Two solar-powered, water-monitoring buoys released on Lake Winnisquam

The Winnisquam Watershed Network released two water monitoring buoys onto Lake Winnisquam last week. The project is an effort to collect data about the lake’s water quality and changing current conditions.

The WWN team boated out to the two buoy locations last week, permitted by Marine Patrol, and released them with heavy anchors. The first buoy was released on Aug. 5, just north of Three Island. The second buoy was released on Aug. 9, south of Mohawk Island.

The buoys are bright yellow, have a light on top for nighttime navigation, and spikes to prevent birds from landing on them. The buoys are solar-powered, with solar panels built in. They are held down by anchors to keep them from shifting.

The WWN team's goal in releasing the buoys is to collect data regarding the lake’s current conditions, and bacteria that could cause harmful algal blooms.

“We don't have blooms too often in New Hampshire lakes, but we want to be proactive, rather than reactive,” said Sara Steiner, Winnisquam Watershed Network executive director.

WWN crews worked with Cape-Cod based science team Subtidal, affiliated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to create the buoys. The buoys are built with sensors to measure data such as indicators of algae, water temperatures, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. The buoys are also built to monitor waves, currents, and the surface of the water.

“We want to be able to assess the risk of swimming and recreational activities,” Steiner said. “We want to learn as much as we can, and give that information to the public.”

The buoys will remain in the lake until November, and will be deployed again in the spring. For more information, visit winnisquamwatershed.org.