Often it is said that "water is the elixir of life." Unfortunately, according to Zachary Harlow-Nash and the other members of Water Watch, this does not apply to the water in the Mystic River.
Massachusetts has many spectacular rivers, from the Connecticut to the Charles. Unfortunately, over two thirds of its waterways are too polluted for basic uses like fishing or swimming.
"Massachusetts ranks second in having the worst water quality in the United States," said Harlow-Nash, the organizer for Water Watch at Tufts. "It is upon us to do something about it."
Harlow-Nash believes that, far from being an elixir of life, the water of the Mystic River inhibits the creation of new life. "In fact, to use anything derived from the river is advised against," he said. "It is unfortunate that the river cannot be used by the community which it belongs to."
Harlow-Nash, who is supported by AmeriCorps - a federal domestic volunteer group. Harlow-Nash's project is supported by a group of eight Tuft student interns and a variety of other student volunteers.
Harlow-Nash is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans. He says he is incredibly impressed with the environmental activism of the Tufts campus compared to Tulane.
Water Watch has three major programs: addressing water quality problems and the need for river clean-ups, conducting stream monitoring, and providing environmental education.
The group also seeks to encourage community members, from fourth graders to college students, to volunteer and see the difference one person can make in the environment.
"The goal is to make the river water 'swimmable' and 'fishable' by 2010," Harlow said, betraying his optimism that the river problem is treatable. "But it's upon the volunteers to reach that goal."
According to Harlow, Water Watch's immediate goals are to educate and rope in as many volunteers as possible. Reaching these aspirations would mean the Mystic Valley River could one day be transformed into a hot spot for students, offering recreational activities like boating, swimming and fishing. There are indeed beautiful spots accessible to students like the Mystic River Bay front where students could be able to enjoy boating and canoeing.
This semester it hopes to organize at least three clean-ups, one of which took place yesterday. Other opportunities to volunteer are vast. For those who don't want to get dirty, Water Watch offers the chance to sign up for activities including giving presentations to educate community members.
Education and volunteerism, however, are not always enough. Funding for Water Watch, a joint program between AmeriCorps and the MASSPIRG Education Fund, is indeed a problem: Water Watch's budget is subsidized by donations of money and equipment such as gloves, but the lack of steadier and more substantial funds makes it difficult to advertise the cause.
In addition, individual clean-ups are helpful, but one of the greatest keys to a clean river is the need for corporations to cease their pollution of the river. Civil and environmental engineering professor John Durant told the Daily last year that the biggest progress has been made by the surrounding cities pressuring factories to not continue polluting the river. The most valuable work "can only be done by municipalities," he said.
One of the greatest difficulties in getting the people in those municipalities involved is that many of the families who live alongside the river do not speak English as their first language. "It would not have been as difficult if the families spoke English," Harlow said.
In addition, the lack of attention focused on the Mystic River, as opposed to its more famous counterpart, makes gathering public support difficult: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a goal similar to that of Water Watch to make the Charles River swimmable and fishable by 2005. No such EPA plan exists for the Mystic, however.
In the meantime, Harlow has recommendations for people who would like to make small changes in their everyday lives to improve water quality. One suggestion is to switch to chemical-free organic cleaners. Another is to pick up after pets, as animal waste may run off of lawns into drains or water sources, sending harmful bacteria into the river.
On both individual and group levels, Harlow hopes Tufts' Water Watch will continue to build on its own successes, as well as those of other chapters: during 2003, Water Watch conducted 39 river cleanups, educated 7,733 school-aged children on water quality issues, and conducted 960 hours of stream monitoring.
In recognition of its commitment, Water Watch received National Take Pride in America Award from Department of the Interior in 2003. The Water Watch program was the only organization in New England to receive the Take Pride award that year.
If students would like to become involved with Water Watch, they may email Zachary Harlow-Nash at Tufts@waterwatchonline.org or look for the group in Miller Hall in the Tufts Institute for Environment.
