Nashua River Watershed Association

The mission of the NRWA is to work for a healthy ecosystem with clean water and open spaces for human and wildlife communities, where people work together to sustain mutual economic and environmental well-being in the Nashua River watershed.  

Founded in 1969, the Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) is a 501c (3) environmental nonprofit serving 32 communities in north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. The Association grew out of an internationally acclaimed, citizen-based effort led by Marion Stoddart to clean up the Nashua River at a time when it was one of the ten most polluted rivers in the country -- it was actually considered dead and incapable of supporting aquatic life. The Association recognized from its inception that water protection and land protection are inextricably linked. In the five decades since its founding, the Nashua River Watershed Association has led a highly successful effort to improve the river’s water quality and restore a thriving aquatic habitat. In addition, the river has become suitable for recreational activities, such as boating and fishing. In 2019, a ten-year partnership effort led by the NRWA culminated in sections of the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers being designated as components of the national Wild & Scenic Rivers system.