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CRP in the Methuen Santa Parade - Two of our boats are going to be in the Annual Methuen Santa Parade on November 22 at 1pm in Methuen Square. Come to the parade and see us!

Sign up for the 2009 Scavenger Hunt. We are taking names now for the Summer 2009 Scavenger Hunt that will take place in Lowell. This is a fun competition to see how much "stuff" you can collect from the river. Scoring is a points based system and we award prizes in the "small boat" and "large boat" categories. Click here to register early!!

Donations Needed: We are looking for donation to help pay for a Debris Boom. The Debris boom is a permanent measure installed for control, containment and recovery of floating trash, debris, timber, etc. This is a great preventative measure and will greatly improve our ability to get out on the river every few days and clean in one area, instead of the trash being pushed down the river.

Coming Soon: Clean River Project is moving into Lowell with our cleaning efforts. We will be adding boats to the top half.

River Cleanup Days

We are patrolling the river periodically, up to 3 times per week, weather permitting.
Interested in helping out? Give us a call for more information.
978-590-9374

My name is Rocky Morrison and I am the founder of Clean River Project. For many years I have lived and boated on the Merrimack River with my family and friends.

In 2005 when the river was at one of its lowest points, I was not only amazed but disgusted at the trash visible within the banks and bushes of the Merrimack River. There were numerous items, such as car engines, household appliances, furniture, construction barrels, and over 1000 tires, to name a few.

Tired of seeing nothing being done about this problem, my wife and I decided to take action and get involved. We came up with the idea to have a scavenger hunt with our fellow boaters. An event that would be fun and interesting and at the same time help to get the river clean. Boaters who participated in the event were given the goal of retrieving as much debris and trash as possible. We used a point system for the various types of trash to be collected. Those with the most points were awarded prizes donated by local businesses. We also held a raffle for the remaining participants.

The first annual Merrimack River Scavenger Hunt was a huge success.

In the end, a grand total of 300 tires, two 30-yard dumpsters full of trash, furniture, car parts, appliances, and more were removed from the Merrimack River. Everyone who was there that day agreed that no one went home a loser. This has now become an annual event that not only has boaters involved, but the whole community as well.

In the summer of 2007 we organized a tire pullout day which turned out 584 tires from the river. Also that summer, a search of the river located 23 cars beneath the water that had been dumped illegally.

With the help of myself and other volunteers, these cars were removed from the water by the Massachusetts State Police as part of a training program.

Since the start of the Clean River Project in 2005, the Merrimack riverbanks have gone from being totally covered with debris to be the beautiful beaches they once were over 100 years ago. This website is a place to learn more about the Project, as well as how to become a part of it.

Thank you,

Rocky