Water Quality

The Nashua River is another New England River that struggled with pollution. In fact, the Nashua River empties into the Merrimack River, bringing pollution along with it.

The Merrimack River flows from Northern New Hampshire to the Atlantic Ocean, carrying silt, rocks, and other forms of life. Before the Industrial Revolution the Merrimack River was very healthy. The river could sustain an ecologically diverse host of animals and plants, and Native Americans living all along the Merrimack River Valley relied heavily on the river for transportation and food.

The industrial investors who financed the city of Lowell made great profits off the Merrimack River, but did not treat it well. Starting in the early 1800s, bleaches and dyes, when no longer needed, were often dumped into the rivers and canals, causing colors to run together and turn the water a nasty shade of brown. Local boardinghouses and tenements often dumped any waste from their outhouses and chamber pots directly into the nearest canal, further polluting the entire water system.

By the 1950s and 1960s, the Merrimack River was filled with pollutants. A report from the Army Corps of Engineers from the 1970s called the Merrimack "one of America's dirtiest waterways" and "a non-river" due to the amount of excess raw sewage. This led to build-ups of bacteria and algae that harmed the local ecology. Riverside property - normally considered desirable – even decreased in value in Lowell. Some locals (children especially) still used the river recreationally for swimming and fishing, but many experienced accidents or illnesses due to the foul water and industrial waste in the canals.

After 150 years of deteriorating conditions, locals took action to clean up their rivers. Grassroots activists and city leaders sought funding to clean the river in Lowell and along the Merrimack River Valley. This work was bolstered by the Clean Water Act enacted by Congress in 1972. With a significant investment of time and money at the local, state and federal levels, the Merrimack River was able to attain a B ranking (for more on the river classification system, visit the bottom of the page). A B ranking is as good as most rivers passing through cities can achieve.

While the Merrimack remains one of Lowell's greatest natural resources, providing citizens with power, recreation, and local wildlife, the fight for clean water is not over. Local organizations continue to work to keep the water clean. Along certain canals and gatehouses, litter builds up in large quantities. The quality of the water itself is also dropping, with more pollutants entering the system.

 

Things to Consider...

Who is responsible for keeping rivers clean? For keeping the canals clean?

What can you do to reduce water pollution?

Where does drinking water come from, and how much of it is there?

 

Duration:

59 seconds

While the health of Lowell's waters are important, protecting freshwater sources for drinking and washing is important worldwide. Find out with Ranger Jacob just how much of all the world's water humans can actually use, and why it is so important we protect what we have.

 

About River Classifications

When the terms "Class B" is used, this is the classification provided by the Division of Water Pollution Control from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as of 2006. Factors like oxygen levels, temperature, bacteria levels, pH (acidity or basicity), color, odor, taste and the presence of synthetic oils are all weighed when giving a river an official classification.

A Class B river is "designated as a habitat for fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife, including for their reproduction, migration, growth and other critical functions, and for primary and secondary contact recreation [primary includes swimming and activities that leave you immersed in the water, secondary includes boating or rowing where you will likely stay dry]." Class B water can also be treated for public consumption and used in a variety of industries. "These waters [also] shall have consistently good aesthetic value."

If you would like to learn more, the full 2006 text can be found here.