards, but swimming is still not encouraged because of polluted sediment on the bottom.
“There’s a lot of work still to be done,” volunteer environmental activist Roger Frymire told the Boston Herald. “There’s a reason no swimming beaches have been opened along the Charles River.”
The federal EPA granted $400,000 on Friday to the Charles River Watershed Association for its ongoing 10-year cleanup effort started in 1995. The grant is among nearly $15 million awarded to 20 watershed groups nationwide.
The EPA also gave the Charles River a grade of “B” for its cleanliness – the same grade it received last year.
The cleanup was started after the river got a grade of “D,” when it met swimming standards only 39 percent of the time. Today, the river is swimmable 91 percent of the time.
“The Charles River is a treasured resource within our urban landscape,” said state Environmental Affairs Secretary Ellen Roy Herzfelder. “(The cleanup initiative) will help ensure that the Charles continues to be a source of beauty for all to enjoy.”
If the cleanup stays on schedule, the river should be totally safe for swimming within three years, Frymire said.
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