CNHRPC received funding from the NH Department of Environmental Services under Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act to assist the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee (UMRLAC) in conducting a study of riparian buffer protection and land use along the river. The study fulfills recommendations made in the the 2007 Upper Merrimack Management and Implementation Plan.

The Upper Merrimack River Buffer Protection Study completed in 2010 assesses the level of protection of the river's shoreland in each municipality, based on a local regulatory review and a series of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping exercises. Each community has its own local regulatory framework that offers different levels of protection to the river. This study examines those differences and makes recommendations for steps that Upper Merrimack communities could take to achieve a more uniform and more stringent level of riparian buffer protection.

The Upper Merrimack River is designated under the New Hampshire River Management and Protection Program for their outstanding natural and cultural resources. The river runs through four communities in the CNHRPC and two communities in the Lakes Region:

Boscawen
Bow
Canterbury
Concord
Franklin
Northfield

UMRLAC is a volunteer committee made up of representatives from each community along the river. The Committee is responsible for developing and implementing a river management plan and for advising local, state, and federal agencies about activities which may affect the water quality or flow in the protected river segments. Committee members organize and conduct volunteer water quality monitoring activities and report results to the NH Department of Environmental Services.