Watershed Based Management Plan underway for Lake Winnisquam

LACONIA — The Winnisquam Watershed Network has announced that preparation of a Watershed Based Management Plan for the Lake Winnisquam watershed is officially underway.

A consulting team comprised of FB Environmental of Dover and the Horsley Witten Group out of Sandwich, MA, has been engaged by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 1 office to develop a Watershed Based Plan that meets watershed planning and implementation requirements for the federal Clean Water Act (CWA Section 319 Program.

The approximately $80,000 project is being funded through EPA’s CWA Section 303(d) Program. The watershed management plan will identify and quantify sources of pollutants to Lake Winnisquam, determine the water quality goals and the pollutant reductions needed to meet those goals, and identify best management practices and protection strategies to be implemented in the watershed to achieve the pollutant reductions needed.

“The Winnisquam watershed is being impacted by increasing recreational activity and development pressure, while at the same time struggling with the effects of climate change and threats from invasive species. If we want to maintain the high quality of our lakes, it is of vital importance that we as a watershed community recognize the potential impacts of those changes and have in place a long-term strategy to address them.” says Lisa Eggleston, WWN President. “This plan will provide a roadmap for the WWN, communities and stakeholders in the watershed to protect the high quality of Lake Winnisquam and the smaller lakes in our watershed, including Opechee and Wicwas. It will also make future implementation projects eligible for federal Section 319 funding.”

The Winnisquam watershed includes land within the communities of Meredith, Sanbornton, Belmont, Laconia, Tilton, New Hampton and Gilford that drains to Lake Winnisquam downstream of the Lakeport dam.

The WWN will be working closely with the consultant team and local stakeholders throughout the planning process and intends to keep the public engaged and informed. A public workshop will be held sometime in the next several months to discuss the development of the Winnisquam Watershed Based Plan and to solicit input from the public on their goals and interests. To provide comments or sign up to receive further updates from the Winnisquam Watershed Network please visit their website at winnisquamwatershed.org.