Clean water advocates continue founder's legacy of activism

New Hampshire has long been a perennial destination for those wishing to dip into the tranquil, from the shores of the big lakes to the respite of the deep woods of the White Mountains. The stewards and protectors of this natural beauty have carved out and created a destination paradise with an 84% forest cover and some of the most pristine lakes in the country.

This shared legacy lost one of its fore-fathers recently, as Don Foudriat, the last remaining founder of the Lakes Region Clean Waters Association, passed away on April 21, at 96 years of age.

Foudriat and a group of very active, concerned citizens were instrumental in bringing clean water recognition and action to Lake Winnisquam in the 1960s, when the lake would explode with algae blooms in the heat of the summer due to untreated sewage spilling in. The pea soup consistency of the blooms caught the attention of Foudriat and diligent work began on how to clean up the lake. The work started by the LRCWA became an award winning model for robust citizen action, as that work continues today through the efforts of lake associations and in particular, the Winnisquam Watershed Network.

“I remember Don... Don was part of my inspiration. He came to speak at one of our neighborhood association meetings and he showed us the 'Clearing the Water’ documentary afterwards and it was kind of a wake-up call to me. He was a super nice guy, and I enjoyed speaking with him as an environmental professional… I remember thinking, wow, he’s my hero,” said Lisa Eggleston, President of the Winnisquam Watershed Network.

The Winnisquam Watershed Network (WWN) is a grassroots organization that was formed officially in 2017 and, like the LRCWA, are a group of citizens around Lake Winnisquam who are concerned about protecting the water. Their work includes fighting invasive species and coordinating watershed planning, as they have taken up the torch passed onto them by Foudriat and the LRCWA.

“Winnisquam is the fourth largest lake in NH but we were one of the few that at the time did not have its own lake association, and when we formed, one of the things that was really important to our members was that we include Watershed in our name and network, because it is really a collaboration of people in the watershed to protect the lake,” said Eggleston.

Foudriat was a member of the WWN and was active in its continued work, citing and forwarding studies he had spearheaded on watershed discharge as recently as 2017. The work of Foudriat and the LRCWA became a model program, receiving some of the Environmental Protection Agency’s first grants for lake clean-up and awarded the first ever Environmental Protection Award in 1975.

“The removal of the sewage discharges from the lake made a huge difference, and I know today we do have clean water, but it’s threatened. We do monitoring and we see declines in water quality, so unless we act now we might have problems in the future… It really takes the support and impetus of local residents and we can’t let our guard down. So far we’ve found that collaboration really accomplishes a lot, all the surrounding towns have been very supportive of our efforts, and they’re happy to have us in place to coordinate those efforts,” said Eggleston.

To learn more about the legacy of the LRCWA, view a 1991 documentary film “Clearing the Water” at accompanyvideo.com/media. To get involved locally, the Winnisquam Watershed Network will be holding a virtual public meeting on June 7, 7-8 p.m., where they will be presenting their draft Watershed Based Plan. Additional details on the meeting will be at winnisquamwatershed.org, or call 351-207-0833 for more information.