38 THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, September 24, 2009

“What is the biggest threat to New Hampshire’s lakes, and what can I do about it?” As an aquatic biologist, I am often asked this question, almost as frequently as the ques-tions, “What is the differ-ence between a ‘lake’ and a ‘pond’?” and, “What can I do about the geese on my shoreline property?” (For answers to the latter-two questions, read the July 16 and August 13, 2009,

wHaT Is THe BIggesT THreaT To nH’s lakes?by Andrea LamoreauxNH Lakes Education Director

A rain garden captures and filters stormwater runoff and can beautify the landscape.

ENJOYTHEWATERENJOYTHEWATERGet the most out of NH’s Lakes!

BOAT STORAGEup to $700.00

Winterize, Shrink Wrap, Store up to 24 ft. on your trailer

No Trailer, No Problem Call Us

The OriginalPatent #6318932B1

The OriginalPatent #6318932B1

®Your Only Choice for a Superior Dock!

(603) 522-5336DOCKING MADE EASY...

Don’t Be Fooledby Imitators!

Aluminum framed docks built with pride at our shop

in Sanbornville, NH. We use only the finest quality

materials and vinyl decking.

Our aluminum legs have a longer life with infinite

adjustability - no more cracked, splintered or twisted

posts! 6’ on center spacing offers more protection for

your boats as well as personal watercraft & smaller

boats. Other docks cannot compete - we have the

best structural integrity in the business, with crucial

gusseting at all corners & incorporated lift points -

with NO failures to date.

Please compare & judge for yourself!

• Sectional & Rolling Docks• Our own 2-person Umbrella seat w/table• RAD Premium Boat Bumpers• Unique Solar Light Caps• PaddleKing Paddle Boats & Mini Pontoon Boats

• Seacycles & Kayaks• SwimRafts & Boat Lifts• Dock Hardware• Boat Accessories• Custom Applications

We Also Offer:

1625 White Mtn. Hwy, Rt. 16 • Sanbornville, NH 03872

issues of The Weirs Times at www.weirs.com.)

My response? While there are a myriad of issues that threaten the health and enjoyment of New Hamp-shire’s approximately 1,000 lakes and ponds, ranging from the problems associ-ated with exotic plant infes-tations to toxic cyanobac-teria blooms, most aquatic biologists would agree that the number one threat to lake quality in New Hamp-shire, and across the Unit-ed States, is stormwater runoff.

What is stormwater run-off?

Stormwater runoff is rain water and snowmelt water that does not sink into the ground—instead it flows across the landscape, pick-ing up pollutants such as oil, gas, fertilizer and ma-nure on its journey across parking lots, roadways,

lawns and farms to the nearest waterbody. Storm-water runoff can cause excessive plant growth and foul-smelling algal blooms in lakes and ponds, and can even contribute to toxic bacteria blooms which can make swimmers sick.

What can I do about stormwater runoff?

No matter where you live, whether you live along a shoreline or miles away from the nearest water-body, what you do on your property can potentially pollute lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. As wise lake stewards, the ultimate goal we should all be striving for is to prevent stormwater from flowing off of our own individual properties. We all need to allow our storm-water runoff to soak into the ground by vegetating and infiltrating. Although this may sound like a daunting task, the good news is that minimizing the amount of stormwater runoff that flows across the landscape and into waterbodies is something that each of us can participate in—it can be easy and fun!

Have you accepted the challenge yet?

This September, NH LAKES has challenged

the readers of this column to implement one “lake-friendly” landscaping proj-ect to reduce their personal contribution to stormwater runoff and the pollution of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

If you haven’t accepted this challenge, you still have time!

If want to learn how to vegetated buffer, an infil-tration trench, and/or a set of infiltration steps on your property, refer to the Sep-tember 10 and 17, 2009, issues of The Weirs Times at www.weirs.com. In ad-dition, here are few more suggested projects that you could accomplish in just a few hours on the next pleasant day this fall.

Install a rain barrel to collect roof runoff.

A rain barrel is a contain-er that collects precipitation which flows off rooftops from a downspout. The water that is captured can be used on your lawn, gar-den, and/or indoor plants. By collecting rainwater, not only will you reduce the amount of stormwater run-off flowing from your prop-erty, but you may also save money and water. Learn how to build your own rain barrel by watching an instructional video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFDlkJOdaM or follow a step-by-step fact sheet found at http://www.cwp.org/Resource_Li-brary/Center_Docs/Resi-dential/rainbarrelgarden.pdf. Alternatively, you can purchase a rain barrel on-line at http://www.nerain-barrel.com.

Plant a rain garden to

collect roof and driveway runoff.

Rain gardens are attrac-tive and functional land-scaped areas that are de-signed to capture and filter stormwater from rooftops, driveways, and other im-

See LAkes on 39

#38

Black

39THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, September 24, 2009

A rain barrel collects runoff from a rooftop and stores the water for domestic uses.

An open top culvert is used to divert and direct runoff from the gravel roadway into a stabilized vegetated which will reduce the potential of stormwater runoff detaching soil particles off the roadway further downhill.

ENJOYTHEWATERENJOYTHEWATERGet the most out of NH’s Lakes!

Visit our store at 29 Gilford East Drive, Gilford, NH

Winter Hours (or call for appointment)Open Daily From 9:00-5:00, Saturday 9:00-12:00, Closed Sunday Crank-Up Dock

ICE DAMAGE? NEED DOCK or SHORELINE WORK?

Open Daily From 8:00-8:00, Saturday 8:00-12:00 (starting 4/18) Closed Sunday

Visit Our Stores To SeeAll The Boatlifts & Docks • Plan ahead - permits take time!

• Make an appointment today for a site visit!• Schedule projects early!

www.docksource.comwww.nhpermits.com

29 Gilford East Drive, Gilford NH603-293-4000

552 Route 11, Sunapee, NH603-763-6440

Good Inventory

on 4 StrokeOutboard

Motors!

pervious surfaces. These bowl-shaped vegetated ar-eas allow rainwater to soak into the soil, reducing the potential for erosion and minimizing the amount of pollutants flowing off the landscape into storm drains or directly into waterbodies. You can find directions on how to construct your own rain garden in manual for homeowners at http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/dsfm/shore/documents/rgmanual.pdf.

Divert runoff from your driveway and footpaths into a vegetated area.

By installing an open top culvert (also known as a ‘box culvert’) across your driveway or a pathway, stormwater runoff can be diverted into a stable, veg-etated area. This polluted water will be absorbed by plants and into the ground, instead of being left alone to run along the length of the impervious surface picking up soil particles as it erodes your driveway or path-way. An open top culvert is relatively inexpensive to build and easy to install. To build one on your prop-

erty, follow the illustrated directions for open top cul-vert construction found at http://www.pwd.org/news/publications.php. All you will need is lumber or timbers, some nails and bolts, a couple small pieces of wood or pipe, and a few basic tools.

Your lake will thank you!

Accept the challenge this fall to implement one lake-friendly landscaping project on your property. Make it fun by inviting family and friends to join your land-scaping party—don’t forget to bring the hot cider! And, please be sure to send NH LAKES “before” and “after” photos of your project so that we can show others your great work! Photos

can be emailed to info@nhlakes.org or snail mailed to NH LAKES at 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH 03301.

Not only will you have fun and feel good about your-self, your lake will thank you by providing cleaner water for you and your fam-ily and friends to enjoy next summer!

NH LAKES is a statewide, nonprofit, member-sup-ported organization head-quartered in Concord. The organization is dedicated

to protecting New Hamp-shire’s lakes, which are integral to the quality of life and economic health of the State. For more informa-tion on the organization’s lake protection efforts across the state and how to help, please visit www.nhlakes.org or contact (603) 226-0299. To receive NH LAKES’ free monthly e-news blast, Shorelines, full of interesting lake-related information, sign up on the website.

LAkes from 38

#39

Black