The Neponset River, referred to by the Native Americans inhabiting its lands as the Harvest River, played a major role in the development of this country.

As a "manageably sized" river located so close to Boston, it attracted the New World's earliest industries to harness its water power. Israel Stoughton constructed the first dam on the Neponset River in 1635. This is believed to have been the 2nd dam constructed in the New World! The falling waters of the Neponset provided the energy for the country's first water-powered grist mill, gunpowder mill, and paper mill, among others.

With the requirements of the expanding population, industry thrived along the Neponset, and many textile, paper, and lumber mills sprang up. It was not long before the river gained a justly deserved reputation as highly polluted, with numerous untreated sewage and industrial discharges fouling its waters. 

Although the water quality problems were recognized in the late 1750s, it was not until the passage of state and federal legislation in the 1960s and 1970s that water quality issues were more seriously addressed.

Today, the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth century mills either have closed, connected to the sewer system, or installed waste treatment facilities. Great strides have been made in the management of residential wastewater, as well. 

Today the majority of the river and its tributaries meet state standards for swimming during dry weather. 

Learn about the effects of the remaining mill dams on the Neponset River and opportunities to restore the river.

While the Neponset River Watershed has experienced dramatic improvements in water quality, "streamflow" or water quantity has not received as much attention, and it has become an issue of critical concern as communities continue to divert more water from aquifers and the river.