Yes, you can take water from rivers and lakes during a drought, but you need permission first The Merrimack River at Memorial Park in Pembroke on Monday, April 26, 2021. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff Published: 4/26/2021 4:38:06 PM In normal times, the request to fetch water from the Merrimack River for home lawn care would barely register on any hot-button radar. But these are not normal times, and it has nothing to do with COVID. It has to with a drought. It’s here, now, and that could mean a few clandestine withdrawals from lakes and rivers in the coming months. It’s legal to do, but you need permission first.