The founding of the Charles River Conservancy almost two decades ago coincided with a huge effort by US Environmental Protection Agency, government agencies, and environmental groups to clean up the Charles River. Infrastructure investment has improved the water quality dramatically.

We are proposing a swim facility that would create a safe and monitored space for summer swimming. Swimmers would enter the river from a dock, which would surround a pool-like structure with a false bottom that would isolate swimmers from sediment. A constructed facility would unlock an area for new public recreation, a rare opportunity in an urban environment.

The river has made a tremendous comeback, but there is progress to be made. Like many natural swim spots, it's unlikely to meet swimming standards every day and on those days it would be closed. The Conservancy believes swimming would both celebrate what has been accomplished and foster greater awareness and interest in restoring it further.