madrasahs
08-12-2004, 08:45 AM
"'I don’t buy it,' were the words used by Merrill Fay of Fay’s Boat Yard to described his feeling on a report presented to the public by the Winnipesaukee Watershed Association (WWA).
(More excerpts from today's Citizen follow):
"Fay was among the first to stand up and say he still has big concerns about a body of water that, he feels, has too few laws protecting it.
"About 80 people showed up to the Weirs Community Center to learn the result of a report that focused on water quality and pressures facing the state’s largest and arguably most heavily used lake.
"[WWA's] DeMark ended his presentation by indicating that, although growing populations in the watershed continue to threaten the health of Winnipesaukee, the lake is generally doing well.
"The boat yard owner [Fay] said he has been on the Winnipesaukee since 1936 and has watched its health go downhill. Fay expressed particular concern that the other six towns in the watershed are not following Gilford and Laconia in pushing municipal sewer projects that — he believes — protect waste from finding its way in the water.
"Fay said he was also upset that more programs have not been set in place to check boats being launched into the lake for...illegal wastewater systems. Information at the meeting indicated that the state only has one person who inspects boats for illegal wastewater valves on all of the state’s 976 lakes.
"He urged those attending the meeting to initiate a statewide effort to influence legislation that would establish new and better laws to assure that the lake is protected.
"Roger Hogan of Meredith challenged the report’s findings on water quality, saying that he would be 'hard-pressed' to describe the lake as pristine.
"Bob Craycraft, a UNH water expert, said...'There are definitely areas that are showing impairments...comparing Winnipesaukee’s water quality now to how it was 40-50 years ago is difficult as test records are only consistent after the 1970s-80s.
"Other people attending the meeting expressed concern that the report did not look at what they see as a major impact that larger power boats are having on the lake. 'It’s a statistic you left off your chart...loud, fast, rude huge powerboats are making the lake a dangerous place'...Jerry Whiteleather of Bear Island in Meredith said.
"State officials at the meeting pointed out that very large boats are also have more of an impact in destroying the lake’s shoreline.
Jeff Thurston of Thurston’s Marina said 'wakes created by huge boats are also hurting others boaters’ ability to enjoy the lake...a lack of a state mandate for boat size on the lake has resulted in boat sizes getting larger and larger, while the lake isn’t getting any bigger...We’re killing Lake Winnipesaukee one boat at a time...the state [needs to] adopt size restrictions similar to those they place on trucks carrying loads on state highways.
"Warren Clark of Meredith said that while he appreciates the WWA’s effort to collect the data, 'a new group might need to be formed to actually do something about the problems they identified...It’s not just enough to sit there and say ... ‘God, we have a problem!’
The "bad" news:
http://www4.citizen.com/august_2004/08.12.04/news/laconia_08.12.04a.asp
The "more-bad" news:
http://www4.citizen.com/august_2004/08.12.04/news/laconia_08.12.04b.asp
(More excerpts from today's Citizen follow):
"Fay was among the first to stand up and say he still has big concerns about a body of water that, he feels, has too few laws protecting it.
"About 80 people showed up to the Weirs Community Center to learn the result of a report that focused on water quality and pressures facing the state’s largest and arguably most heavily used lake.
"[WWA's] DeMark ended his presentation by indicating that, although growing populations in the watershed continue to threaten the health of Winnipesaukee, the lake is generally doing well.
"The boat yard owner [Fay] said he has been on the Winnipesaukee since 1936 and has watched its health go downhill. Fay expressed particular concern that the other six towns in the watershed are not following Gilford and Laconia in pushing municipal sewer projects that — he believes — protect waste from finding its way in the water.
"Fay said he was also upset that more programs have not been set in place to check boats being launched into the lake for...illegal wastewater systems. Information at the meeting indicated that the state only has one person who inspects boats for illegal wastewater valves on all of the state’s 976 lakes.
"He urged those attending the meeting to initiate a statewide effort to influence legislation that would establish new and better laws to assure that the lake is protected.
"Roger Hogan of Meredith challenged the report’s findings on water quality, saying that he would be 'hard-pressed' to describe the lake as pristine.
"Bob Craycraft, a UNH water expert, said...'There are definitely areas that are showing impairments...comparing Winnipesaukee’s water quality now to how it was 40-50 years ago is difficult as test records are only consistent after the 1970s-80s.
"Other people attending the meeting expressed concern that the report did not look at what they see as a major impact that larger power boats are having on the lake. 'It’s a statistic you left off your chart...loud, fast, rude huge powerboats are making the lake a dangerous place'...Jerry Whiteleather of Bear Island in Meredith said.
"State officials at the meeting pointed out that very large boats are also have more of an impact in destroying the lake’s shoreline.
Jeff Thurston of Thurston’s Marina said 'wakes created by huge boats are also hurting others boaters’ ability to enjoy the lake...a lack of a state mandate for boat size on the lake has resulted in boat sizes getting larger and larger, while the lake isn’t getting any bigger...We’re killing Lake Winnipesaukee one boat at a time...the state [needs to] adopt size restrictions similar to those they place on trucks carrying loads on state highways.
"Warren Clark of Meredith said that while he appreciates the WWA’s effort to collect the data, 'a new group might need to be formed to actually do something about the problems they identified...It’s not just enough to sit there and say ... ‘God, we have a problem!’
The "bad" news:
http://www4.citizen.com/august_2004/08.12.04/news/laconia_08.12.04a.asp
The "more-bad" news:
http://www4.citizen.com/august_2004/08.12.04/news/laconia_08.12.04b.asp