Citizen scientists put NH lakes monitoring program in national spotlight!

As a regional winner of the 2014 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Scholarship Award, UNH’s Lakes Lay Monitoring Program was one of four finalists competing for the C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award.   The Winnipesaukee Watershed Association was honored to be chosen as the community partner representative for the award!

Moultonborough Bay Inlet Restoration Plan kicks off!

On October 27, 2014, the Winnipesaukee Watershed Association and FB Environmental Associates held a kick off meeting at the Moultonborough Public Library to present an overview of the steps and process involved in developing a restoration plan to address water quality impairments in Moultonborough Bay Inlet.

The restoration plan will assist the town in identifying sources of pollutants within the Moultonborough Inlet sub-watershed that have led to the impairments and propose measures to address those sources.

If you are a resident of Moultonborough or Sandwich and are interested in serving on the Plan Advisory Committee, please contact Pat Tarpey, Winnipesaukee Watershed Association, at 581-6632.

The City of Laconia just completed constructing a bio-retention basin located at the intersection of White Oaks Road and Weirs Blvd.  The bio-retention basin will help filter out pollutants before they enter Paugus Bay, Laconia’s drinking water source.  This was one of the projects identified in the Meredith, Paugus, Saunders Bay Watershed Management Plan.  Way to go Laconia!  Click on the link for an article on the project.  11.15.13_Paugus Bay

Check out the new map atlas that can be found under the ‘Watershed’ tab.  The selection of maps provide a quick visual of where certain features are found such as aquifers, steep slopes, wetlands, and which communities have ordinances in place to protect these features or resources.

You can now determine your property’s stormwater footprint by using the online pollutant load calculator that can be found under the “Resources” tab on the Gateway.

Adapted from the NH Department of Environmental Services’ “NH Residential Loading Model”, the “What’s Your P?” calculator allows a homeowner to determine their current stormwater footprint, the potential reductions in pollutant load from the installation of stormwater treatment practices, or the potential impact from construction activities such as the addition of a garage.

The “What’s Your P?” calculator is a great tool to use in combination with the ‘New Hampshire Homeowner’s Guide to Stormwater Management’ – featuring do-it- yourself stormwater solutions for the home.

A stream geomorphic assessment of Gunstock Brook was conducted by Bear Creek Environmental, LLC (BCE) in August 2011, with funding provided by the Samuel P. Pardoe Foundation and the Belknap County Conservation District. A planning strategy based on fluvial geomorphic science was chosen because it provides a holistic, watershed-scale approach to identifying the stressors on river ecosystem health. The stream geomorphic assessment data can be used by resource managers, community watershed groups, municipalities and others to identify how changes to land use alter the physical processes and habitat of rivers. The stream geomorphic assessment data will be used to help focus stream restoration activities within the watershed and assist with town planning. You can find the study and its appendices under the Resources tab.

Interactive Water Quality Map Now On Line!!

Check out the Monitoring Sites Map under the ‘Monitoring the Lake’ tab. The interactive map allows visitors to the Winnipesaukee Gateway website to access available water quality data for all of Lake Winnipesaukee.  The dynamic map provides up-to-date, easily accessible phosphorus, secchi-disk and chlorophyll-a data and allows the user to select from a variety of layers and views.