Blackstone River Cleanup - Help with the Fishable/Swimmable Campaign 

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For nearly two centuries, the Blackstone River was a dumping ground for debris, used appliances, chemicals, old tires and much more. A postcard showing an oldtime diner depicted the garbage going down a chute directly to the river. No one really thought of the health or aesthetic concerns associated with these behaviors until the mid 1960s. 

Two visionary men, initially working separately, acted upon their vision to organize and create a dream in thousands of volunteers who have worked for nearly three decades to clean up the Blackstone River. The job is not finished, but the revitalization has been extremely successful turning "the nation's hardest working river" into a recreational/tourist Blackstone Valley. The recognition of the significance of the American Industrial Revolution heightens this drive, but the health and aesthetic values of restoration for the Valley residents is immeasurable.

Henry Tetrault walked in Central Falls upon the river banks in 1965 after having heart surgery. He noticed the lovely scenic views that were hidden from his notice previously. Almost simultaneously, David Rosser of Quinnville, founder of the Blackstone Watershed Authority which was incorporated after a commitment from ten members, was creating a broad vision for a cleaner River filled with recreational, health and tourist opportunities. These two men worked hard to organize a tremendous effort with the first ZAP THE BLACKSTONE. This effort, highly publicized by the Providence Journal, drew many organizers and hundreds of volunteers, including many children. In fact, Lady Bird Johnson was even invited to view the River and the cleanup results in 1967, roughly twenty years before the federal funding created the National Heritage Corridor.

Two hundred trucks and union labor was donated to remove tons and tons of debris along the River.  Some of the early organizers included Will Gates, Bill Sears, Peter Moreau. Mr. Ronci donated land to create the State Park in 1970 and a wetlands law was passed after much work in 1971. People started becoming aware of the potential of the River and the abuse ceased in large part. 

Suzanne Buchanan, now the Director of Volunteers, was a child working on the cleanup over 25 years ago. Refreshments and lunch were offered and hundreds of people worked together with a mission and a vision. That mission continues to evolve with a goal of a fishable/swimmable river by 2015. Let's all work together to make sure that dream comes true!

 Basin Info       External Links: Friends of the Blackstone    BWRA