Photo: James Rojas/ WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Red flags along the Charles River are warning that the water poses a risk to your health, after untreated sewage was dumped into the river after this week's storm.
The red flags stretch along the river from Brighton to the Back Bay and serve as a warning to avoid the area or to wash up after boating.
Lisa Kumpf is an aquatic scientist with the Charles River Watershed Association, and she says the hazard is no surprise at all.
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"In fact, this summer, since we've had so much rain, so much steady rain we've had a large number of combined sewer overflows and that was certainly the case with the storm," said Kumpf.
At this time, it's not clear how much sewage was dumped into the river.
"So, if you were to ingest the water, it could cause severe nausea, diarrhea, kind of intestinal problems and then there is risk of skin rashes and things like that," said Kumpf.
She added the red flag warning will last through Saturday morning but it's possible it could be extended throughout the entire day.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) Reports:
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