Cyanobacteria Alert Issued for Blackey Cove (Moultonborough)
 

We have received several reports of a severe cyanobacteria bloom impacting the Blackey Cove area on Lake Winnipesaukee. NHDES has issued an alert for this area today. This bloom likely originates from the persistent bloom that has been plaguing Lake Kanasatka for over the last month. Lake Kanasatka flows into Lake Winnipesaukee through the Rt. 25 dam and into Blackey Cove.

NHDES has initially identified the cyanobacteria in Lake Kanasatka as Dolichospermum, Woronichinia, and Microcystis. These cyanobacteria genera are associated with the production of various cyanotoxins that can pose health risks to humans and animals through skin contact, ingestion, or inhalation.

Although Lake Kanasatka is experiencing prolonged and severe blooms this year, other waterbodies in our watershed have also faced similar issues. In recent years, major water bodies in our watershed, including Lake Winnipesaukee, Lake Wentworth, Crescent Lake, Mirror Lake, and Paugus Bay, have all experienced cyanobacteria alerts or advisories.

The undeniable truth is that the environment we once took for granted is changing. The quality of Lake Winnipesaukee's water is at risk, threatened by factors such as stormwater runoff, fertilizer use, and failing septic systems. Our beloved lake has provided joy, recreation, and inspiration for countless residents and visitors. We must not sit back and assume that the lake will always remain as it once was. It is our collective responsibility to act and protect this invaluable resource for ourselves and future generations. Let us stand together and take the necessary steps to ensure the long-term health and vitality of the Lake Winnipesaukee watershed. Join us in our mission to safeguard this natural treasure. Your participation and commitment are vital. Together, we can make a difference. Contact us today to find out how you can help!

Waves of appreciation,
Bree Rossiter
Conservation Program Manager

While recreational lake activities have decreased during the colder season, pets are at increased health risk due to their likelihood of ingesting the water. Here are some commonly asked questions about the situation:

Q: Can we close the dam?
A: Currently, the dam from Lake Kanasatka is operating as usual. The official drawdown is scheduled for November 1. NHDES is closely monitoring the situation and may adjust the schedule if necessary. Please note that there is no option to close the dam and block the bloom since Lake Kanasatka is not a storage reservoir. Therefore, it's not possible to prevent water from flowing into Winnipesaukee, regardless of the dam's outflow.

Q: How about using a sediment fence to block the bloom from spreading?
A: Sediment fences are typically designed to control the movement of particulate matter in bodies of water. Cyanobacteria, being microorganisms, would not be effectively controlled by these screens. Furthermore, cyanobacteria could potentially colonize the sediment caught by submerged fencing, further promoting their growth.

Q: Why is Kanasatka so green? What's the plan to prevent this?
A: Cyanobacteria blooms don't have a single underlying cause. Currently, our lakes are undergoing a process called turnover, where cooler and warmer waters mix with the changing seasons, making nutrients available for plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Combined with warm temperatures last week, this creates conditions favorable for cyanobacteria growth. Residents of Lake Kanasatka are taking measures to reduce nutrient pollution in their water through individual actions. The Lake Kanasatka Watershed Association is also pursuing treatment to address phosphorus-laden sediment at the lake's bottom, which contributes to these blooms.

Thanks!
 

I never would of guessed that blooms would or could be happening this time of year with water temp so low as it is…

Dan

Probably time to start treating Lake Kantasatka.

Allowing lawns along lakefront property is the height of irresponsibility.

The people that have the most to lose are the waterfront owners.
So it is up to them to decide if the lawn is worth it.

I know some are just waiting for the Grim Reaper, that seems to be common in the current age, but their estate will lose the value.

Blackey Cove? Phosphorus-Laden Sediments? Leaves? Soaps? Fertilizer?
 

Why aren't these aerial photos labeled as being Lake Kanasatka? :confused:

It appears to be in an area of low (local) elevation, downstream from a highway, much cleared land, mostly deciduous trees, and without any dwellings (or lawns) nearby. :eek2:

I would guess that is Blackey Cove... where the alert is issued.

I was surprised too. I thought this was an old thread but just realized it isn't.

Definitely Blackey
 

APS;

This is definitely Blackey Cove. If you do a Google Earth search you can clearly see the similarities...

Dan

It's Blackey Cove.

People seem to be focused on runoff from fertilized lawns as the cause of the blooms. There is very little discussion of fixing the issue of substandard septic systems. I am confident that there are a lot of these in the older cottages on the mainland and on the islands. Years ago the town I live in went around the 100 acre pond I live on and dye tested each house. Well over 50% failed showing leaching into the pond. I know that it is an unbelievably big undertaking but that is a step that should be taken.


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I have been thinking about this a bit since I saw this thread. Lawns are not the only problem that is upsetting the eco system. Although it is what I see people focus in on. As the natural watershed around the lake continues to be developed, these problems will only increase.....As I don't see the development stopping the only why to help curb the damage is going to be through education.

Getting people to understand what contaminates the watershed and what doesn't. As I have talked to people over the years, I have found that many people don't understand the consequences of mundane things they do....The sad part is even after being educated many people just don't care, it is to important to wash their boats, have green grass, take down trees so that they have a sunny yard all day long etc.

Winnipesaukee, is a wonderful fantastic place, that we have all come to love, the problem is all that love, is taking a toll.... And the next generation of lake addicts just doesn't seem to care about the damage their need to have the perfect lakeside home will do to the environment.

Apparently, the blooms even occur when the lake is iced over. I've seen some aerial photos showing them. Cyanobacteria occurs naturally and is found in water and soil, but the prolific and frequent blooms of recent years have been fueled in large part by run-off, fertilizers, antiquated septic systems, etc.

Bloom Prevention
 

Pressure on Winnipesaukee water quality will continue to grow unless serious long term solutions and planning begin. Many years ago in Seattle, Washington, Lake Washington bloomed shocking the residents. The various communities around the 35 mile long lake finally installed a sewage treatment system surrounding the entire body of water. Moultonborough will eventually face the reality that this must be the goal of community along with several other mitigation approaches.

Didn't someone mention this Years and Years ago. It seems I have read about Lawns creating this problem a few years back. Wish we would have listened.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news to all the Live Free or Die folks but, while education is helpful and will bring some people to their senses, governmental intervention and the costs that come with it is the only way this issue has a chance of being solved. A majority of folks just aren't going to contribute to a solution. As you point out, far too many people just don't care.

Because the "Government" handles everything else so well...:rolleye1:

Cyanobacteria mitigation
 

Maybe the cost of mitigation should be assessed against the offending landowners. The costs to include the direct expenses to mitigate a bloom, and the lost revenue from tourists who choose not to visit due to the bloom.
I realize this is probably not a feasible idea, but even people with waterfront living still feel the hit to their pocketbook.

The State controls the lake, so it becomes their responsibility.

They control septic systems... so them again... though not sure why fecal bacteria counts wouldn't rise if it were that. Maybe not testing?

I know they blue dyed the Laconia State Prison when fecal contamination was discovered in Winnisquam.

I can't imagine that it would cost me a lot more when my septic is pumped to have them add the blue dye.

As a member/supporter of multiple lake associations who do a great job of protecting their respective lakes, I find these comments insulting, although I know that is not the intent. If things are so great in CT, why do you come to NH? I think we all see many many surveys, studies, etc. that rank NH as one of the most desirable places to live in the USA. We also see reports of folks fleeing NY, CT, NJ where there is an overabundance of gov't and taxes. When there is an (environmental) issue, government is rarely a leader in solutions. In fact no action at all until the groups mentioned above start their responses.

Thanks for the benefit of the doubt as I definitely didn't mean to offend. I just can't see past the continued degradation of our environment unless authorities of some sort enforce mandatory change. The people that care are simply outnumbered by those that don't. Does anyone really think the lake's environmental problems will reverse if left in the hands of education and grass roots alone?

Never said things are so great in CT.

I agree and remember learning about when rivers caught on fire and air in some cities was unbreathable.

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Hmmm, let's talk about boat wakes and fertilizer from sources not on the lake, which due to sheer numbers probably have a larger impact. Lake Kanasatka doesn't appear to have a lot of lawns on it but has a big problem.

Boats, big wakes from boats are a definite problem. Now that these wakes are not around the turbidity of the water is much better. How much extra nutrients are washed into the lake from large boat wakes?

New Hampshire has some of the toughest septic standards in the country from what I understand. When a house is transacted an inspection is required. I'm thinking the number of problem septic systems is probably pretty small.

Leaves and pine needles, we are in the fall season, lots of leaves and pine needles end up in the lake, how much nitrogen and phosphorus is added naturally to the lakes this time of year?

All interesting and relevant questions IMO.

Good points, ITD. Some thoughts about septics. Especially around lakes with old camps that have been upgraded to year round use: septics around lakes don't (visibly) fail the way they do in a subdivision, they leach into the lake. When an old camp passes within the family, there is likely no inspection, dye test, etc.

We think mostly about waterfront and the 250' buffer. In many instances, a septic failure up gradient may fail and leach into the lake, traversing over the road and down gradient property. Same with other road and land chemicals. We don't talk about it much, but slope and type of soil as well as the characteristics of the water shed/table play a big part in how chemicals move into our lakes. At least we're not dumping stuff intro the lake by the barrelful the way we did 100 years ago.

Talk earlier about gov't rules, but recall it was the US EPA that "forced" us into MtBE, which ended up contaminating drinking water all over the country, in (misguided?) attempts to clean up the air.

How about a mandate requiring every waterfront property to have a certified inspection of the home's septic system (w/ dated pictures); at the expense of the homeowner? Pump-out records, waste pipe integrity, current flow capacity test, leach field condition, and pump-out records should be required. Similar inspections should be required of any restaurants or municipal waste lines within 250' of the lake.

There is no shortage of summer homes whose owners have no idea if they even have a 'real' septic system, where it is located, or even care if it has ever been pumped out. Others have grey water dumping into the lake.

As unpopular for the politicians and expensive for the property owners, the sources of leachate can be located.

OMG, let's report in to the government what time we go to bed at night and what time we get up in the morning.

Wow, people really seem to want to reach here....

The idea that every lake front home needs an inspection, is logistically not practical. However good the idea might be. On top of which there is no guarantee that a system passing at year n will continue to pass n+M years into the future.

There are however things people can do....I still see many homeowners and even some landscape companies blowing leaves into the lake... While this number had dwindled I still see evidence of it. This is an education mater, and maybe eventually something that could carry a fine.

Requiring new development along the water to create a more natural buffer at the lake shore....

Stop allowing even perched beaches, the beach sand most people use is not good for the lake, and regardless of how well the beach is created there is always a leaching effect.

Focusing on the smaller things through education is IMHO the way to go....

I am all for whatever needs to be or can be done to save the lake even if it costs me some money but are leaves really a significant part of the problem? I would think that millions upon millions of leaves have been falling into the lake forever and the amount blown into lake on purpose must be insignificant. A house with a big green lawn and minimal trees would seem to be a bigger issue than a wooded site dropping leaves.

You do know don't you that in the old days that there were many less trees and the grass fields where the cows ate went right to the lake???? From North Main St. you could easily see the lake.

I doubt the leaves are. But it is a waste. I take extra leaves onto my property because as they compost I get the added benefit without any cost to me.

It seems to be more a cumulative effect of lots of factors.

Education has been ongoing for years, and stopping the affect of new development isn't going to fix an existing problem. You could stop all new development... double education efforts... and we will still see the current trend continue. Inertia has taken over.

Yet we know that every septic needs to be pumped/maintained periodically, and that many owners ignore this. We should be able to require that every homeowner pump on a schedule that makes sense for that home. This does not need to be some big government intrusion, people just need to call their septic guy once every few years.

So maybe the State could make you rip down all the houses and bring back the cows.

Actually, they call me. Or more accurately they send me a post card with the date of my last pump out and a recommendation based on the results at that time.

All good comments, but think of this...DES is allowing one waterbody to pollute another. This problem in Kanasatka has been known for a number of years and is getting worse. There are treatment options...some better than others...but so far doing nothing is winning the race while the Lake Kanasatka folks have been trying to ferret out root causes. The nutrient level needs to be attacked hard by DES while the root causes are investigated and located. Time is of the essence, as pollution in Blackey Cove will expand to other areas of Winni. if left untreated. It is easier to mitigate it at the source and the time to start is long since past.

Lake Smart?
 

Is your place Lake Smart? Check out the Lake Smart program at NHLAKES.org. Even if you don't qualify now, you can have a sense of direction.

Think Big...
 

We've forgotten that the Big Lake falls within "The Winnipesaukee Basin"? (And that NOT all waste arrives in the lake through home septic systems--but from boats). :rolleye1:

All leachates follow gravity from homes at higher elevations than just the lakefront mansions. I've noticed a second tier of home-building behind the usual McMansions. (One within a stone's-throw of me can be rented-out to as many as five families at once!) :eek2:

Home septic system designs were based on Massachusetts models, a state whose soil is comprised of much less granite than New Hampshire's.

The comprehensive answer is the routing all basin-wide waste waters. How else to exclude dishwasher soaps and water-softening salts from our collective leachate?

Hard to believe, but some here assailed my years-earlier answer of sending all septic systems' discharges to the sewage plant in Franklin--even if that meant that submerged pipelines must be sent across the lake's deepest parts. If Franklin is at full capacity, that must also be addressed.

If NH had started a Federal grant process back then, this poisoning of our lakewaters would be old news. (Instead of the usual periodic distress signals).

Sure, some "spot-cleansing" would be necessary among the entire Winnipesaukee Basin's warm and shallow areas, but more shading of these areas using conifers (particularly White Pine) should be encouraged--if not mandated. (Deciduous tree-leaves make up much of the lake's "phosphorus-laden sediments").

Any other answer will be comprised of half-measures.

Except the Franklin plant was at full capacity and couldn't take any more.

NH Lakes over 10 acres belong to the state.


https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files...6-20230125.pdf

https://legiscan.com/NH/text/HB276/2023

https://kanasatka.org/cyanobacteria/

Kanasatka Green
 

Good discussion here. The green water is getting people's attention much more than predictions about what could happen. My opinion is that education is the most effective preventative. Governments can develop best practices, fund educational programs and mandate things like septic inspections when transferring ownership, but can't get down to the level where it matters. That responsibility belongs to each property owner, on the shoreline and within the watershed.

The green of Kanasatka is massive. Here is a screen show showing part of the problem and a link to a panorama where you can scroll around to see the rest.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/72HufD2upCSdAi2BA

Does anyone know if a bloom has also occurred in Wakondah Pond? If no then the culprit is most likely to tied directly into Kanatsaka and being a relatively small body of water it should be fairly easy to locate the source of the pollution.