[Lakegeezer]

The University of NH has a set of volunteers that measure the visibility of the lake. It would be interesting to see the current numbers and compare them to the past. There seems to be several symptoms of change.

The water is strongly tannic. This can be explained by the high water levels of last October and this spring. The water had a several months over the past year of wake enhanced lapping at a higher shoreline, which brought in new organic matter. Also, the extra rain percolated through the ground to make the “tannic tea” stronger. The tannic color occurs every spring but usually goes away by June. If we have a normal weather year or two, perhaps the color will be restored to normal.

A more disturbing change is the silt on the bottom of lake. There is a deeply submerged rock that is offshore from where we swim and is hard to find, so we make a game of racing out to it. In the past, the trick to winning was to peer through the water, looking for the top of the rock. This year, it is impossible to see so we have to find it with our feet. A layer of very dark silt hides it. A few weeks ago, I was snorkeling in five feet of water by the dock and noticed how the boat wake was agitated the bottom of the lake, much like a washing machine agitates clothing. This can’t be good for the lake. The water is becoming thicker with organic particles which settle into silt. Try dunking a t-shirt in the lake and letting it dry. It practically stands up on its own, starched with lake particles. The fresh-water clams that used to keep the bottom looking like clean sand are gone.

Other symptom we notice is the green slime that forms on the dock and the bottom of the boat. It comes early in the season and grows pretty thick.

The bigger question is “so what”? There seems to be no political will to declare the lake “in danger” and prescribe a remedy. The higher price of fuel and its impact on boat traffic may help slow down the damage, but what if a two year ban on motors over 25 HP was the answer to restoring water quality? Economic growth would stop and house prices would shrink. Hundreds of millions of dollars in real-estate valuation would be lost. Businesses that depended on tourist revenue would suffer. It would cost too much to reverse the decline in water quality, so the lake will have to suffer until another generation decides it is time to fix it.

We should at least document the decline, to help the argument of those that eventually press for a cure.