U.S. to Spend $600,000 On Charles River Study

The Army Corps of Engineers will begin a five year, $600,000 study this spring aimed at solving some of the problems of the Charles River.

Public hearings will be held, probably in May, to evaluate some of the river's troubles and to ponder some possible solutions. But Roger C. Albitson, project engineer, noted yesterday that some of the river's problems are pretty obvious. The river's "rotten egg" smell, he said, is the result of brackishness and pollution.

The Charles River Dam located in Science Park, Boston was built in 1910 to keep salt water out of the river. Sewers, further up stream, were designed to overflow into the river during peak periods. If the river were primarily a fresh water river the sewage could be absorbed, and treated "naturally" without any noticeable odor, Albitson pointed out.

The opening of locks in the dam to admit boats, however, has also admitted brackish salt water.

On some occasions the dam's engineers been forced to admit salt water into the Charles to maintain the river's level. Salt creates sludge banks at the bottom of the river and prevents oxygen from circulating and "naturally" treating the sewage, according to Albitson.

High tides and heavy storms also cause flooding problems in the Cambridge-Boston area. Engineers cannot let the flow through the dam during the hours of high tides for fear of a water backrush. A flow of storm into the river at that time causes overflowing.

Albitson said that this project, which proposed by Massachusetts congressmen is the first study ever of the entire Charles River. Only studies of parts of the river and a few of its problems have made over the last 70 years.