PROTECTING WATER QUALITY IN THE WAUKEWAN WATERSHED
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report | Management Plan for the Lake Waukewan Watershed | Natural Resources Inventory | Protecting Water Quality in the Lake Waukewan Watershed
PROTECTING WATER QUALITY IN THE
WAUKEWAN WATERSHED
With participation from each of the five communities in the Lake Waukewan Watershed (Ashland, Center Harbor, Holderness, Meredith and New Hampton), a sixteen-member volunteer Watershed Advisory Committee (WAC) was established to identify and assess threats to water quality throughout the watershed. The Committee has met regularly since the Spring of 2004. Scheduled meetings, and agendas can be found on the Meeting Minutes and Agendas Page.
The Committee has completed several tasks leading to the completion of a management plan for the watershed including the identification and prioritization of activities that represent potential threats to water quality and management strategies aimed at reducing threats to water quality. On September 12, 2005 the Waukewan Watershed Advisory Committee presented the Management Plan for the Lake Waukewan Watershed to the Meredith Board of Selectmen (click here to view or download the plan). The plan includes a detailed assessment of existing water quality data and over 65 strategies or recommended actions. Following an informative presentation, the Board of Selectmen voted to accept the plan and tasked the Committee to draft an amendment to the advisory committee's charge with an emphasis on plan implementation. The Committee's next priority is to present and distribute the plan to the watershed communities (Ashland, Center Harbor, Holderness, Meredith, New Hampton), community organizations and other interested stakeholders. Copies of the plan will also be placed in the public libraries of each of the five towns for public review. The plan is also available on CD from the Meredith Planning Department (279-4538) at no charge.
As a result of a grant awarded to the Town of Meredith in early 2005, the Town is partnering with the Center for the Environment at Plymouth State University to conduct water quality sampling at several tributary locations throughout the watershed. The purpose of this two-year sampling effort is to provide additional data to support future decision-making aimed at protecting and improving water quality.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has awarded its first-ever Source Protection Award to the Waukewan Watershed Advisory Committee, the Town of Meredith and Jennifer Palmiotto of the New Hampshire Rural Water Association. "The recipients were chosen because the Waukewan plan is unequalled among water supply source protection plans in New Hampshire in terms of its thoroughness, technical quality and the participatory process by which it was developed," explained DES Commissioner Michael P. Nolin.
As the Committee enters the implementation phase of this important project, additional volunteers will be needed to assist with projects and to maintain political, geographic and stakeholder diversity on the Advisory Committee. If you are interested in the activities of the Committee, or in serving in a volunteer capacity, please contact Bruce Bond, Chairman, Waukewan Watershed Advisory Committee, 279-6430 or bondbr@metrocast.net.
