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A (pretty) clean bill of health for the Merrimack this season 8.21.14

Dear River Friends,

All sites sampled yesterday are well below the Class B standard of 406 E. coli colony counts per 100 millitres of water. All sites except for Sites 2 and 6 are below the designated swim beach standard of 88 colonies. While we have had lower results over the years, these are still great for a large river that serves multiple uses including receiving treated sewage water.

E coli 8.21.14
When not immediately following significant rains, this stretch of the Merrimack watershed that we sample compares really well with lower reaches and other large rivers in the state. This is a great end of season sampling result and you should feel comfortable having fun in the river this weekend.

Thank you to our intrepid and faithful volunteers, our Adopt-a-River Site sponsors, Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant, and our couriers, this year, Bill Dawson and Anne Emerson.

Michele L. Tremblay, UMMP Program Director
and
Steve Landry, Sampling Supervisor
Upper Merrimack Monitoring Program
Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee
http://www.merrimackriver.org/

A New Sense of the River

Most people think of a river as a place to go fishing with their pals. Some have a much broader sense of rivers. A few, who are members of the Planning Boards in communities, take on serious responsibilities for their land and water resources. The principal duty of the boards is to protect the natural heritage of their communities. In the central part of New Hampshire, the communities along the Merrimack River from Franklin to Bow have the help of the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee.

The Winnipesaukee River flows along the northern boundary of the town of Northfield into Franklin and joins the Pemigewasset River to form the Merrimack River. As it flows on downstream, the Merrimack forms the western border of Northfield. Northfield feels a double obligation to the flowing waters that need our care and concern.

In addition to approaching the river with fly rod in hand, many of our members now also pay attention to what’s growing on the bank and what’s in the water besides fish. There is more knowledge of the ecology of the stream now because of the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee. It serves as a watchdog monitoring development planned on or near the banks of the rivers in our area. In addition, there is monitoring of stream flow and the types of plants and insects found in or near the stream.

The author’s interest in the river has also led me in a related direction. A few years ago, an opportunity to attend a UNH Cooperative Extension Community Tree Steward course was offered to planning board members. The training had a lot of content related to the trees that grow along or near the river. One concern of many New Hampshire conservation people is what are called “invasive species”—plants that have been imported into our ecosystems on purpose or by accident, but that are now crowding out native species. Other invasives have been brought in by migrating birds and, in the case of water plants, by boats towed in and launched on the water.

In early in July each year, the UMRLAC asks for volunteers to help in the water sampling of the river. The sampling is to monitor the levels of bacteria at various points along the river course. As volunteer, my duties took me to a point under the bridge near the Hannah Dustin Park and ride. At 8:15 AM, water sample and checked the temperature of the site where the sample was taken. The collected from that site and another taken near the mouth of the Contoocook River were taken to the Department of Environmental Services building where a cooler containing samples from additional sites downstream was waiting. Those samples and along with those previously mentioned were then delivered them to the Regional Sewage Plant in Franklin. There, the samples are tested and a report is generated and kept on file at the plant and another is forwarded to the DES.

The purpose of the bacteria sampling is to evaluate the condition of the river on a regular basis during the summer months. The data from eleven sites has been collected into records kept by the DES over several years. Researchers of various types make comparisons of our river with other streams throughout the country.

We at the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee invite you to visit our website and to become more aware of the vital resource we are monitoring so that it continues to flow through our communities with sparkling clarity. There are many ways that you can help us in our efforts.

This month’s River Ramblings column was written by Bill Dawson, Representative from Northfield to the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee. Please visit www.MerrimackRiver.org to learn more about the river and watershed, view water quality data, access natural resource information and tools, and to sign up to be notified about river events and news. For further information, please call 603.796.2615 or email UMRLAC@MerrimackRiver.org.

The weekend is here but not the bacteria 8.7.14

Dear River friends, The weather should be sunnier and drier this weekend and while the water may be a bit high from the near daily rains, the good news is that the E. coli counts will be low. Thanks to our wonderful water quality monitoring volunteers and our partners at the Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant, we have received the results of yesterday.

UMMP 8.7.14

Click here for the for the full spreadsheet: ecoli2014. The bottom line: Have fun on the river this weekend! All of our eleven sites this week are well below not only the Class B standard for the Merrimack River but also Class A waters / designated swim beaches. Class B waters must safely support swimming, fishing, boating, and drinking with treatment. Class A / designed swim beaches is an even stricter standard required for state parks and municipal swim areas and privately owned recreational beaches. As always, never hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.

Very best wishes for a wonderful weekend on the Merrimack,


Michele L. Tremblay, UMMP Program Director
and
Steve Landry, Sampling Supervisor
Upper Merrimack Monitoring Program
Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee http://www.merrimackriver.org

Setting Rivers Free: river and watershed restoration goes mainstream

Click here to read the “setting Rivers Free” cover article from the August 4, 2014 edition of the Christian Science Monitor. The article tells the story of how hundreds of the United States’s rivers and watersheds are being restored. There are many local examples including Black Brook and McQuesten Brook in Manchester and the (former) dam in Town of Merrimack.