Mystic River Watershed Association Inc.

What Mystic River Watershed Association Inc. does

Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental organization founded in 1972 and headquartered in Arlington, Massachusetts. It protects and restores the Mystic River watershed across 21 cities and towns in Greater Boston through science-based water quality monitoring, biodiversity restoration, environmental education, and policy advocacy. Its core programmatic products include the Daily Boating Advisory (an automated bacteria prediction model updated daily at 5 AM), the annual EPA Water Quality Report Card covering 15 monitoring sites, the Herring Monitoring Program (tracking river herring migration at Mystic Lakes Dam since 2012, recording ~815,000 fish in 2025), the Environmental Science & Stewardship Fellowship Program with Tufts and Northeastern, the Malden River Trash Trap (interphysical infrastructure capturing >1 ton of trash since 2021), the Trash-Free Mystic Initiative, and K-12 Education Programs that reached over 4,000 learners in 2025-2026.

MyRWA is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Patrick Herron, with a small staff including a Development Director, Education Manager, Director of Climate Resilience, Mystic Greenways Director, Water Quality Program Manager, and Watershed Field Scientist. The organization is funded through individual donations and memberships, foundation and government grants (Massachusetts Environmental Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, EPA, Industri-Plex Trustee Council, federal appropriations), corporate stewardship partnerships, and modest event registration fees ($10 per person for Herring Run & Paddle). It distributes programming through direct community engagement, university partnerships, municipal collaboration across 21 towns, and self-service digital products including the Daily Boating Advisory website and Twitter feed (@SafeMystic). Notable outcomes include a 4x increase in river herring population from ~200,000 to ~815,000 since 2012, Belle Isle Inlet water quality improvement from C to A- grade between 2014 and 2016, and joint federal court intervention alongside the Charles River Watershed Association challenging MWRA's combined sewer overflow control plan.

Name

Mystic River Watershed Association Inc.

Legal name

Mystic River Watershed Association Inc.

Website

https://mysticriver.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1972 that protects and restores the Mystic River watershed across 21 Greater Boston municipalities through citizen science water quality monitoring, herring conservation, environmental education, and combined sewer overflow advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Watershed conservation
• Water quality monitoring
• Citizen science programs
• Environmental education
• Habitat restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Individual donations and membership contributions from watershed residents and supporters
2. Foundation and Government Grants: Grants from Massachusetts Environmental Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, EPA Urban Waters Program, Industri-Plex Trustee Council, and federal appropriations
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships and volunteer programs with companies for community stewardship events
4. Event Registration: Registration fees for events such as Herring Run & Paddle ($10 per person)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mystic River Watershed Association Inc. (MyRWA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1972 that protects and restores the Mystic River Watershed across 21 cities and towns in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The organization delivers water quality monitoring, citizen science data collection, herring and alewife conservation, habitat restoration, environmental education, climate resilience programming, and policy advocacy to municipalities, residents, students, and partner organizations.

Product overview

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) offers a portfolio of environmental programs and tools rather than a traditional tech product. Core offerings include the Daily Boating Advisory (automated bacteria prediction model), EPA Water Quality Report Card (annual watershed assessment), Herring Monitoring Program (citizen science fish population tracking), Environmental Science Fellowship, Malden River Trash Trap physical intervention, Trash-Free Mystic initiative, Education Programs, and Climate Resilience Program. These programs work together to protect and restore the Mystic River watershed through science-based monitoring, community engagement, and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Daily Boating Advisory

Quantifiable outcome

• River herring population increased from ~200,000 to ~815,000 (4x larger) since 2012 fish passage installation at Mystic Lakes Dam
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• Paddle BostoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Operates public canoe and kayak rental at Blessing of the Bay Boathouse in Somerville. Home to Herring Run & Paddle events and Gentle Giant Rowing Club.
• Selbert Perkins DesignsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2021Design firm for Blessing of the Bay Boathouse public art installation. Artist Jessica Finch led wave sketch design for community art project.
• Walker Environmental Research LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationDr. Jeffrey Walker serves as Modeler and Website Developer for the Recreational Risk Assessment Project, developing and maintaining the bacteria prediction model and website.
• Division of Marine Fisheries (Mass DMF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner for herring monitoring program. Division uses MyRWA volunteer data with models to determine estimated herring run sizes and inform statewide herring management.
• Friends of the Malden RivercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of Malden River Trash Trap project. Karen Buck, co-founder, led initial cleanup efforts and continues as key advocate for trash-free Malden River.
• Gentle Giant Rowing ClubcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEmpties and monitors Malden River Trash Trap with funding from Mystic Valley Development Commission. Rich Whelan provides regular maintenance and trash composition reporting.
• Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy partner on combined sewer overflow issues. CRWA and MyRWA filed joint motion to intervene in federal Harbor cleanup case to represent watershed interests.
• Earthrise Law CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnvironmental legal clinic of Lewis & Clark Law School representing CRWA and MyRWA in federal court proceedings regarding MWRA CSO compliance.
• Save the Alewife Brook (StAB)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner opposing MWRA CSO plan that would allow continued sewage discharge into Alewife Brook and Mystic River.
• US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration on Mystic River Water Quality Report Card. EPA provides funding through Urban Waters Program and regulatory oversight on water quality compliance.
• Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)coreOthersMunicipal utility responsible for sewer infrastructure. MyRWA advocates for stronger CSO reduction requirements from MWRA through regulatory proceedings and public comment processes.
• Northeastern University Tian Research LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for identifying environmental contaminants and assessing human health and ecosystem risk. 2025 Environmental Science Fellows conducted water sampling in partnership with the lab.
• Tufts UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Tisch Summer Fellows at MyRWA. 2025 fellow Kenna McConnachie conducted water sampling research including work at Shannon Beach.
• Museum of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partner for Three Rivers Report Card presentation. Joint recipient of 2026 Boston Climate Leader Award for Research and Innovation.
• Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency managing Mystic River Reservation and parks. Partner on Macdonald Park improvements, Blessing of the Bay revitalization, fish passage construction, and herring monitoring.
• GreenRootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental justice organization representing Chelsea communities. Partner on water quality advocacy and public health initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA): Long-standing Boston-area watershed nonprofit that is explicitly partnered with MyRWA on CSO advocacy and federal court intervention. Operates the same community-led, science-based watershed protection model on the adjacent Charles River basin.
• Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA): Massachusetts-based watershed nonprofit serving the Neponset River, sharing the same structural model of citizen science, education, advocacy, and municipal partnership as MyRWA in Greater Boston.
• Connecticut River Conservancy: Regional watershed conservation nonprofit in New England focused on water quality, fish passage, and riverine habitat protection — directly comparable mission, citizen science approach, and funding mix (grants, donations, events).
• Housatonic River Watershed Partnership: Watershed-based environmental nonprofit in western New England focused on water quality and habitat restoration, with comparable volunteer monitoring and education programs.
• Buzzards Bay Coalition: New England nonprofit offering a similar model of water quality monitoring (Baywatchers program), advocacy, education, and grants-driven funding for a specific coastal watershed.

Broad incumbents

• Riverkeeper: The most established US river advocacy nonprofit, combining citizen science, litigation, and policy advocacy at scale. Comparable in mission (water quality, advocacy, public engagement) but operates at much larger scope with paid patrol boats.
• Surfrider Foundation: Large national nonprofit using volunteer-led water quality monitoring (Blue Water Task Force), advocacy, and education to protect water bodies — similar Grassroots + citizen science + advocacy structure applied to coastal waters.
• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater conservation nonprofit with extensive volunteer-based stream monitoring, habitat restoration, and advocacy operations highly analogous to MyRWA's herrings-and-water-quality work.

Regional players

• Save the Sound: Long Island Sound-focused environmental nonprofit using science, advocacy, and habitat restoration. Comparable program mix (biomonitoring, CSO advocacy, restoration) but focused on a different coastal watershed in CT/NY.

Others

• Earthrise Law Center (Lewis & Clark Law School): Environmental law clinic that already represents MyRWA in MWRA CSO proceedings, reflecting the kind of pro-bono/strategic legal partner that adjacent watershed advocacy orgs similarly rely upon for litigation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mysticmyrwa
• Facebookfacebook.com/MysticRiverWatershedAssoc
• Instagraminstagram.com/mystic_rwa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mystic-river-watershed-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mystic River Watershed Association Inc.