May Pond Merrimack River Nashua Portsmouth NH Main   More Communities 2002 Report

River Restored, but Pollution Persists When Henry David Thoreau visited the Merrimack River in 1849, the salmon and shad were almost gone. Pollution from textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts prompted Thoreau to hope that “after a few thousand years, if the fishes will be patient” the river may “run clear again.” In the 1970s the Merrimack River was described as an “open sewer.” More than a century of industrial waste, human waste, trash, and runoff contaminated the Merrimack, making it so polluted that boaters were advised not to fall in. Chuck Mower, a furniture maker who specializes in Windsor chairs, has lived and worked near the banks of the Merrimack River for most of his 54 years. As a child, Chuck spent countless hours exploring along the riverbanks and islands of the Merrimack River when the river was at its most polluted. “The river was creamy and thick with sewage and sludge,” he says. It was a real moonscape in some surreal way. The river looked so alien and the banks looked so lush — the contrast between a river that was clearly dead and the green landscape was striking. The mills upriver would dump dye directly into the water, turning the river whatever color they were using that day. In those days we could never imagine that the river would ever be clean again. We could only hope the smell would go away.” Today, the river is used by canoeists and fishermen, and it serves as the source of drinking water for more than 300,000 people. The Clean Water Act and other environmental protections brought back a vital and cherished resource to the Granite State. Chuck Mower witnessed the river’s turnaround: “It is truly amazing how quickly the river can restore itself and how resilient our environment can be.” The rescue and recovery of the Merrimack River and the fish that again thrive there is success story. But there is more work to do. The river still has pollution problems. Pesticides run off into the river, aging treatment plants need upgrading, and mercury can still be found in the Merrimack. The most persistent problem is raw sewage overflow from Manchester, Londonderry, and Salem during heavy rains. In fact, as the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune noted, “Each year, about 900 million gallons of raw sewage combined with storm water enter the Merrimack River between Manchester [N.H.] and Haverhill, Massachusetts, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.” Instead of working to clean up these remaining pollution problems, the Bush administration is undermining the progress we’ve made toward cleaner water. Its most recent budget cuts trimmed funding to treat sewage — one of the biggest problems for the Merrimack River — by one-third. It also reduced EPA’s enforcement staff by nearly 100 positions. In addition to these budget cuts, the Bush administration is considering eliminating Clean Water Act protection for small streams and wetlands that appear isolated from rivers or lakes. Already the administration has issued guidance that eliminates federal protection for 20 million acres of wetlands. Without federal protection, these streams and wetlands—and downstream rivers and lakes—would be at risk of pollution and flooding.   Sign me up to help protect New Hampshire from the harmful policies of the Bush administration.   For more information about the challenges facing the Merrimack River, contact: Catherine Corkery Sierra Club New Hampshire Chapter Chapter Web site (603)224-8222 Merrimack River Watershed Council www.merrimack.org New Hampshire Fish and Game Department www.wildlife.state.nh.us Chuck Mower at Merrimack River, photo courtesy James Dunfey-Ehrenberg. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club