This is a timely piece, considering the current threat to our beaches down here from the BP oil spill. We are hoping that the oil stays off shore and far away from our pristine shores. We are following the path daily in hopes that it does not get any closer. more on this later, for now…..
I grew up in an age that the mere mention of the Boston Harbor conjured up dirty, dirty thoughts.
The Harbor was one of the dirtiest in the nation. The filth not only resided in the harbor but also in surrounding beaches as well. like one of my favorites....Wollaston Beach in Quincy Massachusetts. My mom and dad use to take us kids to wollaston beach, not many people in the water then though, the saying was that if you go in the water, you better have had your shots updated. I remember as a kid at age 6, wondering why so many toiletry items were on the beach, “Ma, is this where all the flushes end up?”
Why so nasty, then?
(from wikipedia) Failures at Nut Island treatment plant in Quincy and the companion Deer Island plant adjacent to Winthrop had far-reaching environmental and political effects. Fecal coliform bacteria levels forced frequent swimming prohibitions along the harbor beaches and the Charles River for many years.[3] The City of Quincy sued the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) and the separate Boston Water and Sewer Commission in 1982 charging unchecked systemic pollution of the city’s waterfront. That suit was followed by one by the Conservation Law Foundation and finally by the United States Government, resulting in the landmark court-ordered cleanup of Boston Harbor
We even had a hit song about this:
Dirty Water" is a 12-bar blues song composed by Ed Cobb and first recorded by the California rock and roll band The Standells in 1966. It is considered a classic of garage rock.
The song debuted April 30, 1966, on the Cash Box charts and peaked at #8. It reached #11 on the Billboard singles charts on June 11. It was the band's first major hit single; their earlier charting record, "The Boy Next Door," had only reached #102 on Billboard's "Bubbling Under" chart in February 1965.
The song is a paean to the city of Boston and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River:
"Down by the River...
Down by the banks of the River Charles
(Oh, that's what's happenin' baby)
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves.
(Ahh, but they're cool people)
I love that dirty water
'Oh oh, Boston, you're my home"
You can't talk about dirty water or as we say up in Boston, durty Watah! without talking about the Red Sox. As an added plus, this song is sung by Red Sawx fans everywhere after a victory!- oh I love that dirty waterrrrrrr, oohhhhhhhhhhhh, Boston you’re my home, dah dah dah-dah-dah
Then came the $4.5 billion dollar Boston Harbor Project, the water quality in both the Harbor and the Charles River has significantly improved under this project, and the project has dramatically transformed Boston Harbor from one of the filthiest in the nation to one of the cleanest. Sox fans still sing the song though.
While we did go to the “beach” back in the day, we pretty much stayed out of the water. One of my MOST favorite things to do when at wollaston was to go to the Clam box for a large box of the best fried clams evah! Yum!
We were guaranteed that the clams were NOT local :)
Going to beaches here down south (at the moment) is like most of my Southern exposures…WOW!
Instead of toiletries, I was now looking at sea shells and sandollars,
looking into the water I would catch a glance at dolphins making there way across the gulf. You can also see pelicans gliding across the water, looking for dinner
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People are clamoring to get in the warm water here- Heaven.
Tired of swimming?..you could do this:
You can see why we are all glued to the news and the weather, keeping watch on where the wind is blowing and where it will be taking this oil. Can you imagine this?
If this spill reaches our beaches down here, The Boston Harbor experience will pale in comparison, it will dirty more than water.
