The Charles River Dam is a flood control structure on the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles bac ...

in Boston, Massachusetts, located just downstream of the

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge The Leonard P. Zakim () Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge (also known as “The Zakim”) is a cable-stayed bridge completed in 2003 across the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a replacement for the Charlestown High Bridge, an older truss ...

, near

Lovejoy Wharf North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Am ...

, on the former location of the

Warren Bridge The Warren Bridge connected downtown Boston, Massachusetts with Charlestown from its construction in the 1820s until its demolition in 1962. It was replaced by the Charles River Dam in 1978. The Warren Bridge was requested in 1823 and charte ...

History

The Charles River Dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The structure also includes the "Colonel Richard Gridley Locks", named for General George Washington's first army engineer. Built and operational in 1978, the three locks can be crossed by pedestrians as well as bicyclists. It is part of the popular

Boston Harborwalk Boston Harborwalk is a public walkway that follows the edge of piers, wharves, beaches, and shoreline around Boston Harbor. When fully completed it will extend a distance of from East Boston to the Neponset River. History The Harborwalk is a coo ...

. The dam contains three individual

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, with one wider than the other two to accommodate the occasional passing of a larger vessel. The structure also includes a fish passage. Six diesel-powered, 2700 horsepower turbo-charged engines drive six pumps with a combined capacity of about per minute or 8140 cubic feet per second (CFS). The dam controls the surface level of the river basin as well its tributaries upstream, including the

Back Bay Fens The Back Bay Fens, often called The Fens, is a parkland and urban wild in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was established in 1879. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to serve as a link in the Emerald Necklace park system, the Fe ...

and Muddy River and to prevent

sea water Seawater, or salt water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approx ...

from entering the Charles River freshwater basin during high tides. It replaced the 1910 Charles River Dam upstream, now the site of the

Boston Museum of Science The Museum of Science (MoS) is a science museum and indoor zoo in Boston, Massachusetts, located in Science Park, a plot of land spanning the Charles River. Along with over 700 interactive exhibits, the museum features a number of live presentat ...

. The 1910 dam includes two locks (one under the Science Museum parking garage). Both locks are now kept open for navigation. The older dam could not keep sea water out and a layer of salt water accumulated at the bottom of the fresh water basin, contributing to pollution and fish migration problems. CharlesRiverDamLock

The dam's walkway is the site of the "Charlestown Bells", an interactive art installation by

Paul Matisse Paul Matisse (born 1933) is an artist and inventor known for his public art installations, many of which are interactive and produce sound. Matisse also invented the Kalliroscope. Early life and education Paul Matisse is the son of New York g ...

, consisting of a set of chimes mounted on the railing that passers-by can strike. The work was refurbished in 2013 after it had fallen into disrepair. The Charles River Dam was once in the shadow of the former

Charlestown High Bridge The Charlestown High Bridge (referred to as the John F. Fitzgerald Bridge on old AAA Tourbook maps) spanned the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts and was part of I-93/ US 1 at the north end of the Central Artery. This double-decked ...

located upstream. It was replaced by the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge just upstream.

References

External links

* Crossings of the Charles River Dams in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Boston Dams completed in 1978 {{US-dam-stub