Merrimack River Watershed Council

Home
United States
Lawrence, MA
Merrimack River Watershed Council

Directions Website Contact the organization

Protecting the Merrimack River Watershed for people and wildlife from Franklin, NH to Plum Island, MA

10/19/2026

Join us this weekend for the first of our NH Clean Up Event Series! Sign up today at https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/JlUs1iier9NnuDVAW0A7jA.

This Sunday, help MRWC remove invasive bittersweet at the Jim Hill Riverwalk in Concord NH. We’re cleaning up invasive species of flora in this historic area of the watershed and help create a cleaner future for the Merrimack River. All supplies will be provided.

Date: Sunday 10/25/2026
Location: Jim Hill Riverwalk - 198 Runnells Rd, Concord, NH 03303
Time: 9 AM - 11 AM

Can’t join this clean up? Make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter for future event announcements at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/BgTLfUG

10/06/2026

Date with a vampire? More like date with a migratory vampire fish.

Meet the sea lamprey: ancient, jawless, and unfairly nicknamed “vampire fish.” They’re native to MA and each year early in the spring, they swim up the Merrimack and its tributaries to spawn. While these biting migrants are invasive in other parts of the country, here they are a vital part of our ecosystem.

Once they hit freshwater, adults don’t even feed. They’re laser-focused on making the next generation, busy building rock nests. The stones they move to build their nests refreshes streambeds, and after spawning their bodies recycle nutrients that feed river food webs. The larvae will live in freshwater mud for 5+ years before they transform and head out to sea (where they take up their vampiric lifestyle.)

Like other migratory fish, they need connected, passable rivers. Dams and poor water quality can make that journey harder. If you spot a lamprey doing its thing, the best help is simple: let them be.

09/17/2026

Ok, diva! This turtle? It’s is a work of art. The painted turtle is a common sight in the Merrimack watershed, but you’ll start to see them less as the weather cools down.

You can spot these beauties in ponds, marshes, and slow moving streams, often sunbathing on a log. If you spot one, let it catch some rays. That turtle is right where it wants to be (in the spotlight.) Leave the handling to experts.

With their distinct single-tone brownish bellies and brightly colored shell edges, these stunners are one of four distinct kinds of painted turtle subspecies in the US. Even as a baby, you can spot the bright red patterning on the edge of the scrutes!

09/15/2026

Great news: we’re growing our science team and looking for an experienced, senior level scientist to expand our water quality investigations and more.

Interested in this role? Head to our profile or merrimack.org/employment to apply today!

09/05/2026

See a ripple in the river? If you’re lucky, you might spot an otter.

North American river otters live throughout Massachusetts’ rivers, streams, wetlands, ponds, and estuaries — including the Merrimack River watershed, where connected waterways and healthy shoreline habitat give them places to hunt, travel, rest, and raise young.

Your best chance to spot one? Look near riverbanks, wetlands, and quiet backwaters around dawn or dusk, when otters are often most active. They can be seen year-round, and you’re most likely to spot them swimming in the summer. Winter can also be an especially good time to notice signs of them, like tracks, slides, or openings in the ice where they surface to breathe.

River otters are playful, but they’re also important predators. By feeding on fish, frogs, insects, and other aquatic animals, they help keep balance the food web and cycle nutrients through the food chain. (They are also extremely cute!)

Because otters depend on clean water, abundant prey, and connected habitat, seeing one in the Merrimack watershed is a hopeful sign. It’s wildlife like this that remind us that protecting water quality, wetlands, and river corridors protects the whole ecosystem — otters included.

09/04/2026

Last chance to set sail with us this September! ⛵
MRWC invites our donors and supporters to join us for a special Sunset Sail aboard the historic Schooner Ardelle.
We’ll be departing from Newburyport Harbor on Monday, September 21 at 5:30 PM to enjoy a summer sunset with refreshments and good company.
This exclusive evening on the water is a chance to gather and look ahead to a cleaner, safer future for the Merrimack River and the communities that depend on it.
When you attend, you’re supporting MRWC’s work to protect and restore the Merrimack River through science, advocacy, education, and community stewardship.
Space is limited — we hope you’ll join us aboard. Secure your tickets today!
Learn more: https://merrimack.org/events/2026sunsetsail/ See less

09/02/2026

The river herring run may get the most attention in the spring, but the journey of these fish is far from over.

River herring (alewife + blueback herring) spend most of their lives in the ocean. Each spring, adults migrate up coastal rivers to spawn in freshwater ponds and lakes. After hatching, the young grow through the summer, then head back downstream in late summer/fall to the sea. After a few years in the ocean, they return—often to the same watershed—to spawn again. That means we’ll be seeing these herring in the river again soon!

That annual migration depends on connected rivers and access to spawning habitat. Dams and undersized culverts can block passage, which is why removing barriers and restoring connected rivers matters.

Did you catch the spring herring run this year? You’ll have another chance soon, and in the spring, consider joining in on a local herring count event to get involved!

#

08/31/2026

Have you spotted a Spotted Salamander out in the watershed? These little guys have a big job: salamanders are basically living water-quality sensors!

Because they absorb water through their skin (and many spend part of their life in the water), they’re super sensitive to pollution, so when they’re thriving, it’s a great sign for our riparian ecosystems along the Merrimack and its tributaries.

08/25/2026

The questions in our comments about CSOs in the wake of the Haverhill sewer main break have been genuinely good ones, but we’ve been busy testing the water! We want to make sure you have the information you need to enjoy the Merrimack, so here are some of your questions, answered.

Save and share this post to help spread the world — we all want a cleaner, safer Merrimack for everyone.

Learn more about the work we do and our water testing programs at Merrimack.org.

08/21/2026

Let's talk about the acronym behind most Merrimack water quality alerts: CSO.

In the late 1800s, cities like Lowell, Lawrence, and Manchester built sewers that carry sewage and stormwater in the same pipe. This was way before the EPA and the Clean Water Act, with no modern standards for environmental impact or treating water. In fact, this is the beginning of water treatment – the standards for modern water treatment were developed in Lawrence in the 1880s.

Most days, in cities with combined systems, everything flows through a water treatment plant before entering the river, like household sewage and storm drains. But in heavy rain, more water enters the system than any plant can treat. Combined sewer systems are built with relief points that release the excess — a mix of stormwater and sewage — into the river. That's a combined sewer overflow.

Cities along the river are actively upgrading away from this system, but the watershed wide cost is estimated to be over $1B.

Is it gross? Yes. Is it illegal dumping by cities that don't care? No, and that distinction matters. CSOs are permitted and regulated by the EPA, and every discharge must now be publicly reported in Massachusetts. The alternative in the moment is sewage backing up into basements and streets.

The permanent fix is separating the pipes or building storage to hold flows until after the storm. And that's exactly what the consent decrees require.

In the meantime: CSOs happen during and after heavy rain. That's the pattern to remember. Rain means waiting before you swim, fish or interact with the river.

The cities want a clean river. You want it. We want it. Waste water treatment plants are working on it. Updates are happening — our job is to help advocate for continued progress, help you see, measure it, and keep the progress in view.

Want to be a part of the process? Learn more about CSOs at merrimack.org.

Address

60 Island Street, Suite 246
Lawrence, MA
01840

Website

http://www.merrimack.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Merrimack River Watershed Council posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Merrimack River Watershed Council:

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Lawrence?