- Target:
- Incumbents and candidates running for local and state office in Massachusetts
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.cleanriverproject.org
Dear Friends and fellow stakeholders of the Merrimack River,
My name is Rocky Morrison and I am a fellow stakeholder in this beautiful resource we have in our lives as well as the president and CEO of Clean River Project. I need your attention and your help.
I say fellow stakeholder because I believe as property owners on the banks and shores of this river you are as well. Your property values are intrinsically linked with her wellbeing and can fluctuate according to her welfare and the public opinion of her condition. My stake? I grew up on this river, she’s in my blood. I have watched her at her worst and I am part of the movement to bring her to her best. For the past 13 years, I and a few dedicated volunteers have been the sole entity to clean up and minister to the entire 55 miles she runs to the ocean. It is a colossal task and I would ask for you to be a part of it.
Population growth has led to the inadequacy of our wastewater treatment and sewage plants. Each year 100 million gallons of raw, untreated sewage is dumped into the river. Storm overflow during heavy, prolonged rains enters a combined sewer system that is overwhelming for the pipes and the treatment plant. This leads to combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, which pollute rivers and streams to which they flow. These overflows contain not only storm water, but also untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris. I know it’s a hard thing to visualize. We don’t want to think about it, but we must. What goes into the river? Applicators, condoms, needles, all forms of plastics as well as industrial chemicals. Anything you see in the gutter gets washed into the system and added to the waste that travels to these plants from our homes and businesses.
Thank you for signing this petition and joining the call to action!
Invest in Merrimack River clean-up!
I believe that our children, grandchildren, and later generations have a right to clean rivers, lakes, and streams.
I believe that every single person in the Merrimack Valley should have a clean and safe water supply.
I believe that the increasing number of needles found in waterways and on beaches and riverbanks is a public health and safety issue.
I believe that our elected representatives must pass laws and our government officials must enforce those laws to prevent the pollution of our drinking sources by CSOs released from waste water facilities and any other pollutants and toxins in to the river and its tributaries.
I know that keeping our waterways clean and safe is not possible without federal, state, and local investment of public money.
As a concerned citizen, I am signing this petition to encourage my elected officials to fund efforts to remove needles, motor vehicles, tires, household appliances, furniture, sewage, pollutants and toxins as well as all other forms of debris found in rivers, lakes, and streams.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Invest in Merrimack River clean-up petition to Incumbents and candidates running for local and state office in Massachusetts was written by Clean River Project and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.