Public Encouraged To Avoid Charles River Stretch In Newton On Aug 24

NEWTON, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has announced that it will be conducting aquatic species control work on a stretch of the Charles River next week, and the agency is encouraging the public to avoid the area on that day.

The DCR said that the species control work will take place on Thursday, August 24, from approximately the Newton Yacht Club in Newton to the Arsenal Street Bridge in Boston.

"The Charles River will remain open to the public, however, DCR encourages those on the river that day to avoid the treatment area and the treatment vessels," the DCR said in a Thursday statement.

According to the DCR, if left unmanaged, invasive aquatic species will outcompete native plant species and inhibit water flow and recreational access.

In a recreational advisory about the species control work, the DCR listed alternative local state parks to visit, including: the downstream portions of the Charles River Reservation in Boston, Mystic River Reservation in Medford, Beaver Brook Reservation in Belmont and Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham.