We are 5th graders at CDCPS that are completing a project about pollution in our community, specifically that impacts the Merrimack River. There are many people and businesses that throw oil in the Merrimack River that causes the environment to get polluted and that causes people to have strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and other diseases. The primary source of bacteria pollution to the Merrimack River is untreated sewage and dangerous chemicals causing water to become toxic. 

Pollution is bad because it makes water dangerous to drink and dangerous if any animal swims in it. Chemicals in the Merrimack river can cause the water to contain many diseases and many toxins that could kill people or severely damage their insides if consumed. 

The fine for littering right now for civilians is $20-100. Fines for businesses polluting is $5000-15,000. We want people to sign our petition for the city of Lawrence to increase the fine amount for polluting and littering in the river. We want to do this because we believe that people should take more responsibility for harming our environment. These small measures can have big effects. The water and air we breathe is constantly being polluted and could get us sick. This is why we want people to sign our petition for increasing the fine for littering and polluting the Merrimack River