M.P. bubbler permits
 

Could be the Marine Patrol maybe wants waterfront property with bubblers or ice eaters keeping the ice open to apply for a winter permit?

http://www.unionleader.com/article/2...WS07/151109866

That sentence is so tortured I heard it screaming over my Rice Krispies!

Since so many other facilities and activities are subject to review and permits, the state is seeing another revenue source they can tax.

If you read they are trying to encourage owners to remove or raise docks instead of bubblers. I have a neighbor whose bubbler(s) keep the water open out 100 feet and to the adjoining neighbors property, preventing our access to the lake during the winter months. Numerous approach and registered mails failed to bring him to his senses. I think this law is to prevent such abuse!

If you have a permanent dock you've always needed a permit. The permit is a whopping .50 cents. This gives the DES a record of who's operating aqua therms. If your aqua therm/bubbler/ice eater causes public water/ice access to be unsafe, you cannot run it. When you sign the permit you acknowledge the rules of aqua therms and assume liability. If something happens and you don't have a permit, you're screwed. Besides a permit you need state approved "DANGER THIN ICE" signage. Multiple signs may be needed depending on your docks location.
Not sure why anyone would have a problem with shoreline home owners being charged .50 cents to be educated about using the ice eaters safe and responsibly.
My 2 cents (.48 cents less than the cost of the permit)

Nothing New
 

The requirement that people who use aqua-therms, ice-eaters, bubblers, etc. to maintain open water around their docks obtain a registration/permit each year has been NH law for over 40 years. See RSA 270:34, below:

<<<<

<center>TITLE XXII
NAVIGATION; HARBORS; COAST SURVEY

</center><center>CHAPTER 270
SUPERVISION OF NAVIGATION; REGISTRATION OF BOATS AND MOTORS; COMMON CARRIERS BY WATER

</center><center>Use of Aqua-Therm

</center><center>Section 270:34

</center> 270:34 Registration Required. – Any person operating or hereinafter operating any such agitating or heating device which tends to inhibit the natural production of ice on public waters must obtain a registration to be designed and distributed by the department of safety, from the municipal clerk of the town in which such device shall be operated and said registration shall contain the name and address of owner and the location of said device. A permanent file of such registrations shall be kept by municipal clerks and a fee of $.50 per registration may be charged. Source. 1973, 321:1, eff. Nov. 1, 1973.

>>>>

The annual permit is obtained at one's local Town/City Hall and costs $0.50 each year per aqua-therm.

by state standards... a bargain!
 

Not that I'm a fan of more permits... but I don't think the State and/or Town is making a killing on the revenue at 50 cents a year... my guess is they lose money just in the number of pens that people absentmindedly walk off with after filling out the paperwork at Town Hall... a mooring permit is $25/year per mooring... the aquatherm is $.50/year per property (and has been for as long as I can remember)

shhhhh... don't tell the State they are missing an opportunity!!

Another beautiful weekend out on the Lake!! -PIG

I'll be honest, I was on the lake running 2 bubblers at my place for 10 years and never heard anything about needed a permit for them....Other than the required thin ice signs (we used 2), I never knew anything about it.

Nobody even goes out to check if you have them or not, either at the state or local level. I could certainly care less about the $1.00 per year for the 2, but the whole thing seems absurd. What is the purpose? Its not like they are keeping a map of who has and doesn't have them, and publishing it for safety reasons....:confused:

Fifty cents? At that rate I'd chip in to a fund that helps any impoverished dock owners pay the fee!

They check after an unsuspecting snowmobiler plunges through the ice and drowns. Then when they determine you weren't following the rules for running a bubbler they charge you with negligent homicide. Maybe be far fetched but I'd spend the buck to make sure I was registered and doing everything properly.

impoverished dock owners
 

:D That is a bit of an oxymoron, don't you think? :laugh:

My guess codeman is many people have no idea about the permit...... you are surely not alone....I certainly was not aware of this requirement either... Of course I don't use a bubbler or an aquatherm so its of no consequence to me....

But I wonder if a few of my neighbors know about this.... they put the signs out as you do, but I wonder if they get the permit.... not that I am going to turn them in... just curiosity...

Reasons for Permits
 

The reason the permit process exists is obviously not for the revenue source. In fact, the local jurisdiction receives the revenue while the state enforces the requirements of the law.

Marine Patrol reminds property owners of the permit requirement for this simple reason...who/where is the property owner when we have a problem with an aquatherm opening up too much water?

Many property owners fly south, hire a service, or "plug 'em in and let 'em run". Unattended aquatherms often create problems! Warm temps, rain, wind, or even someone who directs the water flow towards shore, these conditions all create an inappropriate amount of open water. When Marine Patrol gets a complaint we go the the town offices with address in hand. Towns do not have phone numbers nor do they have out of state contact info for most seasonal residents. They do have addresses if a tax bill is sent out of state, but these issues often require immediate action and a letter doesn't help us.

With more and more aquatherms being used throughout the state, we are simply asking people (many not aware) of the need to register.

Not looking to be "Big Government", simply looking to serve that member of the public who wants to access the ice safely and encounters a problem.

Safe Boating!! (and ice skating/fishing!!)

Tim Dunleavy
Marine Patrol

May have missed this but where do you get paperwork to register

You can register easily with your local Town Clerk. It's a single-page form. You pay the small registration fee and walk out with your permit.

For Laconia residents permits are issued by the city clerk.

Here's a link to the form needed for aqua therm permits.

http://www.cityoflaconianh.org/uploa...m%20Permit.pdf

I just looked at the Town of Moultonborough website, and Moultonborough Town clerk handles these forms as well......

Thank-you Tim Dunleavy for speaking up on behalf of the office of the Marine Patrol.... I actually think this is something that make sense, and even better it has a almost zero cost association other then time for the homeowner.... after seeing AquaTherms misused and the havoc they can bring about, it only make sense that contact information be made available.

On that thought I wonder if part of the Warning thin Ice sign should be a plaque with contact information on it... such as it is for rafts in the summer months.....

This one makes sence
 

As Capt. Tim pointed out, there are very good reasons to license the aquatherms. You are changing the Lake with the machines and if there is a problem it is a method to contact the owners who may be anywhere. What's more, if I see a "thin ice" sign on a totally frozen in dock it is a way to let the owner know so that he can fix his kaput machine.

One thing that is very stupid is the $.50 fee. I have to pay my town clerk for five minutes of her valuable time and the town of Moultonberry nabs a whopping half-buck! Maybe a more reasonable fee should be considered.

I take all of my clients permits, fill them out and hand them in all at the same tie to save the town clerk's time.

When asked by some of my people if it is really necessary I remind them that someday there may be a moratorium on aquatherms and the permit documents your grandfather.

Misty Blue.

The fee is fine. The huge property tax payment every year more than covers the 5 minutes of the clerk's time.