Laconia's potable water supply again rated very high

LACONIA — Once again the city's drinking water has matched or topped the strict standards for purity and quality set by the State of New Hampshire and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The Laconia Water Department recently issued its annual report, which includes the results of an assessment of its operations conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The assessment notes that while the major risks to the water supply are MtBE from motorboats and roadways within 1,000 feet of the intake near the foot of Paugus Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee, during the past six years test results indicated that MtBE has been below detectable levels.

Concern about adding fluoride to drinking water has led the EPA to direct those water works that fluoridate their drinking water to reduce the levels to 0.7 milligrams per liter and since February, 2011 the Water Department has complied by injecting fluoride at the recommended level.

In his annual report, Superintendent Seth Nuttleman reminded residents that the use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides in the Paugus Bay watershed pose a risk to the quality of the municipal water supply. The Conservation Shoreland Protection Act prohibits the use of all fertilizers, except for limestone, within 25 feet of public water bodies, but permits low phosphate and slow-release nitrogen fertilizers beyond that.