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Dear river and watershed friends,

The 2022 bacteria sampling season continues on its fifth event (only one more to go for 2022) with 100% samples at 100% of its eleven sites from Franklin to Bow.

We know that you have heard it before but it’s important to remember that the results shown below are the probable number of E. coli bacteria colonies for every 100 millilitres of water at that moment in time. We call it a snapshot because conditions at that moment are represented and anything that happened a day or so before or after this sampling date can change drastically. All warm blooded animals (including we humans) have E. coli in their guts. That means that bacteria are an indicator that poop has found its way to the water. This could be a result of stormwater runoff, failed septic systems, mis-connected pipes that are meant to transport household waste to a treatment plant, pet or wildlife waste from river watershed, and other sources.

To protect public health, State of New Hampshire designated swim beaches are not allowed to exceed 88 colonies of E. coli per 100ml. Class B waters (all of our sites are designated as Class B) shall not exceed 406 colonies. These designations do not always reflect real-time  water quality. The designation indicates what uses, e.g., swimming, fishing, should be supported by maintaining water quality.

This week’s results are far better than what we saw on August 9, where we saw an unpleasant surprise at Site 7 with 3,448 colonies of E. coli per 100ml. Because we were concerned, we re-sampled at the boat launch and just upstream of it the following Monday, August 15. The boat launch near Site 7 is a primary contact area where people put in their boats and, sometimes, swim. The river there is shallow and does not flow very much so pollutants can accumulate. That is where the August 9 sample was collected. Just upstream is a different “flow regime,” where there are riffles and swifter moving water, which is where the sample has been taken in the past. The results at the launch area were 20 colonies and upstream was 20—that’s very good! This week, the count at Site 7 is 63 (still very good). What does it all mean? On August 9, there could have been waterfowl (pooping)  in the area or another transient source of bacteria. This is why, in addition to water samples, we work to form a more detailed picture of water quality vs. a snapshot by collecting and analyzing the invertebrates that live in the river. They are always there and tell a more complete story about ongoing water conditions. 

You hear us say often, “When it rains, it’s poor,” which means that you may wish to wait a day or so after it rains before recreating in a surface water. Sample results are as of Tuesday morning, July 26, 2022. Results may change from day-to-day, depending on upstream conditions and rainstorms that may have occurred after Tuesday morning.

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	63
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	20
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	20
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	52
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	41
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	20
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	63
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	51
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	51
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	52
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	74

Please join us in recognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make the Upper Merrimack Monitoring Program possible (listed in order of their sponsored sites).
Watts Regulator / Webster Valve
Franklin Savings Bank
Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant (two sites)
Elektrisola
Nelson Analytical
Essex Hydro
Aries Engineering
GZA Environmental
Granite Shore Power (two sites)

You’ll next hear from us in two weeks with the last of this season’s sampling results.

Please visit our fresh and newly designed forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and our new, Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site at MerrimackRiver.org for further information. Don’t hesitate to contact us at UMMP@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michele L Tremblay                          Stephen C Landry
Program Manager                             Sampling Supervisor

Dear river and watershed friends,

The 2022 bacteria sampling season continues on its fourth event with 100% samples at 100% of its eleven sites from Franklin to Bow.

We know that you have heard it before but it’s important to remember that the results shown below are the probable number of E. coli bacteria colonies for every 100 millilitres of water at that moment in time. We call it a snapshot because conditions at that moment are represented and anything that happened a day or so before or after this sampling date can change drastically. All warm blooded animals (including we humans) have E. coli in their guts. That means that bacteria are an indicator that poop has found its way to the water. This could be a result of stormwater runoff, failed septic systems, mis-connected pipes that are meant to transport household waste to a treatment plant, pet or wildlife waste from river watershed, and other sources.

To protect public health, State of New Hampshire designated swim beaches are not allowed to exceed 88 colonies of E. coli per 100ml. Class B waters (all of our sites are designated as Class B) shall not exceed 406 colonies. These designations do not always reflect real-time  water quality. The designation indicates what uses, e.g., swimming, fishing, should be supported by maintaining water quality.

This week was a surprise to all of us with several sites higher than usual and two of them that exceeded (greatly) the Class B designation standard. This could be due to very low water levels exacerbated by a flashy downpour the night before our sample date. Samplers noted evidence of waterfowl and other animals in the vicinity and increased human use, e.g., camping. These high levels could correspond to those increased activities or a result of the runoff from the downpour the preceding night. On August 23, we will see if there is any change and hope for a return to our historically low E. coli levels. 

You hear us say often, “When it rains, it’s poor,” which means that you may wish to wait a day or so after it rains before recreating in a surface water. Sample results are as of Tuesday morning, July 26, 2022. Results may change from day-to-day, depending on upstream conditions and rainstorms that may have occurred after Tuesday morning.

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	52
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	199
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	109
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	749
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	41
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	86
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	3,448
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	75
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	121
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	63
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	10

Please join us in recognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make the Upper Merrimack Monitoring Program possible (listed in order of their sponsored sites).
Watts Regulator / Webster Valve
Franklin Savings Bank
Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant (two sites)
Elektrisola
Nelson Analytical
Essex Hydro
Aries Engineering
GZA Environmental
Granite Shore Power (two sites)

You’ll next hear from us in two weeks with new a round of sampling results.

Please visit our fresh and newly designed forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and our new, Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site at MerrimackRiver.org for further information. Don’t hesitate to contact us at UMMP@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michele L Tremblay                          Stephen C Landry
Program Manager                             Sampling Supervisor