The principal river in New Hampshire, the three largest New Hampshire cities are all located on its banks -- Concord, the state capital; Manchester; and Nashua on the border with Massachusetts, as well as many other towns and cities.

The Merrimack River runs 180 miles from the White Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, and provides drinking water, power, irrigation, fantastic recreational opportunities and other benefits for the over 1.9 million people living in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The Merrimack was once among the top 10 polluted rivers in the country, but thanks to efforts of the Merrimack River Watershed Council and others, the Merrimack is now cleaner than it has been in over 150 years.