Mystic River

Mystic River
Mystic River
	Mystic River as seen from the Cradock Bridge in Medford
	Interactive map of the Mystic River
Etymology	from Wampanoag Muhs-uhtuq meaning "big river"
Location
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
District	Middlesex County
Municipalities	Charlestown; Chelsea; Everett; Somerville; Medford; Arlington;
Physical characteristics
Source	Lower Mystic Lake
Mouth	Boston Harbor
Length	7 mi (11 km), roughly east-west
Basin size	76 sq mi (200 km2)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Alewife Brook
• right	Chelsea Creek, Island End River, Malden River

The Mystic River is a 7.0-mile-long (11.3 km) river^[1] in Massachusetts. In the Massachusett language, missi-tuk means "large estuary", alluding to the tidal nature of the Mystic River. The resemblance to the English word mystic is a coincidence, which the colonists followed.

The Mystic River lies to the north of Boston and flows approximately parallel to the lower portions of the Charles River, encompassing 76 square miles (200 km²) of watershed. The river flows from the Lower Mystic Lake and travels through East Boston, Chelsea, Charlestown, Everett, Medford, Somerville, and Arlington. The river joins the Charles River to form inner Boston Harbor. Its watershed contains 44 lakes and ponds, the largest of which is Spot Pond in the Middlesex Fells, with an area of 307 acres (124 ha). Significant portions of the river's shores are within the Mystic River Reservation and are administered by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which include a variety of recreation areas.^[2]

The Mystic River has a long history of industrial use and a continuing water quality problem. Some sections are undergoing an extensive cleanup as part of the construction of Everett's new Encore Boston Harbor casino.^[3]^[4]

^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
^ "Middlesex Fells Reservation". National Park Service. Archived from the original on Aug 26, 2023.
^ Arsenault, Mark (October 17, 2017). "Wynn casino rising beside Mystic River". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022.
^ Greene, Roy (January 15, 2018). "Cleanup for Wynn casino includes polluted Mystic River". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on Aug 17, 2022.

[NHD-1] U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011

[2] "Middlesex Fells Reservation". National Park Service. Archived from the original on Aug 26, 2023.

[3] Arsenault, Mark (October 17, 2017). "Wynn casino rising beside Mystic River". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022.

[4] Greene, Roy (January 15, 2018). "Cleanup for Wynn casino includes polluted Mystic River". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on Aug 17, 2022.

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