Nashua River : Cleaning up the Nashua River

Environmental Case Study Nashua River : Cleaning up the Nashua River

The Nashua River meanders for about 90 km (55 mi) through a heavily industrialized region in central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire before joining the Merrimack River near the town of Nashua, New Hampshire. For years the river was so badly polluted by paper mill effluents, printing inks, municipal wastes, and agricultural runoff that it was virtually an open sewer. It ran a different color every day, depending on what was being dumped into it. Great globs of toxic yellow-orange sludge often covered the surface. Foul smells drifted through nearby communities and dead fish floated gently down the stream.

In 1962, Marion Stoddard moved to Groton, Massachusetts, not far from the Nashua River. Disgusted by the water's condition, she decided to organize her neighbors to begin cleaning it up. The first step was to identify who cared about the river and how they might pool their efforts. A Nashua River Clean-up Committee was formed (and later reorganized into the Nashua Watershed Management Association to include land-use issues). Next, local, state, regional, and federal agencies were contacted to find out about plans for the river and to identify relevant statutes and regulations.

An important weapon in this campaign was provided by the Massachusetts Clean Water Act, which provided for public hearings at which citizens could comment on water-quality standards. With a little community organizing and publicity, hundreds of citizens were mobilized to attend hearings and voice their demands for clean water. A reclassification of the river resulted in new stringent standards for pollution control and wastewater treatment. Local industries complained, but most of the costs were paid by federal grants.

Another key to success was the ability to get widely different people to work together. The general manage of one paper mill was persuaded to serve on the Nashua Watershed Association board of directors together with zealous environmentalists and conservative farmers. A broad-based coalition of private citizens, labor unions, business leaders, and politicians was persuaded that having clean water made good economic sense. In an unheard-of partnership, the Army, local communities, and two state governments worked together to sponsor clean-up days in which tons of trash and garbage were dragged from the river.

The end result was spectacularly successful. Six new wastewater treatment plants were built. A 2,400 ha (6,000 acre) greenway lines the riverbank to protect the watershed and provide for public recreation. The river now runs clean and clear; people once again use it for swimming, fishing, and boating. Property values have risen and new companies have been attracted by high environmental quality and community spirit. The river that had been given up for dead is once again alive and well. The EPA recognized Marion Stoddard and the Nashua Watershed Management Association for their environmental leadership. It didn't take great technical knowledge or wealth to do what they did; jut a concern for nature, perseverance, savvy use of the media, some organizing skills, and a willingness to work together for the common good. You could do the same.