American Rivers, a national organization that focuses on the conservation of rivers and promotes clean water, has named a local river one of the most endangered of 2016.
The group has named the Merrimack River as the No. 8-most endangered in the country – the only river in New England to make the list.
According to the group’s report, the Merrimack River faces polluted runoff and puts clean drinking water and endangered habitat at risk.
The Merrimack River, which spans through both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, is 125 miles long and provides drinking water for more than 600,000 residents, plus habitat for endangered wildlife and fish species.
The group notes that the Merrimack Watershed is one of the most threatened in the nation, with between 40-63 percent of the watershed expected to be developed by 2030.
The Apalachiola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, which winds through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, is No. 1 on the 2016 list.
American Rivers describes itself as a group that protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature.
For more information on the Merrimack River and the American Rivers organization, click here.
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