The Charles River watershed covers an area over 300 square miles and is the most densely populated river basin in New England. This river was named by Captain John Smith for Charles I of England to gain the monarch's support for the area's potential for trade and settlement.
The US Army Corps of Engineers maintains a program that not only protects the urbanized watershed from flooding, but also safeguards valuable wetlands and provides areas for wildlife and recreation. They constructed a pumping station capable of rapidly discharging the floodwater into Boston Harbor, thus helping to protect the natural storage capacities of the wetlands. This flood control project also serves the area's need for recreation and fish and wildlife management.
