MAPS
Mystic River Watershed
The Mystic River Watershed covers 76 square miles or roughly 1% of the land area of Massachusetts. It includes all the land area that drains into the Mystic River. Its headwaters begin in Reading, MA and flow to Boston Harbor. There are 44 lakes and ponds within the watershed. The 21 communities within the Mystic River watershed include:
Arlington | Belmont | Boston | (Charlestown & East Boston) | Burlington | Cambridge | Chelsea | Everett | Lexington | Malden | Medford | Melrose | Reading | Revere | Somerville | Stoneham | Wakefield | Watertown | Wilmington | Winchester | Winthrop | Woburn
MYRWA Projects Map
See where we’re working in the watershed! Click here to explore our past and present on-the-ground projects and regional initiatives.
Mystic Greenways
We are envisioning 25 miles of connected parks and paths for the Mystic. Learn more about the Mystic Greenways project.
Water Quality Map
Each year the US Environmental Protection Agency issues a water quality grade for the Mystic River and its tributaries. Grades are based on data collected by our water quality monitors. Learn more about the water quality.
Wicked hot mystic
To help better understand where extreme heat and urban heat islands are, we conducted a heat mapping campaign called Wicked Hot Mystic. In the summer of 2021, 80 volunteers collected heat and air quality temperatures along 17 car routes and 2 bike routes, at 4 different times. Data collected by volunteers in the 21 cities of the Mystic River watershed created a map of heat islands and places people can go to cool off. See the results here!
The map now informs our regional cooling campaign, called Wicked Cool Mystic.
Environmental Justice in the Mystic
Approximately—75% of the watershed residents in 51% of the land area are defined as environmental justice by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affair (EEA). These residents have greater exposure to pollution and corresponding health risks, have limited access to parks and paths, face the greatest threats due to the changing climate and have been excluded from conversations about how to improve their local environment. Learn more about environmental justice in the Mystic River watershed here.
Explore the Mystic River Watershed
Use this interactive map to locate public boat launches along the Malden and Mystic Rivers, as well as the many walking trails and places to fish in the Mystic River watershed. Find more information here.
