Winni Watershed committee revived

Amid the widespread flooding last week the Winnipesaukee River Watershed Advisory Committee, established in 1998 to assist the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) manage flows in the Winnipesaukee River Basin, met for the first time since 2002.

Senator Carl Johnson (R-Meredith) convened the meeting in response to concerns about recurrent flooding among residents at Silver Lake. However, Jim Gallagher, chief of the Dam Bureau at DES, who had spent a near sleepless night and faced another full day, asked to defer a full discussion of the agenda until next month.

The Legislature originally charged DES with creating a model to manage the flow of water in the river basin and formed the committee to assist in the development of the model. The committee consists of one member of the Senate Environment Committee, one member of the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee, an academic versed in hydrologic modeling and representatives of the Silver Lake Association, Winnipesaukee Hydropower Power Association, New Hampshire Marine Trades Association, New Hampshire Lakes Association.

According to records provided by Susan Duncan, a senior legislative aide to the Senate, the committee met in July 2001 and again in May 2002. At the first meeting, Gallagher told the committee that RTI of Fort Collins, Colorado was chosen to prepare the model. He explained that the model called for the collection of data from rain and stream gauges placed around the Lakes Region and the measurement of the water content of the snowpack, which would be used to project the run-off throughout the watershed. Based on the projection, along with historical and real time meteorological data, the model was designed to provide guidance for managing the flow of water at the dams to reduce property damage, provide recreational opportunities, generate hydro-electric power and control ecological impacts.

At the second meeting, Gallagher said that his staff would soon be trained on the model and offered a demonstration for the committee at its next meeting. Although that meeting apparently never took place, the Dam Bureau has subsequently incorporated facets of the model into its plan for managing the watershed. Moreover, DES posts "real time" data measuring water levels, discharges , precipitation and temperatures at the state's nine major watersheds on its website.

However, Gallagher told the committee that the meteorological forecasting component of the model as "an issue," adding "I still would caution against relying on the model. That component is not operating the way we would like." He said that because of the shortcomings of the forecasting capacity of the model "it doesn't tell me where we should be operating at different times." Apologizing that he was short of time, Gallagher offered to provide the committee with a presentation on the model at a future meeting.

Gallagher also informed the committee that DES would undertake a field study to determine the "natural mean high water mark," which divides the state property from private property," at Silver Lake. The issue is disputed between property owners and DES and last year was referred to the Attorney General's Office.

DES has maintained that the "natural mean high water mark" is 468 feet above sea level, a figure residents claim is inconsistent with their deeds and leaves much of their property under water. They refer to DES's management plan for the river basin, which specifies that "History has shown that when the lake gets to about 468 ... low lying properties begin to experience some form of low to moderate flooding."