Milfoil in Moultonborough!

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

An extreme view would be that "Winnipesaukee will be overrun with milfoil".

Milfoil can't grow in the deep parts of the lake and there are many square miles where milfoil would be excluded simply by depth.


Why I appreciate every comprehensive approach, it's questionable that milfoil can be eradicated: exotic milfoil is not only fast-growing, it can sprout from a small fragment. Milfoil would be less of a problem if communities stopped "feeding it" with runoff that is nutritious for it.

Rather than spend funds on frivolous "shovel-ready" projects, a wide-based sewer system that diverts such nutrients from the Winnipesaukee Basin would make far more sense.

IMHO.

You hit it right on the nail! Back in the 70's and 80's there was an ambitous federal and state plan to have a sewer line around the lake. The money ran out when the sewer line hit the Wise Owl Store on Rte 11. The old lake shore railroad bed was use to bury the sewer line. That was when they realize the sewage treatment plant on lake Winnisquam was causing substantial algae blooms on that lake. The project was shut down so that they can extend the sewage line down to the Merrimac River and build another plant in Franklin. Lots of money wasted. (No puns intended )

[mcdude]

From the Citizen 2/5

Town prepares to battle milfoil
Moultonborough:

Friday, February 5, 2010
The town with the greatest amount of lakefront land in the state is preparing to do battle with the aquatic weed milfoil in a big way.

Following a lengthy debate on Thursday, Moultonborough selectmen voted unanimously to support a petitioned warrant article for Town Meeting that seeks to raise $200,000 to chemically treat the noxious weed that can grow up to an inch a day.

The purpose of the Milfoil Control Trust Fund is the ongoing management of the exotic weed in the town's waterways. It designates the selectmen as agents to expend under rules and regulations to be promulgated.

The town's advisory budget committee also voted unanimously Thursday night to support the measure at Town Meeting, March 13.

"I'm convinced this initiative is the most effective thing you can do this year to help improve the economy," said Peter Jenson, chair of the town's milfoil committee.

He estimated that 80 to 90 percent of the town's businesses rely on traffic generated by the community's high-quality water resources.

The committee worked with the N.H. Department of Environmental Services to develop a budget and proposed treatment plan that would allow for a full-scale war against the aquatic plant that can clog swimming areas, foul boat props and lower lakefront property values.

Moultonborough currently has one of the worst infestations of milfoil on Lake Winnipesaukee, according to Jensen who said the state's last survey recorded 201 acres of the leafy green plant in the inner section of Moultonborough Bay alone.

The proposed $200,000 would allow treatment for two growth cycles of the plant – spring and fall – to help curb its continued propagation, Jensen explained.

Karel Crawford, chair of the five-member board of selectmen, initially said she favored putting $100,000 in the fund, stressing that she represents all town residents, including those who do not own waterfront land.

Jensen argued that everyone in the community has a stake in high water quality, noting the town of 5,000 residents has three public boat launches and as many beaches.

Crawford ultimately voted to support the $200,000 amount.

Meanwhile, Selectman Ed Charest stressed that milfoil is not the only thing degrading the water quality of the Big Lake. He noted the local planning board is proposing two zoning amendments regarding storm water management and groundwater protection that are key to helping improve local water quality. He urged members of the milfoil committee to lobby townspeople to support those proposed amendments as well.

Several other petitioned warrant articles are now on the town warrant, seeking to collectively raise some $28,000 for milfoil treatment in various areas of the lake as well as on Lee's Pond. Selectman Joel Mudgette said he would propose from the floor of Town Meeting that the warrant article seeking to establish the Milfoil Control Trust Fund be taken up first by voters. If it is approved, the other articles would be tabled, allowing funding for all the milfoil treatment to be expended from the trust fund, he explained. However, if voters nix the $200,000 request, the other articles could still be acted on, he explained.

[BroadHopper]

I think they are on the right track with the zoning ordinances on top of the $200,000 allocation. I'm just wondering what the state is doing with the money they are collecting off boat registration? Shouldn't the state be helping?

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I think they are on the right track with the zoning ordinances on top of the $200,000 allocation. I'm just wondering what the state is doing with the money they are collecting off boat registration? Shouldn't the state be helping?

Agree this is the right thing and the select board is to be commended for its courage to recommend such an expensive warrant in tough times. $200K is a good start, but just a start. $100K would be a waste of money. The area to be treated is a headwater of the lake, and a source of much milfoil spread to other parts of the lake as water flows south towards the Weirs

The state funds are limited, and are given out in a sharing arrangement. If the proposed level of committment is granted by the voters, Moultonborough will show it is serious and that should attract more of the state funds.

There are good but localized efforts around the lake and the state is starting to pull the towns together into a coordinated effort. There is a information sharing, but the state does not have the funds or authorization to take charge. That could change if the lake slips from the classification of pristine to transitional (oligotrophic to mesotrophic are the scientific terms). As a benchmark, in a pristine lake you can see objects at greater than 12 feet. Visibility in a transitional lake is 7-12. Enriched (eutrophic) visibility is less than 7 feet. At the Lees Mills ramp, visibility is already down to 3-5 feet.

Moultonborough's action will be noticed by other towns, no matter which way the vote goes. No other town is even in the ball park of budgeting $200K and treating it as a town wide project. This could be the spark that unites the lake against the weed. If nothing else, it recalibrates people's thinking of the cost to do it right.

There are also warrants for steep slope construction restrictions and other run-off reduction to be voted on. This comes on the heals of the shoreline protection act, which is also designed to keep plant food out of the water. The town is looking at the whole picture, but putting in a sewer system isn't on the table. That kind of money just isn't available. The new rules about septic systems are pretty effective, but indeed, a sewer system would be nice.

Better water quality may be wishful thinking though. It depends on the non-shoreline owners of Moultonborough to vote for it. What is really needed is a "get-out-to-vote" effort for those who favor this funding. As the March town meeting approaches - expect to hear a lot of noise about that.

[SAMIAM]

This is a problem that needs to be tackled head on. I am not a shore property owner in Moultonborough, but the quality of our lake effects everyone and I'm glad to pay my share.
Every restaurant, store, shop and service business will feel the pinch if we allow the quality of the lake to deteriorate.

[ApS]

1) In South Florida's clear-running rainwater canals, milfoil can root in 20 feet of water. (Five days a week, a barge harvests big piles from all the canals, county-wide—it's trucked away—then starts all over again).

2) In Lake Winnipesaukee, it's rarely seen on rocky-bottomed locales that face the prevailing NW wind: where there's been clear-cutting, development, lawns, rapid runoff—plus the silting that results—milfoil can't help but flourish.

3) In Florida, I've always pulled the stuff, dried it and burned it. It burns hot, so maybe the pulled Milfoil can feed the Bridgewater Power Plant.

4) Septic Leachates contain the essentials for milfoil "food". (Phosphorus and Nitrogen). Phosphorus is largely regulated in detergents; however, Phosphorus is exempted by the Federal Government in dishwasher detergent.

(So you "Greenies", get out the sponge, "Dawn" and hot water—like me! ).

5) Nitrogen milfoil "food" is provided by septic leachates. (Anthropogenic Milfoil-Feeding—AMF?)

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

"...Back in the 70's and 80's there was an ambitious federal and state plan to have a sewer line around the lake..."

Reducing nutrients would reduce the rate of milfoil growth so, maybe, it's close to "shovel-ready"?

Where's our NH Congresswoman on this?

[flyguy]

Not taken in Moultonboro, but a typical example from elsewhere on Winnipesaukee. If it were to get any worse, the docks will become useless. What then happens to the property values?

[hancoveguy]

Great picture and a great example of what could happen... just out of curiosity where is this taken and when?

thanks

[Redwing]

My very wise 92 year old mother who lives in Arizona tells me that carp are used to control millfoil in small lake/pond in her retirement community. I found the attached article through a google search, and although it dates back to 1990, much of it is relevant and informational (and to be sure, much has been further researched since that time). Allow me to share, at the following link:

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/1990s/1990/900901.pdf

In any case, the article contains some interesting "food for thought" and I rather imagine (or would certainly hope) the powers that be in the state of New Hampshire have consulted with their counterparts in other states who are facing similar challenges with their respective bodies of water.

[LIforrelaxin]

Anybody ever stop to think, milfoil is mother natures way of trying to tell us something? Like maybe we are over developing and over using this wonderful resource.... All the development and nice homes are nice, but all the wonderful yards with green grass and beautiful flower beds come at a cost.... Not everyone follows the rules and use environmentally friendly fertilizers...

don't even get me started on beaches, even the perched ones that aren't supposed to be as intrusive.

I am not some earthy crunchy person or environmentalist with an agenda here folks, but the time has come and we are paying the piper..... controlling the milfoil is going to expensive and an ongoing battle for years to come.

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Anybody ever stop to think, milfoil is mother natures way of trying to tell us something? Like maybe we are over developing and over using this wonderful resource.... All the development and nice homes are nice, but all the wonderful yards with green grass and beautiful flower beds come at a cost.... Not everyone follows the rules and use environmentally friendly fertilizers...

don't even get me started on beaches, even the perched ones that aren't supposed to be as intrusive.

I am not some earthy crunchy person or environmentalist with an agenda here folks, but the time has come and we are paying the piper..... controlling the milfoil is going to expensive and an ongoing battle for years to come.

You are exactly right. The time has come to pay the piper, but it is not something to avoid, since we have already heard his tune. Once we decide to battle milfoil, we'll start figuring out the sources and think of ways to slow down the growth. Fertilizer scofflaws are part of the problem, but run-off from the entire watershed is also a problem. At this point, it is cheaper to fight the symptoms than fix the root problem. Similar to the climate problem and who knows, maybe part of it.

[phoenix]

i live in one of the areas with high Milfoil infestation. I have seen the growth since we bought tehehouse in 2003. Any one home owner can't solve the problem but if not solved I do think property values will drop and so won't taxes. We try to handle our own problems but when boats go by they cut the milfoil off further out on the water and the milfoil drifts in and if not adressed in a day roots and starts growing. So ( I am bias) but in the end if the town does nothing values will drop and taxes will get shifted to non lake front owners and boats owners and fishermen will avoid the north end of the lake and everyone will lose

[breathe easy]

Originally Posted by Redwing

My very wise 92 year old mother who lives in Arizona tells me that carp are used to control millfoil in small lake/pond in her retirement community. .

Asian carp themselves are an invasive species that are infesting major waterways and lakes and those folks are looking for ways to get rid of the carp.

[newbie]

Originally Posted by hancoveguy

Great picture and a great example of what could happen... just out of curiosity where is this taken and when?

thanks

Looks like Pickerel Cove several years ago, it has been treated with a herbicide and they have had divers manually pull over the last couple of years. Would be interesting to see the after photo to see what kind of effect a management plan has on the cove

[Long Island Baba]

The Moultonborough Milfoil Committee will give a presentation followed by Q&A on the effects that milfoil has on our waterways and our economy.

The meeting will be held at the Moultonborough Public Library on Monday, March 1st at 7pm.

Guests are:
Marc Ballard, Senior Biologist with Aquatic Control Technologies
Ken Marschner, Chairman of the Wolfeboro Milfoil Committee

Topics of discussion:

* What is milfoil and how does it spread?
* How can milfoil be controlled?
* How does milfoil affect our economy?
* How does milfoil affect your taxes?
* Why is the Moultonborough Milfoil Committee requesting a $200,000 Trust Fund at the upcoming Town Meeting?

More information on the subject of milfoil can be found at the Town of Moultonborough website under Conservation Commission.

http://www.moultonboroughnh.gov/Page...20Comm%20Index