Clean River Project Makes Pitch for More Money to Keep Merrimack River Clean

Merrimack Valley Newsmakers

Clean River Project founder Rocky Morrison seeks to redouble his organization’s efforts to keep the Merrimack River free of discarded mattresses, syringes, cars and mountains of trash.

Appearing last week on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, Morrison says his group is the only one undertaking this kind of work below the water’s surface and communities should help pay for it.

“We started 20 years ago cleaning up the Merrimack River, back in Methuen, as a scavenger hunt and it grew into a nonprofit. Here we are 20 years later. We pull about 100 tons a year. We have 86 vehicles pulled from the Merrimack River so far—our goal is 100. We’ve been in Haverhill waterways for several years and we are hoping to get a contract back with the City of Haverhill,” he tells listeners.

Morrison says the Clean River Project had a contract with Haverhill in the past, but was unable to reach a renewal agreement. Morrison points to a federal government settlement with pharmaceutical companies that gives communities a source of money to attack the job.

“Lawrence, Haverhill and Lowell and the cities and towns that are receiving this opioid money settlement, and it’s supposed to be going towards cleaning up the hypodermic needles, parts, stuff like that. I know Lawrence is using it to clean up the Merrimack River. Methuen is looking at it. Haverhill received over $400,000 for the past four years, combined. So, they could actually use some of this money to clean up the Merrimack River, and Haverhill really needs it.”

Besides government grants, Morrison gets volunteer help from small civic groups as well as large corporations such as Watts Water Technologies of North Andover, 3M and Keurig Coffee. Morrison says Haverhill is at the receiving end of items put into the Merrimack from upriver. Longtime sponsor Reworld, formerly known as Covanta, recently pledged continuing support.

“Rocky Morrison and his crew are relentless each year in their commitment to keep our Merrimack River watershed free from trash. We look forward in expanding our partnership and participation in the river clean ups each year,” said Reworld Area Asset Manager Mark Van Weelden.

“Basically anything that comes out of Lawrence, like the Spicket River in Lawrence, they throw everything down there—tires, TVs, mattresses, and it washes to Haverhill. It goes onto the shoreline and sits there. We had the booms out there and were collecting all that. Then, we had the boat with the hydraulic arm that would grab the mattresses off the bottom. They weigh 1,000 pounds when they are on the bottom of the river. You have to have the right equipment, and that’s what we are doing out here. We are putting the booms in and collecting the stuff,” Morrison says.

There’s more information about Clean River Project online at CleanRiverProject.org.

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