Water quality news Archive

Dear river and watershed friends,

Day 6, the final event of our of bi-weekly 2023 water quality monitoring season saw an expected decrease in E. coli colony counts after a relatively dry and sunny period with some rain preceding the Tuesday, August 22, 2023 sampling day. We got through the season with 100% samples collected by 100% of its volunteers at 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 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.

Sample results are close to the background levels of less turbulent times. We find field replicates interesting. One can see, sometimes, a difference in the Site 2 sample and its replicate. It underscores that these samples are snapshots in time, and something can happen right before or right after you take a sample. These data are important for trend analysis and to help us understand correlations between weather and bacteria counts. Leonardo da Vinci said it best, “When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come.”

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.  This summer, that means most of the time. 

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	122
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	52
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	41
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	86
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	97
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	52
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	52
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	86
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	41
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	63
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	52

field replicate for Site 2 value is 10

Please join us inrecognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make this work possible (listed in order of their sponsored sites 1-11).
Watts Regulator / Webster Valve
Franklin Savings Bank
Winnipesaukee River Basin Program (two sites)
Elektrisola
Nelson Analytical
Essex Hydro
Aries Engineering
GZA Environmental
Granite Shore Power (two sites)

Our gratitude to Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant for their continued support, including covering sample processing costs, and providing a safe and convenient drop-off area. The Public Health Laboratory did a wonderful job processing our samples with prompt results. Thank you, Chantal McGuire for your sample courier-ing from Franklin to Concord.

Did you know that the Upper Merrimack Monitoring program is staffed and managed 100% by volunteers? This means that throughout the year, volunteers organize and perform activities including water sampling, collecting benthic macroinvertebrates to gauge long-term river health, and work nights in a laboratory to identify those “bugs?” If you want to learn more or get involved, please contact Michele and Steve (see below for contact information).

This is our final sampling day of 2023 but the work continues with collection and analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates from late summer in the field and over the winter in the laboratory.

Please visit our forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and the Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site MerrimackRiver.org for further information. Don’t hesitate to contact us at UMMP@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 (landline) should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michele L Tremblay                          Stephen C Landry
Program Manager                             Sampling Supervisor

Dear river and watershed friends,

Day 5 of the bi-weekly 2023 water quality monitoring season saw an expected decrease in E. coli colony counts after a relatively dry and sunny period with some rain preceding the Tuesday, August 8, 2023 sampling day. We are holding and moving forward with 100% samples collected by 100% of its volunteers at 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.

Sample results are settling to our usual values. Our Site 2 replicate and Site 10 are our highest “hits” on this sample date. It’s interesting to see the difference in the Site 2 sample and its replicate. It underscores that these samples are snapshots in time, and something can happen right before or right after you take a sample. These data are important for trend analysis and to help us understand correlations between weather and bacteria counts. Leonardo da Vinci said it best, “When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come.”

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.  This summer, that means most of the time. 

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	31
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	20
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	20
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	20
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	28
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	52
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	73
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	31
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	31
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	95
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	41

field replicate for Site 2 value is 114.5

Please join us inrecognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make this work possible (listed in order of their sponsored sites 1-11).
Watts Regulator / Webster Valve
Franklin Savings Bank
Winnipesaukee River Basin Program (two sites)
Elektrisola
Nelson Analytical
Essex Hydro
Aries Engineering
GZA Environmental
Granite Shore Power (two sites)

Our gratitude to Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant for their continued support, including covering sample processing costs, and providing a safe and convenient drop-off area. Thank you, Chantal McGuire for your sample courier-ing from Franklin to Concord.

Did you know that the Upper Merrimack Monitoring program is staffed and managed 100% by volunteers? This means that throughout the year, volunteers organize and perform activities including water sampling, collecting benthic macroinvertebrates to gauge long-term river health, and work nights in a laboratory to identify those “bugs?” If you want to learn more or get involved, please contact Michele and Steve (see below for contact information).

Our next and final samples of the season will be taken on August 22, 2023.

Please visit our forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and the Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site MerrimackRiver.org for further information. Don’t hesitate to contact us at UMMP@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 (landline) should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michele L Tremblay                          Stephen C Landry
Program Manager                             Sampling Supervisor

Dear river and watershed friends,

Day 4 of the bi-weekly 2023 water quality monitoring season saw an expected decrease in E. coli colony counts after a dry period with some rain preceding the Tuesday, July 25, 2023 sampling day. We are holding and moving forward with 100% samples collected by 100% of its volunteers at 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.

Gosh! What a difference between July 11 and 25 but a lot can happen in two weeks (or two minutes). All of the sites on Tuesday met Class A, and, therefore, Class B standards. These standards include the designated uses of swimming, fishing, and boating. We’ve seen a mix of drier weather (less runoff) and heavy rainfall with some flooded areas seeing water receding.

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.  This summer, that means most of the time. 

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	10
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	10
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	86
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	31
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	41
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	41
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	10
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	31
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	10
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	52
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	41

field replicate for Site 2 value is 20

Please join us inrecognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make this work possible (listed in order of their sponsored sites 1-11).
Watts Regulator / Webster Valve
Franklin Savings Bank
Winnipesaukee River Basin Program (two sites)
Elektrisola
Nelson Analytical
Essex Hydro
Aries Engineering
GZA Environmental
Granite Shore Power (two sites)

Our gratitude to Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant for their continued support, including covering sample processing costs, and providing a safe and convenient drop-off area. Thank you, Chantal McGuire for your sample courier-ing from Franklin to Concord.

Did you know that the Upper Merrimack Monitoring program is staffed and managed 100% by volunteers? This means that throughout the year, volunteers organize and perform activities including water sampling, collecting benthic macroinvertebrates to gauge long-term river health, and work nights in a laboratory to identify those “bugs?” If you want to learn more or get involved, please contact Michele and Steve (see below for contact information).

Our next samples will be taken on August 8, 2023.

Please visit our forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and the Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site MerrimackRiver.org for further information. Don’t hesitate to contact us at UMMP@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 (landline) should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michele L Tremblay                          Stephen C Landry
Program Manager                             Sampling Supervisor

Dear river and watershed friends,

Day 3 of the bi-weekly 2023 water quality monitoring season saw an expected increase in E. coli colony counts after heavy rains preceding the Tuesday, July 11, 2023 sampling day. We are holding and moving forward with 100% samples collected by 100% of its volunteers at 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.

Two site results this week were above the Class B standard; which means that they are determined to affect negatively their designated uses of swimming, fishing, and boating. The elevated results are due to the heavy rainfall we have been experiencing. Conversely, some of our results are at or near normal levels. This may be due to dilution of runoff, which moderates pollution levels. We need to remember that transient sources such as wildlife can affect results. Some people use the adage, “dilution is the solution to pollution” (it is not the solution, by the way). We expect that the higher results for these sites will be back below the Class B standard when the weather pattern returns to something closer to normal.

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.  This summer, that means most of the time. 

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	1,314
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	265
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	262
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	629
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	226
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	288
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	31
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	98
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	246
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	331
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	171

Please join us inrecognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make this work possible (listed in order of their sponsored sites 1-11).
Watts Regulator / Webster Valve
Franklin Savings Bank
Winnipesaukee River Basin Program (two sites)
Elektrisola
Nelson Analytical
Essex Hydro
Aries Engineering
GZA Environmental
Granite Shore Power (two sites)

Our gratitude to Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant for their continued support, including covering sample processing costs, and providing a safe and convenient drop-off area. Thank you, Chantal McGuire for your sample courier-ing from Franklin to Concord.

Did you know that the Upper Merrimack Monitoring program is staffed and managed 100% by volunteers? This means that throughout the year, volunteers organize and perform activities including water sampling, collecting benthic macroinvertebrates to gauge long-term river health, and work nights in a laboratory to identify those “bugs?” If you want to learn more or get involved, please contact Michele and Steve (see below for contact information).

Our next samples will be taken on July 25, 2023.

Please visit our forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and the Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site MerrimackRiver.org for further information. Don’t hesitate to contact us at UMMP@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 (landline) should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michele L Tremblay                          Stephen C Landry
Program Manager                             Sampling Supervisor

This story is very sad and involves the loss of a dog who was a beloved family member. You can clock on the image above to read the story.

Cyanobacteria blooms aren’t just for lakes anymore—they are also found in rivers. Please be alert for these unusual appearances in the water. In rivers, they are most likely found in areas where the flow is slow, such as backwaters.

To learn more about identifying blooms and where to submit samples, please visit https://www.des.nh.gov/water/healthy-swimming/harmful-algal-blooms

Please be alert to keep your two- and four-legged family members safe.

Dear river and watershed friends,

Day 2 of the bi-weekly 2023 water quality monitoring season saw an expected increase in E. coli colony counts after heavy rains preceding the Tuesday, June 13, 2023 sampling day. We are holding and moving forward with 100% samples collected by 100% of its volunteers at 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.

There were a few sampling results this week that were above the Class B standard; which means that they are determined to affect negatively designated uses of swimming, fishing, and boating. The elevated results are due to the heavy rainfall we have been experiencing. Conversely, some of our results are at or near normal levels. This may be due to dilution of runoff, which moderates pollution levels. Some people use the adage, “dilution is the solution to pollution” (it is not the solution, by the way). We expect that the higher results for these sites will be back below the Class B standard when the weather pattern returns to something closer to normal.

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. 

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	365.4
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	68.3
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	461.1
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	435.2
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	435.2
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	93.4
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	298.7
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	108.1
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	107.1
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	111.25
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	117.8

Please join us inrecognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make this work 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)

Our gratitude to Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant for their continued support, including covering sample processing costs, and providing a safe and convenient drop-off area. Thank you, Chantal McGuire for your sample courier-ing from Franklin to Concord.

Did you know that the Upper Merrimack Monitoring program is staffed and managed 100% by volunteers? This means that throughout the year, volunteers organize and perform activities including water sampling, collecting benthic macroinvertebrates to gauge long-term river health, and work nights in a laboratory to identify those “bugs?” If you want to learn more or get involved, please contact Michele and Steve (see below for contact information).

Our next samples will be taken on July 11, 2023.

Please visit our forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and the Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site MerrimackRiver.org for further information. Don’t hesitate to contact us at UMMP@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 (landline) should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michele L Tremblay                          Stephen C Landry
Program Manager                             Sampling Supervisor

Dear river and watershed friends,

The 2023 bacteria sampling season opened on a high note on Tuesday,
June 13, 2023 with 100% samples collected by 100% of its volunteers at 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.

The sampling results this week were all below the Class B standard; reflecting a healthy river system, which supports the designated uses of swimming, fishing, and boating. The two elevated results are likely due to rainfall within the preceeding twenty-four hours or from wildlife in the vicinity. We expect that the higher results for these two sites will resolve quickly and return to be on a par with upstream and downstream sites.

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. 

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	10
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	132
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	41
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	31
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	10
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	20
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	75
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	20
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	156
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	31
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	<10

Please join us inrecognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make this work ppossible (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)

Our gratitude to Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant for their continued support, including covering sample processing costs, and providing a safe and convenient drop-off area.

Thank you, Chantal McGuire for your sample couriering. How would we do it without Chantal?

Please visit our forum at MerrimackRiver.org/forum and the Upper Merrimack Watershed Association site 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

Bug Nights public sessions are on hold

The pandemic has changed so much of our lives and it was inevitable that Bug Nights would be affected. Since we were last at St. Paul’s School, there have been policy and staff changes. We hope to work with them again as our generous and gracious host. In the meantime, we are investigating other places for a temporary home that can accomodate our larger group. Please contact Michele and Steve at UMWA@MerrimackRiver.org or 603.796.2615 with your suggestions and connections to laboratory facilities, preferably with a supply of stereo microscopes that the Upper Merrimack Monitoring Program will be allowed to use. Until then…

Dear river and watershed friends,

The 2022 bacteria sampling season closed on this sixth event, September 6, 2022, with nearly 100% samples collected by 100% of its volunteers at 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.

The final sampling event results were all within the Class B standard (406 colonies per 100ml). We had only two exceedences this year with 749 colonies at Site 4 and 3,448 at Site 7 on August 9. They both resolved quickly with all sites down to double digits the following week. Even with those less-than-pleasant surprises, overall, it was a good season and we look forward to another in 2023.

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. 

Here are the details.

Site number and description	results
#1 Pemigewasset at Route 3, Franklin	74
#2 Winnipesaukee at Trestle, Franklin	n/a
#3 Merrimack R. above FWWTF, Franklin	31
#4 Merrimack R. below FWWTF, Franklin	74
#5 Merrimack at Jamie Welch, Boscawen	160
#6 Merrimack at US Route 4, Canterbury	75
#7 Contoocook at Rivco, Penacook	63
#8 Merrimack at Sewalls Falls, Concord	41
#9 Merrimack at Manchester St., Concord	74
#10 Merrimack at Blue Seal, Bow	52
#11 Merrimack at Garvins Falls, Bow	63

Please join us inrecognizing and thanking our Adopt-a-River Site Sponsors that make this work ppossible (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)

Our gratitude to Franklin Waste Water Treatment Plant for their continued support, including covering sample processing costs, and providing a safe and convenient drop-off area.

Thank you, Chantal McGuire for your sample couriering. How would we do it without you?

A big thank you and gratitude to Merrimack County Savings Bank for their generous gift to the Upper Merrimack Watershed Association to purchase equipment and supplies for the Upper Merrimack Monitoring Program, which includes annual bacteria sampling and working with fellow volunteers to collect specimens and identify them at Bug Nights each winter.

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 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