The City Splash 2019, which had been rescheduled to Saturday, June 22nd, has been cancelled due to heavy rainfall two weeks in a row.
Swimming in the Charles is only allowed with the issuance of a Special Event Permit from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Regulations from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority dictate that rainfall must stay under one-half inch of accumulation in the 48 hours leading up to a swim in the Charles because of its potential impact to water quality, and therefore the permit will not be issued.
Unfortunately, the event cannot be rescheduled for later this summer because July 4 preparation takes over the Esplanade on Sunday and the farther we get into July and August, the higher the likelihood of algae (cyanobacteria) blooms.
While this is disappointing, this cancellation is a great reminder of why we hold City Splash in the first place: to raise awareness of the important role the river plays in our city. As CRC Executive Director Laura Jasinski puts it, “We should be disappointed that we can’t swim tomorrow. We should also be disappointed that we can’t swim every day in the summer. And the CRC is working to change that.”
On behalf of the CRC staff and board, we apologize for the cancellation, and we hope to see you all at next year’s City Splash.