Sustainable Environment

We believe that a thriving economy and a healthy natural environment are not mutually exclusive and in fact can and should evolve together symbiotically.

Blackstone-Woonasquatucket, An American Heritage River

A sustainable environment is one in which natural and man-made systems interact in a way that is not detrimental to each other. Over the last three hundred years or so, the Blackstone Valley has evolved in a way that has not always respected the natural environment. The Industrial Revolution, despite all of its economic and technological significance to this country, set a dangerous example of environmental degradation and abuse that has carried forward into the current century. The River that powered the economy was greatly altered and polluted with little concern for the natural systems it supported.

To that end, Blackstone Valley partners are engaged in projects and initiatives to restore the damage of the past and create a place where the natural environment and human activity work together in harmony.

Kayaker's Enjoying the Blackstone

The Blackstone: A River Reborn

The Blackstone River is the heart of the Valley’s history, and its rebirth. Once neglected and polluted, the Blackstone is coming back

Federal and state agencies have made an ongoing investment in improving the water quality and ecology of the river. Grassroots efforts have protected the Blackstone Gorge and other scenic areas throughout the Valley. New river access points and other improvements are helping a wide range of people enjoy the river. The Blackstone River Bikeway – which parallels the river - is well on its way, improving access and increasing public awareness of this valuable resource. Community development is also increasing along the river. All of these developments point toward a new Blackstone River – one that serves as a source of pride for the entire Valley.

Today, the Blackstone River is classified as Class C, suitable for boating and other secondary contact recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and industrial processing and cooling. A major goal of the Corridor Commission is a pollution-free river – to enable Valley residents to take full advantage of the recreational opportunities on and along the river and to contribute to the quality of life in Valley communities.

Blackstone River Valley volunteers with a truckful of tires

ZAP! the Blackstone

Thirty years ago, one of the most significant environmental events in our country’s history took place on our historic Blackstone River.

Over 10,000 volunteers, more than 500 businesses and scores of governmental and non-profit agencies staged a massive clean-up of the Blackstone River from south-central Massachusetts to Narragansett Bay on September 9, 1972. The Providence Journal Company was the lead agent responsible for coordinating and mobilizing this monumental effort termed Project ZAP! The ZAP! initiative was the threshold of three decades of environmental activism along the Blackstone River.

In 2000, the Corridor Commission and its partners held Expedition 2000 – a four-day trip down the Blackstone River from Worcester, MA to Pawtucket, RI to raise awareness about the River and its issues and to explore opportunities for its renewal with the help of local, state and federal partnership projects.
This event also launched the ZAP! the Blackstone river campaign to focus efforts along the river to improve its water quality and public access - resulting in a cleaner, vibrant river.

Currently, the Corridor Commission is working with many partners to improve the river through organizing water quality monitoring programs, sponsoring river events, doing cleanups, building river access sites, and providing the public with information and a hands-on approach to river improvement.

The goal of Zap the Blackstone is to make the Blackstone a fishable-swimmable river by the year 2015. For more information on this campaign, please view our Fishable/Swimmable Blackstone page, or visit the National Park site to learn how to get involved.