Kayaking in the Basin

[targabill]

Hi Winni People,
I was kayaking around The Basin, Tuftonboro Neck area, yesterday and a little bit of Winter Bay.. Does anybody know why the water is blackish color, not as clear as other parts of the Lake.. Not as much movement/flow ??

Just curious, Thanks
-Bill

[bobkatfly]

My boat is docked in the basin and it definitely gets a dirty water line more than when I had it in Winter Harbor. Pretty sure it's due to lack of flow. It's more of a small stagnant pond.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by targabill

Hi Winni People,
I was kayaking around The Basin, Tuftonboro Neck area, yesterday and a little bit of Winter Bay.. Does anybody know why the water is blackish color, not as clear as other parts of the Lake.. Not as much movement/flow ?? Just curious, Thanks
-Bill

The Basin's waters have never been for everyone.

When i was last there, the weeds made for difficult paddling; still, water skiing was possible, albeit only in circles.

Winter Harbor presently has a yellow color, as the recent rains have washed nutrients and yellow clay soil into the Harbor. High water levels have caused more than normal shoreline erosion. This has been made worse from huge wake turbulence from over-sized and poorly-suited boats for the locale. I've never seen such poor quality / visibility because of roiling of the waters.


Between my nextdoor neighbor and myself, we've lost five trees into the lake.

My neighbors have asked "What happened to Alton Bay waters?"

'Can't say I know...

[tis]

Originally Posted by ApS

The Basin's waters have never been for everyone.

When i was last there, the weeds made for difficult paddling; still, water skiing was possible, albeit only in circles.

Winter Harbor presently has a yellow color, as the recent rains have washed nutrients and yellow clay soil into the Harbor. High water levels have caused more than normal shoreline erosion. This has been made worse from huge wake turbulence from over-sized and poorly-suited boats for the locale. I've never seen such poor quality / visibility because of roiling of the waters.


Between my nextdoor neighbor and myself, we've lost five trees into the lake.

My neighbors have asked "What happened to Alton Bay waters?"

'Can't say I know...

Yes, Alton Bay water is really bad. Probably stirred up from all the rain? But I agree the water is not as clear anywhere I have seen as it usually is. They did treat the milfoil in the Basin a few years ago and I think that made a huge difference.

[bobkatfly]

The other downside of the basin is passing under the road. Right now I don't think I can get out with the water levels this high. The upside is the basin stays calm even with rough surface conditions around other areas.

[allmostthere]

The Alton Bay color and contamination is from the state run fish hatchery in new Durham. They dump everything into the merrymeeting River that goes directly to Alton Bay. If a private company was releasing this much waste - in this case, fish poop - they would have been shut down and fined into oblivion decades ago.

[tis]

Originally Posted by allmostthere

The Alton Bay color and contamination is from the state run fish hatchery in new Durham. They dump everything into the merrymeeting River that goes directly to Alton Bay. If a private company was releasing this much waste - in this case, fish poop - they would have been shut down and fined into oblivion decades ago.

Interesting. I never heard that.

[tis]

Originally Posted by bobkatfly

The other downside of the basin is passing under the road. Right now I don't think I can get out with the water levels this high. The upside is the basin stays calm even with rough surface conditions around other areas.

It's down a bit.. Boats are going through.

[pondguy]

Originally Posted by allmostthere

The Alton Bay color and contamination is from the state run fish hatchery in new Durham. They dump everything into the merrymeeting River that goes directly to Alton Bay. If a private company was releasing this much waste - in this case, fish poop - they would have been shut down and fined into oblivion decades ago.

Could that be why the beach was closed?

[targabill]

Originally Posted by bobkatfly

The other downside of the basin is passing under the road. Right now I don't think I can get out with the water levels this high. The upside is the basin stays calm even with rough surface conditions around other areas.

Thanks... I measured water to top of giant culvert pipe to be about 5' 4", 64" which is not bad!!
Thinking of buying on the Basin, kinda back and forth!!

[TheTimeTraveler]

Originally Posted by targabill

Thanks... I measured water to top of giant culvert pipe to be about 5' 4", 64" which is not bad!!
Thinking of buying on the Basin, kinda back and forth!!

Most likely don't remember, but that was a wooden bridge up until about 55 years ago. The clearance at that time was far higher.

It was substantially reduce when they went "el cheap" and replaced it with a giant culvert pipe.

I wonder how many home owners in the basin at that time had to go out and get a new boat because the clearance was reduced?

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by allmostthere

The Alton Bay color and contamination is from the state run fish hatchery in new Durham. They dump everything into the merrymeeting River that goes directly to Alton Bay. If a private company was releasing this much waste - in this case, fish poop - they would have been shut down and fined into oblivion decades ago.

https://www.wmur.com/article/new-ham...rades/41169530

[tis]

Originally Posted by TheTimeTraveler

Most likely don't remember, but that was a wooden bridge up until about 55 years ago. The clearance at that time was far higher.

It was substantially reduce when they went "el cheap" and replaced it with a giant culvert pipe.

I wonder how many home owners in the basin at that time had to go out and get a new boat because the clearance was reduced?

Probably not many because it was so long ago and there were a lot more smaller boats in those days.

[tis]

This is the old bridge.

[webmaster]

Originally Posted by targabill

Thanks... I measured water to top of giant culvert pipe to be about 5' 4", 64" which is not bad!!
Thinking of buying on the Basin, kinda back and forth!!

Is this the pipe?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8R6Jw52/

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by webmaster

Is this the pipe?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8R6Jw52/

that is the pipe coming out from Paugus Bay Campground

[bobkatfly]

Originally Posted by targabill

Thanks... I measured water to top of giant culvert pipe to be about 5' 4", 64" which is not bad!!
Thinking of buying on the Basin, kinda back and forth!!

Just drove over the bridge and it looked like a boat was stuck or at least having some difficulty wasn't a large boat either.

[bobkatfly]

Originally Posted by webmaster

Is this the pipe?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8R6Jw52/

No, this runs under Tuftonboro neck Rd and is at the North end of Winter Harbor.

[TheTimeTraveler]

Originally Posted by webmaster

Is this the pipe?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8R6Jw52/

That's a funky video, thanks for posting! However, this is not the big culvert pipe located on Tuftonboro Neck Road.

Tuftonboro Neck Road does not have a railroad track on it. Not yet anyway, lol.

[Tom T]

Originally Posted by targabill

Hi Winni People,
I was kayaking around The Basin, Tuftonboro Neck area, yesterday and a little bit of Winter Bay.. Does anybody know why the water is blackish color, not as clear as other parts of the Lake.. Not as much movement/flow ??

Just curious, Thanks
-Bill

The basin at one point was full of logs to preserve after a hurricane, I believe in the 40's. The logs after years of sitting some of the bark ended up at the bottom, there was also a saw mill that was used when harvesting the logs and i believe some of the saw dust ended up in the water. The boats and watercrafts stir all that up and gives it that blackish color. In the fall when all the activity quiets you can see right to the bottom.

[camp guy]

So, government-sponsored fish poop gets special treatment, and the rest of us get nothing (except dirty water) - doesn't sound fair.

[Mr. V]

Originally Posted by Tom T

The basin at one point was full of logs to preserve after a hurricane, I believe in the 40's. The logs after years of sitting some of the bark ended up at the bottom, there was also a saw mill that was used when harvesting the logs and i believe some of the saw dust ended up in the water. The boats and watercrafts stir all that up and gives it that blackish color. In the fall when all the activity quiets you can see right to the bottom.

I recall being told or reading that dark colored water as the OP describes is typically the result of the breakdown of vegetation / trees: it was locally known as "cedar water."

[tis]

Originally Posted by TheTimeTraveler

That's a funky video, thanks for posting! However, this is not the big culvert pipe located on Tuftonboro Neck Road.

Tuftonboro Neck Road does not have a railroad track on it. Not yet anyway, lol.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at your comment! You never know!

[tis]

Originally Posted by Tom T

The basin at one point was full of logs to preserve after a hurricane, I believe in the 40's. The logs after years of sitting some of the bark ended up at the bottom, there was also a saw mill that was used when harvesting the logs and i believe some of the saw dust ended up in the water. The boats and watercrafts stir all that up and gives it that blackish color. In the fall when all the activity quiets you can see right to the bottom.

I think it was after the hurricane of '38.

[Descant]

I agree about Hurricane of '38. I don't thinkl storms were named then. My copy isn't handy to confirm, but my recollection is that "Three Centuries on Winnipesaukee" (published in 1936) refers to "blackish water" in the Lees Mills area, also due to log storage. There was a lot of lumbering going on in the early 20th century and saw mills moved from cove to cove. I believe the small cove just beyond the Wolfeboro seaplane station was one. Apparently, lots of lost anchors there too.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Descant

I agree about Hurricane of '38. I don't thinkl storms were named then. My copy isn't handy to confirm, but my recollection is that "Three Centuries on Winnipesaukee" (published in 1936) refers to "blackish water" in the Lees Mills area, also due to log storage. There was a lot of lumbering going on in the early 20th century and saw mills moved from cove to cove. I believe the small cove just beyond the Wolfeboro seaplane station was one. Apparently, lots of lost anchors there too.

You are right. It's Johnson's Cove. I believe the 38 storm was a hurricane and there was another big one that wasn't considered a hurricane-around 1918 if I remember correctly?