1. The Right to Flow
Protects natural water levels and ecological bypass flows across mainstem dams, including Garvins Falls in Bow, Hooksett Dam, Amoskeag Dam in Manchester and Hooksett, Pawtucket Dam in Lowell, and the Great Stone Dam in Lawrence.
New Hampshire & Massachusetts
If a corporation has rights in court, our drinking water source should too.
From its headwaters in Franklin, New Hampshire to the Atlantic Ocean in Newburyport, Massachusetts, the Merrimack River provides daily drinking water to more than 600,000 people. We are working to recognize the river's legal right to flow, stay clean, support native fish and wildlife, and be defended in court.
The Merrimack Watershed
Franklin, NH to Newburyport, MA
600,000+ People
Depend on the Merrimack River for daily drinking water
5,010 Square Miles
Fourth largest watershed in New England across roughly 200 communities
117 River Miles
From the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee confluence in Franklin to the Atlantic
Rights of Nature
Four Rights for the Merrimack River
Current environmental law treats our river as property and manages pollution through permits. Legal personhood recognizes four basic rights:
2. The Right to Clean Water
Ends untreated sewage discharges from Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and industrial PFAS contamination that threaten public health and downstream drinking water intakes.
3. The Right to Native Biodiversity
Safeguards migratory fish passage for American shad, river herring, American eel, and sturgeon alongside healthy riverbank forests, tributaries, and wetlands.
4. The Right to Legal Standing
Allows appointed local river guardians to step into court on the river's behalf and hold polluters directly accountable when the watershed is damaged.
Questions & Answers
Common Questions About River Personhood
No. In law, personhood simply gives an entity standing to be represented in court, just as corporations, trusts, and municipalities already are. For the Merrimack, it recognizes its right to flow naturally, stay clean, support wildlife, and be defended against illegal harm.
Independent local guardians appointed to represent the river's best interests. Modeled on New Zealand's Whanganui River and Canada's Magpie River, guardianship is shared among local residents, Indigenous leaders, conservation scientists, and municipal representatives.
Existing regulations treat rivers as property and permit pollution, often allowing multi-decade delays for chronic problems like Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Legal personhood lets guardians seek direct remedies when the river is damaged.
It protects recreation and local commerce rather than restricting them. Boating, fishing, kayaking, and waterfront businesses benefit when industrial dumping and raw sewage discharges are stopped.
Get Involved
Ways to Take Part
If you have 20 minutes
Share a Story or Walk the River
Share what the Merrimack means to you, talk with a neighbor about clean water, or take a walk along a local river trail.
If you have an hour a week
Join Gatherings & Local Action
Drop into our monthly call on the third Tuesday at 7:00 PM EST, pitch in at a river cleanup, or help with community water testing.
If you want to dive right in
Help Organize With Us
Get in touch below to help organize local events, connect neighborhood groups and local businesses, or contribute legal and water research.
Get in Touch
Send us a note and let us know how you would like to connect.