Our Story
Established by concerned citizens in 1986 as the Organization for the Assabet River (OAR), OAR served the 177,000 residents of the 178-square-mile, 21-town Assabet River watershed. A 1998 capacity-building grant from the Commonwealth enabled OAR to hire its first professional executive director, and the organization has grown steadily since then. OARS currently has five staff (part-time), an active 11-member board, and many active volunteers—to whom we are very grateful. In April 2011, OAR members voted overwhelmingly to add the Sudbury and Concord rivers to its mission and change the name to OARS. OARS now serves the 34 towns and 2 cities of the 399 square mile watershed. As a small organization serving a large area, we accomplish our mission through strategically targeted, science-based advocacy and education.
Our History
We Have Come a Long Way
The Assabet River was once known as the “cesspool of Massachusetts” due to the smells that came off it from rotting bacteria, algae, and other water plants such as duckweed that ladened its waters. Ann Zwinger wrote in A Conscious Stillness (1982), “the river smell is nauseating, reeking like an unpumped-out campground outhouse times ten.” This sad state resulted from eutrophic growth promoted by excesses of phosphorus and nitrogen entering the water from treated wastewater discharged from five wastewater treatment plants. It was further exacerbated by surface water run-off of fertilizer from farms, golf courses, and lawns and untreated stormwater from roads and parking lots.
Our Work is Not Done
The Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord rivers are now assets to the towns and cities they flow through. Sections of each have been federally recognized as Wild and Scenic for their outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational features. But, there is still much to do to reach our goal of declaring all three rivers clean enough for fishing and swimming and boost their resilience to climate change.
Follow the History of OARS and the work we have done in restoring and protecting the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord rivers and watersheds
About Us
We are the voice of our 3 rivers, learn about our mission, vision, and see what we have accomplished together over our nearly 4 decades of advocacy for the SuAsCo rivers.
ABOUT OARSOur Team
Meet the team working together for a clean, protected, and resilient SuAsCo watershed
MEET THE TEAMCareers
Do you want to work for a creative, mission-driven organization striving for a clean, protected, resilient SuAsCo watershed? Join our passionate, interdisciplinary team
SEE OUR LATEST OPPORTUNITIESPartnerships
Meet the partners and organizations that help amplify our impact, unite communities, and ensure the long-term health of our rivers and watershed
MEET OUR PARTNERSOur Rivers
Learn more about the three rivers that bring our the SuAsCo watershed and our community to life
THE SuAsCo RIVERS