Hello PLA Community,

The board has received the below message from one of our partners NH Lakes.  It is a pretty self explanatory message and we felt we needed to share this with you all.  We as a board support what NH Lakes has spelled out below and we encourage all of you to take action as well.  Specifically show your support of these bills.  One of them was today, so we missed that one.

Regards,
The PLA

Advocacy Alert 
Working together for the lakes we all love.
Janaury 6, 2024

The 2024 New Hampshire Legislative Session has started off very quickly for our lakes, and they already need your help! Three of our priority lake-related bills will be heard in the House of Representatives early next week. These bills deal with fertilizer use around our lakes, wakesurfing on our lakes, and funding for exotic aquatic weeds and species prevention and management, and other critical programs.  Below are simple steps you can take to let our legislators know how critical it is they support these bills. They are waiting to hear from you! Please sign in online in support of these bills, share your letters of support with me, and let me know if you plan to testify in person so we can coordinate. And please share this email with your lake community and others. By making our voices heard, we will help ensure New Hampshire becomes a place where all our lakes are clean and healthy, and caring for them is a way of living, doing business, and governing.Working together to protect the lakes we all love, Andrea LaMoreaux, President & Policy Advocate alamoreaux@nhlakes.org P.S. Take action TODAY! Sign-in numbers and personal stories matter and make a difference.THESE THREE BILLS NEED YOUR URGENT SUPPORT! HB 1301, relative to wakesurfing on public bodies of water This bill allows a group of 25 or more residents or property owners of a town in which a lake, pond, or river is located to petition the New Hampshire Department of Safety to prohibit or restrict wake surfing on the lake, pond, or river, or a portion of the waterbody. Based on a public hearing, the Department would decide whether to issue any restrictions. NH LAKES supports this bill as it is consistent with the petition process that is already in place to regulate other activities on our waterbodies in areas where there are particular safety, navigational, or ecological considerations. Wakeboats supporting the activity of wakesurfing produce wakes that are significantly larger than most conventional boats. When wakesurfing is conducted in relatively shallow areas and close to shore, these larger wakes lead to increased shoreline erosion and disturbance of lake bottom sediments, degrading lake health and potentially contributing to cyanobacteria blooms. These enhanced wakes can also disturb critical fish and bird nesting habitats. HB 1301 Hearing Information: Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2024Time: 10:00 a.m. Committee: House Resources, Recreation and Development Location: Room 305, Legislative Office Building, Concord, New Hampshire HB 1293, relative to prohibiting the use of certain fertilizers using phosphorus This bill establishes that fertilizer containing the nutrient phosphorus can only be purchased at retail stores in New Hampshire for establishing new lawns, for repairing a lawn, for seeding, or for use when a soil test indicates a phosphorus deficiency. It requires, in some cases, that retailers post signage that states: “Phosphorus runoff poses a threat to water. Most New Hampshire soils provide all the phosphorus that a home lawn needs. Under New Hampshire law, fertilizers shall not be applied to a lawn unless applied to a new lawn or lawn that is deficient for phosphorus, as indicated by a soil test. State law prohibits the use of fertilizer containing phosphorus within 25 feet of any and all water surfaces and storm drains.” NH LAKES supports this bill as phosphorus runoff into our lakes and rivers degrades water quality and can contribute to cyanobacteria blooms.  HB 1293 Hearing Information: Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 Time: 10:00 a.m. Committee: House Environment and Agriculture Location: Rooms 301 – 303, Legislative Office Building, Concord, New Hampshire HB 1304, relative to vessel registration and boat fee decals This bill modifies the procedure for the registration of vessels by requiring the issuance and display of a boat fee decal for the payment of boat fees in addition to the issuance and display of a boat registration decal. This will result in New Hampshire complying with federal law. It will protect the New Hampshire Marine Patrol from losing critical federal funding and provide a way for the state to legally collect fees for other critical programs, including invasive species control and prevention programs for our lakes.  HB 1304 Hearing Information: Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 Time: 1:00 p.m. Committee: House Transportation Location: Room 203, Legislative Office Building, Concord, New Hampshire THREE WAYS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THESE BILLS! 1. Register Your Support Online!  – Go to the NH General Court: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us – Scroll to Meeting Resources, House Sign-in Form, and Online Testimony submission: https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/remotetestimony/ – Fill in your personal information. – Refer to the hearing information listed above to enter the date, committee, bill number, and time of the hearing. – Indicate your support of the bill.  – You will have the option to upload a letter of support or paste in a statement of support. A few sentences about why you support the bill can make a big impact.  – Review and submit.  2. Attend the Hearing and Register Your Support! You don’t have to speak at the public hearing, but our lakes must have a large crowd standing up to support these bills. There is a sign-up sheet in the hearing room where you can register your support. 3. Attend the Hearing and Share Your Personal Story in Support! A one to two-minute personal story from you at the hearing about why you support a bill can leave a lasting impression on committee members. Call or email me if you plan to testify so we can coordinate our talking points. And I’d happily tell you what to expect at the hearing.  ADVOCATING AT THE STATE HOUSE Who’s My Legislator? Meeting & Hearing Schedule: NH House  NH Senate Find a Bill Tips on How to Advocate The lakes we all love can’t take care of themselves. They need you to do your part. You can invest in clean and healthy lakes by making a charitable donation today.

Hi All.

Regards,
The PLA

The cyanobacteria WARNING (ADVISORY) that was issued on 4 October 2023 has been REMOVED for Province Lake, Effingham/Wakefield as of today, 19 October 2023. While the bloom accumulation has dissipated, NHDES advises that lake-goers look out for discoloration or surface accumulations in the future. Please continue to monitor your individual shoreline for changing conditions. The red cyanobacteria advisory signs can now be removed from public access points.Thank you all for your communication. If you see cyanobacteria in the future, please report it here!  

For more information:

Report a CyanoHABHealthy
Swimming Mapper
Frequently Asked Questions 

Best, 

Michele Condon

Beach Inspection Program Coordinator
Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95
Concord, NH 03302-0095
603-848-1905
Michele.E.Condon@des.nh.gov

Healthy Swimming Mapper

Hi Province Lake Community,

NH DES sampled the lake today and got a reading that is still above the state limit, so the advisory will remain active and the signs will remain up.  We will keep you posted when they sample again.  Their official announcement is below ..

Regards,

The PLA

Hi All,

Province Lake was resampled today, 11 October 2023. The cyanobacteria density continues to exceed the state limit of 70,000 cell/mL, so the advisory will remain active. The highest observed density was 122,000 cells/mL with other samples collected ranging from 3,667 cells/mL to 41,560 cells/mL. Please keep signs posted at public access points. NHDES will arrange for sampling again in the next two weeks.

If people ask for updates on the current cyanobacteria advisory status, please direct them to the Healthy Swimming Mapper. If you click on the advisory symbol, you can see our most recent sampling date. When advisories are lifted, the red symbol for the waterbody will no longer be on the map. 

Please forward this email to other residents / community members who need this information. If they would like to be added to the email distribution list, please have them sign up through this form to be directly included on future communications from NHDES. If you prefer to no longer receive these sampling updates, simply respond, and indicate “unsubscribe”.

Thank you,

Michele Condon
Beach Inspection Program Coordinator
Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95
Concord, NH 03302-0095
603-848-1905

Michele.E.Condon@des.nh.gov
Healthy Swimming Mapper

Hi Province Lake Community,

Unfortunately the cyanobacteria just doesn’t want to go away this year.  NH DES has issued another advisory as can be read in the official notification below.

Regards,

The PLA

Hi All,

Unfortunately, another cyanobacteria WARNING (ADVISORY) has been issued for Province Lake, Effingham/Wakefield. The bloom was first reported on 29 September and an alert was issued. Since then, we have continued to receive reports of green accumulations along shorelines, and flecks of material lake-wide. See the image attached, taken 3 October. Samples collected 3 October and reviewed today had cyanobacteria (Dolichospermum) in concentrations up to 492,400 cells/mL in areas of highest observed accumulations. Advisories are issued when cell counts exceed 70,000 cells/mL. NHDES advises lake users to not wade or swim in the water during an advisory. Please also keep pets and livestock out. The advisory is not based on a toxin evaluation and is intended as a precautionary measure for short term exposure.  

NHDES will resample in a week. I will reach out to you before then for updates. If you have information on where accumulated material is being observed at that time, please let us know to guide our sampling efforts. Advisories remain active until the bloom subsides.   

To the health officer or other official responsible for posting signs, please post our red cyanobacteria advisory signs at all public access points. Please let me know if you do not have any to post or if you need replacements.  

Please forward this email to other residents / community members who need this information. If they would like to be added to the email distribution list, please have them sign up through this form to be directly included on future communications from NHDES. If you prefer to no longer receive these sampling updates, simply respond, and indicate “unsubscribe”.  

Best,

Kate Langley Hastings
Cyanobacteria HAB Program Coordinator
Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095
603-848-8094   kate.l.hastings@des.nh.gov
she/her

Hi Province Lake Community,

Good news .. the Advisory has been lifted.  The official NH DES notification is below.

The PLA

Hi All,
The cyanobacteria WARNING (ADVISORY) that was issued on 7 September 2023 has been REMOVED for Province Lake, Effingham/Wakefield as of today 14 September 2023. The highest observed density was 8733 cells/mL. While the bloom accumulation has dissipated, NHDES advises that lake-goers look out for discoloration or surface accumulations in the future. It was slightly windy during sampling today, and after all the rain the cyanobacteria may return with several sunny days. Please continue to monitor your individual shoreline for changing conditions.

The red cyanobacteria advisory signs can now be removed from public access points.

Thank you all for your communication. If you see cyanobacteria in the future, please report it here!

Please forward this email to other residents / community members who need this information. If they would like to be added to the email distribution list, please have them sign up through this form to be directly included on future communications from NHDES. If you prefer to no longer receive these sampling updates, simply respond, and indicate “unsubscribe”.

Best,

Kate Langley Hastings
Cyanobacteria HAB Program Coordinator
Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095
603-848-8094   kate.l.hastings@des.nh.gov
she/her

Hi Folks,

Well, we at least didn’t have the advisory in effect over the long holiday weekend, but unfortunately with this warm weather, the Cynao is blooming again.  Below is the official notice from NH DES.

The PLA

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately another cyanobacteria WARNING (ADVISORY) has been issued for Province Lake, Effingham/Wakefield. The bloom was reported again yesterday, 6 September, appearing as green swirls along the surface of the water. Today when we arrived to sample, the bloom had progressed to thick yellow / green material at Ames park. See the image attached, taken today 7 September. Samples collected and reviewed today 7 September had cyanobacteria (Dolichospermum) in concentrations up to 833,335 cells/mL in areas of highest observed accumulations. Advisories are issued when cell counts exceed 70,000 cells/mL. NHDES advises lake users to not wade or swim in the water during an advisory. Please also keep pets and livestock out. The advisory is not based on a toxin evaluation and is intended as a precautionary measure for short term exposure. 

NHDES will resample in a week. I will reach out to you before then for updates. If you have information on where accumulated material is being observed at that time, please let us know to guide our sampling efforts. Advisories remain active until the bloom subsides.   

To the health officer or other official responsible for posting signs, please post our red cyanobacteria advisory signs at all public access points. Please let me know if you do not have any to post or if you need replacements.  

Please forward this email to other residents / community members who need this information. If they would like to be added to the email distribution list, please have them sign up through this form to be directly included on future communications from NHDES. If you prefer to no longer receive these sampling updates, simply respond, and indicate “unsubscribe”.  

Best,

Kate Langley Hastings
Cyanobacteria HAB Program Coordinator
Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095
603-848-8094   kate.l.hastings@des.nh.gov
she/her

Hi All,

Finally some good news and just in time for the long holiday weekend.  With the unofficial end of summer arriving this weekend, we are pleased to announce that the Cyanobacteria Advisory that has plagued us most of the summer has finally been lifted.  However, we all must still keep our eyes open as a bloom could return.  You can read the official notice from NH DES below.  Have a great Labor Day weekend.  And the weather forecast is looking wonderful.

The PLA

Hi All,  

Some good news today! The cyanobacteria WARNING (ADVISORY) that was issued on 6 July 2023 has been REMOVED for Province Lake, Effingham / Wakefield as of today 31 August 2023. It was very windy during sampling today, but with no reports of visual accumulations over the past week and today’s samples being low density, we are hopeful that the cyanobacteria density has significantly declined. While the bloom accumulation has dissipated, NHDES advises that lake-goers look out for discoloration or surface accumulations in the future. Please continue to monitor your individual shoreline for changing conditions.  

The red cyanobacteria advisory signs can now be removed from public access points. 

Thank you all for your communication. If you see cyanobacteria in the future, please report it here!  

Please forward this email to other residents / community members who need this information. If they would like to be added to the email distribution list, please have them sign up through this form to be directly included on future communications from NHDES. If you prefer to no longer receive these sampling updates, simply respond, and indicate “unsubscribe”.  

For more information:  
Report a CyanoHAB 
Healthy Swimming Mapper 
Frequently Asked Questions

Best,

Kate Langley Hastings
Cyanobacteria HAB Program Coordinator
Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095
603-848-8094   kate.l.hastings@des.nh.gov
she/her

Hi PLA Community,

Not surprisingly, the Cyanobacteria Advisory will remain in effect.  The notification from NH DES is below.

The PLA

Hi Everyone,

Province Lake was resampled today, 23 August 2023. Unfortunately, the cyanobacteria density continues to exceed the state limit of 70,000 cell/mL, so the advisory will remain active. Samples ranged from 350,800 – 2,800, however out of the six samples four were above the advisory level. Please keep signs posted at public access points. NHDES will arrange for sampling again next week. If people ask for updates on the current cyanobacteria advisory status, please direct them to the Healthy Swimming Mapper. If you click on the advisory symbol, you can see our most recent sampling date. When advisories are lifted, the red symbol for the waterbody will no longer be on the map.  

Please forward this email to other residents / community members who need this information. If they would like to be added to the email distribution list, please have them sign up through this form to be directly included on future communications from NHDES. If you prefer to no longer receive these sampling updates, simply respond, and indicate “unsubscribe”.   Best,

Kate Langley Hastings
Cyanobacteria HAB Program Coordinator
Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095
603-848-8094   kate.l.hastings@des.nh.gov
she/her

The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) recently worked with the Silver Hill Homeowners Association to complete shoreline erosion work along Bonnyman Road.

These projects reduce shoreline erosion into the lake, helping to prevent additional phosphorous loading (which contributes to cyanobacteria blooms).

Great work and thank you to all of those involved!

Should your property have an erosion issue, contact AWWA for a free technical assistance assessment. https://awwatersheds.org/