[mowtorman]

Braun Bay and Weirs Beach are open cesspools on busy days and probably take several days to flush out after. The lake can make you sick as easily as make you happy, been there. A loon family of 4 eats 900 pounds of fish over a summer (Maine Audubon), how much poop is that? 400 pounds maybe? Canada geese poop 2 pounds a day each. Poop carries microorganisms. The Weirs Channel is like a toilet flushing. The only way Winnipesaukee could ever approach pristine would be to take human activity away for a period of time. Not ever going to happen. It takes one contaminated drop of water on top of a cold can of beer to make a person sick. The strongest statement against rafting is to prevent the concentration of human activity and all it entails in one area for prolonged periods of time. Noise and other forms of pollution are equally valid. It's so much easier to address potential problems before they become established normal activities.