Healthy Swimming Mapper: des.nh.gov

[fatlazyless]

Hey there on June 16, 2023, it ....... http://www.des.nh.gov/water/healthy-...wimming-mapper ..... looks like the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has a new look on their swimming, water quality page for alerts and advisories regarding fecal bacteria and cyanobacteria.

Locally in the lakes region of New Hampshire:

Lake Winnisquam, New Hampshire's fourth largest lake at 4214-acres has an ALERT for cyanobacteria as of June 14, 2023,

Lake Wentworth, cyanobacteria WARNING, June 14, 2023,

Lake Kanasatka, cyanobacteria WARNING, June 2, 2023.

June 16, 2023: Corcoran's Pond, a 7-acre dammed pond with a very well groomed sandy town public swim beach in Waterville Valley has a fecal bacteria advisory and it now has two bright yellow signs posted into the sand at the water's edge that say "the water is unsafe for wading or swimming" so most likely Lake Winnisquam, Wentworth, and Kanasatka also have similar yellow warning signs posted into their water's edge, somewhere. Corcoran's Pond is fed by Snow's Brook and there's almost always water running over the dam. Blame it on the Canada geese, or the ducks or the black bears up the brook, or some other source?

Here is Corcoran's Pond and the Snow's Brook walking trail and town square area ...... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm-2Mh3pyT8 ...... Waterville Valley, NH ... summer-2022 ... 9:35 .... with the BAAR Family.

July 7, 2023: so, these two NH-DES bright yellow advisory signs with a fecal bacteria warning remain in place on the Corcoran's Pond sandy beach, at the water's edge since June 16 ..... how long will they be there? ..... and I have not seen even one person go wading or swimming, into the 7-acre town resort pond, since the signs were posted on June 16. With all the recent rainfall and so much water running over the dam, the surface water on Corcoran's Pond looks extremely clear, clean and free of any muck or any pond scum. The kayak-canoe-sup-pedal boat rentals, run by the town, is staffed, open and available at about $20/hr regardless the fecal bacteria warnings but it seems like the rental boat business has been very much diminished due to the two fecal bacteria advisory sign posts which remain in the sandy swim beach at water's edge.

Hey there WinnisquamZ ...... any chance you can post a photo showing the orange warning signs that's probably posted into the sand at Bartlett Beach, Lake Winnisquam in Laconia.

When you click a specific lake or pond on the Healthy Swimming Mapper map, it now shows the most recent sampling results in specific measurement and the date when it will get resampled.

[fatlazyless]

Hey there ........ you know this newly revised, 2023, NH-DES ....... Healthy Swimmer Mapper for New Hampshire lakes, ponds, rivers, and ocean waters has a whole lot of depth, and is loaded with pertinent information. It now includes high-quality color photographs of the specific cyanobacteria and fecal bacteria that is the cause for posting a local swim area as "unfit for wading and swimming."

There is a woman who works at the NH-DES who drives all around New Hamphire in a small white suv with NH-DES lettered on the two doors who will visit, unannounced the many different lake, ponds, river, and ocean swim areas for water testing. When it tests positive she posts these orange warning signs into the waters edge on a 42" wood stake similar to a snowplow, driveway stake.

She has a big hammer for pounding the wood stakes into the ground, and that small white DES suv is loaded up with stakes, signs, and testing equipment needed to keep the Healthy Swimmer Mapper ........ http://www.des.nh.gov/water/healthy-...wimming-mapper ...... up to date, and accurate.

In my opinion it is somewhat unusual for these fecal bacteria and cyanobacteria results to be showing in in the middle of June. Over the last few years, similar results have not been happening until the last week of July or later but that's just my opinion and I do not really know?

[Wentworth06]

Yes, usually we don’t see this till it warms up ,gets hot our. Can anyone explain why with cool ,rainy weather this has started. The old camp Septic systems have mostly been replaced and I feel people really do watch the fertilizer . So what’s the story with this. I know a lot of others are wondering the same thing.

[WinnisquamZ]

Maybe it’s always been around. But, today’s technology allows for more eyes and noses. Everyone and everything is being watch!


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[webmaster]

Sorry, I can't resist.

Here's FLL raising awareness of this issue way back at ForumFest 2011 :

[tis]

Originally Posted by Wentworth06

Yes, usually we don’t see this till it warms up ,gets hot our. Can anyone explain why with cool ,rainy weather this has started. The old camp Septic systems have mostly been replaced and I feel people really do watch the fertilizer . So what’s the story with this. I know a lot of others are wondering the same thing.

I am one of those wondering the same thing.

[tis]

Originally Posted by WinnisquamZ

Maybe it’s always been around. But, today’s technology allows for more eyes and noses. Everyone and everything is being watch!


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

That could be part of it too. I know the geese certainly don't help and they didn't used to be around. I never saw an animal that can well, go, so much!!!!

[fatlazyless]

That was me back in summer-2011 when it seemed like there were just a few Canada geese on Lake Winnipesaukee. Now, in the summer-2023, it seems like Lake Winnipesaukee has become a go-to place for the Canada geese with many more geese making Winnipesaukee their summer home, many more than twelve years ago.

To really see, up close, how much goose poop the Canada geese produce, suggest you go walk the green grass, Lake Winnipesaukee shoreline park area in Meredith, close to the big stoplight intersection that is Hesky Park and Clough Park and belongs to the Town of Meredith. All that mowed and trimmed green grass is just like a McDonald's take-out window for the .... http://www.wildlifehelp.org/animals/...e/canada-goose ..... Canada geese. It's where they want to be, munching on the neatly mowed, thick green grass which must have a lot to do with the fecal bacteria advisories from the NH-DES.

[pondguy]

Enough with the Cheez its then!

[SAB1]

Biggest contributors are fertilizers and septic runoff….combined with warm non - flowing water.

[tis]

Originally Posted by SAB1

Biggest contributors are fertilizers and septic runoff….combined with warm non - flowing water.

i agree with Wentworth06. Most of the septic systems have been improved and most people cannot don't use the fertilizer any more.

[Merrymeeting]

As highlighted by an expert speaking at a recent Lake Wentworth Watershed Association workshop, we need to start spending more time looking at the whole watershed. The focus for a long time has been on the shoreline properties. But increasingly studies show that much of the pollution comes from higher in the watershed.

For example, it's great if the shoreline property has upgraded their septic and stopped using fertilizer, but if 5 properties upstream have bad septics, their stuff ends up in the lake too. Not to mention farms, golf courses, etc. that are also in the watershed.

https://www.nhpr.org/2023-06-19/clim...ria-prevention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0UdbLhrGcU (start watching at 1:05:00)

[Grant]

Cyanobacteria blooms occur in the lake all year -- even when it's frozen.

The geese and their incessant pooping is another issue. They've taken hold and are actively nesting. If the state doesn't do anything about it, it will only get worse. They will render the lake un-swimmable if we don't knock the population WAY down.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by Grant

Cyanobacteria blooms occur in the lake all year -- even when it's frozen.

The geese and their incessant pooping is another issue. They've taken hold and are actively nesting. If the state doesn't do anything about it, it will only get worse. They will render the lake un-swimmable if we don't knock the population WAY down.

Agreed. Getting rid of their favorite feeding areas would help too. I.e., large lawn areas.

[SAB1]

Merrymeeting is correct and why I sighted fertilizer and septic. I however disagree….many still fertilize in close proximity to lake. Have seen it. That said runoff is a huger factor. For example a guy the fertilizes his lawn a couple hundred or more yards from the lake near a stream, creek or even a catch basin that dumps into the lake or a lake the feeds into Winni ….guess what that’s a factor. Attend a meeting for the Winnipesaukee Watershed Assoc and it’s an eye opener.

[Susie Cougar]

Originally Posted by SAB1

Merrymeeting is correct and why I sighted fertilizer and septic. I however disagree….many still fertilize in close proximity to lake. Have seen it. That said runoff is a huger factor. For example a guy the fertilizes his lawn a couple hundred or more yards from the lake near a stream, creek or even a catch basin that dumps into the lake or a lake the feeds into Winni ….guess what that’s a factor. Attend a meeting for the Winnipesaukee Watershed Assoc and it’s an eye opener.

Here, in Florida, we have fertilizer restrictions. No business or residence can use fertilizer that contains nitrogen or phosphorus between June 1 and September 30.
Maybe the lake should have such restrictions.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Susie Cougar

Here, in Florida, we have fertilizer restrictions. No business or residence can use fertilizer that contains nitrogen or phosphorus between June 1 and September 30.
Maybe the lake should have such restrictions.

There are restrictions here on the lake.

[Susie Cougar]

I live 25 miles from the ocean. You don’t have to be a waterfront property to be restricted. Everyone is because the runoff from our yard eventually makes it way to the ocean, the same way people miles away from the lake also add to the pollution. I believe most if not all of the counties in Florida have this restriction.

It’s just one suggestion.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by tis

There are restrictions here on the lake.

Yes, but they have proven to be fairly useless due to lack of enforcement. Just cruise around and take note of the many, lush, dark green lawns. No way they get like that here naturally. And the Canada geese love them!

[tis]

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

Yes, but they have proven to be fairly useless due to lack of enforcement. Just cruise around and take note of the many, lush, dark green lawns. No way they get like that here naturally. And the Canada geese love them!

I have to disagree. If you have a flat lot, it is wet underneath because of being at lake level and it gets pretty green without fertilizer. Maybe there aren't a lot of flat lots though. Also, it seems a majority of people on the lake have a service and they do NOT want to get in trouble for using fertilizer. I know we could argue this forever but if you have seen the amount of crap the geese leave, you would not want them in the lake.

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by pondguy

Enough with the Cheez its then!

No, I quit with that about three years ago ...... too expensive ...... it was just one individual goose named Canada that had an aluminum band on its leg with a six digit number starting with the number 3. That goose could eat like a horse and could eat an entire three-dollar box of Cheez-it Originals over about eight hours, time.

At first a Canada goose does not recognize a Cheez-it Original as food. Cheez-its will float and can be thrown just like a Frisbee for about 30' or so. Just one bite into that cheezie, salty Cheez-it Original and a Canada goose instantly becomes very very engaged with eating it and will repeatedly return to the same location for days, looking for another Cheez-it.

It was Cheez-it Original ....... Canada Goose L-O-V-E ...... at the very first bite ...... viva le Canadien oie (goose) ....... is a very powerful bird, able to fight off a bald eagle and the eagle and the goose weigh about the same.

[fatlazyless]

You know I would be swimming about 125-yards, this morning, June 23 in Corcoran's Pond, making a triangle route from shore to dam to shore, to the big rock, around the large swim raft in the middle of the pond except for the two yellow fecal bacteria warning signs posted into the shoreline on the town sandy beach by the NH-DES. "... the water is unsafe for wading or swimming" is what the two yellow signs say. The water temperature is estimated by me to be about 66-degree right now. I wear an O'Neill thermo top under a thin wet suit, swim vest with a foam noodle, swim belt for drowning safety in the cold water plus a hat and do the surface breast stroke.

Today is June 23, 2023. Information from clicking on the NH-DES Healthy Swimming Mapper reports that Corcoran's Pond was initially posted for fecal bacteria on June 15, resampled on June 21, with next resample on June 26, with new results shown on the Healthy Swimming Mapper on June 27, four days away.

Corcoran's Pond is a 7-acre resort pond with a dam, belongs to the Town of Waterville Valley which has a large, well groomed sandy beach that is open to anyone and everyone for free, with plenty of nearby free parking. This includes you!

In addition to swimming, the town runs a small boat, rent by-the-hour business with a fleet of about 25 kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards, and six 4-5 person colorful pedal boats. Boats rental use is still available at this time while the pond appears to be closed to swimming with the two yellow warning signs posted into the sandy beach. I have not seen even one person wading or swimming since the two yellow DES signs got posted into the shoreline sand on June 15.

It is an extremely scenic 7-acre pond surrounded by a wooded shoreline, nearby mountains .... www.waterville.com .... and the white three-story commercial buildings at the town square and town dock plus the large indoor ice skating arena.

While there have been maybe two or four Canada geese that I have seen in recent weeks and months in Corcoran's Pond, that is a relatively small number so it is unknown to me what is causing the fecal bacteria? It is not a pond that attracts a large number of surface ducks and geese. It will have a small number, maybe six or eight birds, total, on the 7-acre water surface at any one time. So, what is causing the fecal bacteria to be present in Corcoran's Pond?

About three days ago the Waterville Valley Fire Dept was shooting a large stream of water from a fire truck way up into the air and into the waters of Corcoran's Pond. Whether or not that had anything to do with trying to eliminate the fecal bacteria is unknown to me?

[ishoot308]

https://www.ohiogeesecontrol.com/the...-on-your-pond/

Dan

[Merrymeeting]

We never have Canada geese on our section of the lake. There are also no properties with lakefront lawns anywhere near here. Draw your own conclusions.

[fatlazyless]

Here's four photographs that show Corcoran's Pond, the beach and its' dam getting embankment reinforced with flexible concrete mats and other dam improvements in 2019 ...... http://www.kingsburyco.com/projects/...kment-armoring .... pond, dam, embankment, town dock, and some other areas belong to the town ...... for $449,204 (what it says). There's almost always, like 95%-time, water to be flowing over this dam, fed at the opposite end of this pond by large Snow's Brook which must help to flush out the fecal bacteria.

[tis]

Many years ago there was a lady who started feeding a couple of geese that came to her yard in downtown Wolfeboro. She had no idea what she was doing and the geese started over wintering and soon grew to 7. Then t0 20 something. Now you see where they are. We never had geese around before that.

[fatlazyless]

Leavitt Town Beach, Meredith, NH, Lake Winnipesaukee just south of the Meredith/Center Harbor town line is listed for a cyanobacteria warning, today, on June 23, 2023.

Wait and see how long this NH ...... http://www.des.nh.gov/water/healthy-...wimming-mapper ..... DES .... warning remains in place? Hopefully, the forecast next six days of rain starting tonight and continuing through June 24-25-26-27-28-29 will wash that cyanobacteria away, away and away!

Up through 2022, Leavitt Beach .... www.theswimguide.org/beach/7617 ..... was open to anyone, but starting this year, 2023, it is for Meredith property tax payers only who have a facility sticker for the town transfer station on their car lower right windshield.

The description in the DES Healthy Swimming Mapper has a bloom description that says "Green specks and streaks on the water's surface observed in Blackey Cove."

Initial Cyanobacteria identified: Dolichospermum ...... www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/707293

[SAB1]

I think the rain may actually make it worse Les. Runoff just adds to the problem. Anywhere changes to the landscape creates issues. Cut down trees and make a parking for example whether gravel or tar and the water runs off whereas the trees and fauna used to soak it up.

[FlyingScot]

Lake Winnipesaukee Association is analyzing and fighting this stuff every day. I recommend membership, donations, volunteering if you want to pitch in. While it's true that many people are more careful, our increased development and air temperatures keep pushing cyanobacteria up. LWA sent a notice on this to members today on Blackey's Cove.

https://www.winnipesaukee.org/

[fatlazyless]

Here's what causing the fecal bacteria at the Corcoran's Pond town beach ... www.waterville.com ... swim area. It is Mallard ducks that must have flown in from somewhere. They were having a feeding frenzy, or something? Tonite, after dark at about 9:15-pm, there were 45-50 Mallard ducks, males and females all lined up along the water's edge on the sandy beach running in and out of the water, apparently trying to catch something present in the water, something to eat?

Have never seen so many ducks in Corcoran's pond like that? But there they were, and it's an easy conclusion to assume the ducks are doing it, and the reason why the beach is posted with two yellow, NH-DES fecal bacteria warning signs first installed on June 15.

So, what's the fix for all these ducks, here, looking to eat a natural food source(?) present in the shallow water, there? Ducks like that probably create duck itch .... www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimmer%27s_itch ..... in the shallow water, as well as fecal bacteria.

Have you ever had a bad case of the duck itch? Well, I have and it can be really really itchy b-a-d in a shallow water area where there's a lot of water movement like incoming waves to stir up the parasite from under the small rocks.

[fatlazyless]

Here's something interesting ...... the Waterville Valley D.P.W. Dept has today, June 24, hung a 3/4-hp electric ice-eater from the bridge above the dam, and it is moving the water presumably to disturb the pond water close to the town beach, and lower the levels of fecal bacteria so these two yellow signs from the NH-DES will be removed by the DES.

Is the same ice-eater used in the winter to control and eliminate ice build-up close to the dam. In the winter it creates open water. And now in the summer, is being used to splish-splash the pond water and hopefully help to eliminate the fecal bacteria.

Walking on the sandy beach this morning, there were many different feathers on the sand left there from the 45-50 Mallard ducks from last night at 9:15-pm. Any duck poop or urine was not obviously visible as it probably dissipated into the loose sand on the beach, very close to the water.

If this pond was a pool or a hot tub, chlorine powder sanitizer would be used to quickly eliminate the fecal bacteria because chlorine is a very strong and fast acting cleaner. So, why not just dump some chlorine powder sanitizer off the bridge, into the ice-eater water splish-splash and let the chlorine do its thing on the fecal bacteria? 25-lbs of chlorine powder sanitizer to the rescue in Corcoran's 7-acre Pond will most likely make all the fecal bacteria disappear and fast at the swim beach. It will send that no-good duck itch parasite straight to parasite hell!

Chlorine powder sanitizer is what gets used in a pool or a hot tub so's why not in this www.waterville.com resort pond? Chlorine sanitizer to the rescue!

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Here's something interesting ...... the Waterville Valley D.P.W. Dept has today, June 24, hung a 3/4-hp electric ice-eater from the bridge above the dam, and it is moving the water presumably to disturb the pond water close to the town beach, and lower the levels of fecal bacteria so these two yellow signs from the NH-DES will be removed by the DES.

Is the same ice-eater used in the winter to control and eliminate ice build-up close to the dam. In the winter it creates open water. And now in the summer, is being used to splish-splash the pond water and hopefully help to eliminate the fecal bacteria.

Walking on the sandy beach this morning, there were many different feathers on the sand left there from the 45-50 Mallard ducks from last night at 9:15-pm. Any duck poop or urine was not obviously visible as it probably dissipated into the loose sand on the beach, very close to the water.

If this pond was a pool or a hot tub, chlorine powder sanitizer would be used to quickly eliminate the fecal bacteria because chlorine is a very strong and fast acting cleaner. So, why not just dump some chlorine powder sanitizer off the bridge, into the ice-eater water splish-splash and let the chlorine do its thing on the fecal bacteria? 25-lbs of chlorine powder sanitizer to the rescue in Corcoran's 7-acre Pond will most likely make all the fecal bacteria disappear and fast at the swim beach. It will send that no-good duck itch parasite straight to parasite hell!

Chlorine powder sanitizer is what gets used in a pool or a hot tub so's why not in this www.waterville.com resort pond? Chlorine sanitizer to the rescue!

I'm not sure if you're serious of kidding. It would be a very bad idea to dump chlorine into the pond--it would kill other living organisms that are necessary to keep the pond healthy.

[Susie Cougar]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

I'm not sure if you're serious of kidding. It would be a very bad idea to dump chlorine into the pond--it would kill other living organisms that are necessary to keep the pond healthy.

I have liquid chlorine for my pool now in Florida, but when I was in Delaware we had the powdered chlorine for sanitizing. We would put in about 3 pounds at a time for a 25,000 gallon pool.

Even if this were a good idea and you wouldn’t be destroying the pond in the process, 25 pounds would not even be close to the amount that you would need in a 7 acre pond.

[fatlazyless]

You know, as already mentioned, the fire dept had a truck down at the pond, last week, and was spraying water high up the air and out onto the pond, closer to the Snow's Brook inflow. They could jury-rig a device to add powdered chlorine into the water stream and spray it out onto the pond water and shock the 7-acre pond. Walmart or Ocean State Job Lot has big buckets of powdered swim pool chlorine.

http://www.watervillevalleynh.gov/ho...beach-advisory

Where there's a will, there's a way to send that no good duck itch parasite straight to parasite hell! (Just hum that old 1975 Jaws-movie .... www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX3bN5YeiQs .... theme song in your mind, right here.)

Seeing a big number of Mallards, 45-50 ducks, all lined up on the sandy beach like that, two nights ago on Friday at 9:15, trying to catch and eat something present in the water strongly points the blame at these ducks that flew in from somewhere. They left many small white downy feathers in the sand at the water's edge.

[tis]

Obviously somebody is feeding the ducks.

[fatlazyless]

No, nobody is feeding the ducks. The town has a number, maybe ten small signs posted on the bridge, beach, town dock and boat rental dock and probably other spots that say something like "Please do not feed the ducks! (No matter what they say!)" w/ a drawing of a duck family, a momma and poppa duck w/ 3 lil' ducks. No one is feeding the ducks.

As already mentioned by me, this 7-acre pond will usually have just a small number, maybe six ducks and geese on it. However, there were 45-50 Mallard ducks, there on Friday night, June 23 at 9:15. after dark, that were all running back and forth from the beach to the water and trying to catch something in the water, some natural food item for a duck. This big, 45-50 duck flock of Mallards flew in from somewhere, after dark, to feed, and they left a lot of small feathers on the town beach at the waters edge as I saw the next day on Saturday morning, yesterday.

This one big flock of 45-50 Mallard ducks plus a small number, say-5, of other ducks and Canada geese close to the inflow are all-together fowling or fouling the Corcoran Pond town beach area and pond water, or something.

Enough water flows into Corcoran's Pond from the Snow's Brook inflow that there's almost always water flowing through the pond, out and over the dam.

The NH-DES Healthy Swimming Mapper says that Corcoran's Pond beach gets resampled on Monday, June 26, with new results out on Tuesday, June 27. Do they sample the sand on the beach or the water in the pond or both areas or what?

......... two promotional photos of Corcoran's Pond, a 7-acre dammed-up pond section in a flat area on Snow's Brook ..... dug out by Tommy Corcoran sometime about 1984 .... http://www.arrivalguides.com/en/Trav...ran-pond-43541 .... who personally dug it all out, all by himself with an $8.99 long handle shovel from Rand's Hardware! ....... photo with bridge and road is indeed Corcoran's Pond ....... other photo with pedal boat is NOT Corcoran's Pond and is a phoney-baloney photo

The bridge in the true photo is a two-lane wide road bridge going over the inflow of Snow's Brook which is a large and steep brook with a very large drainage area between Snow's Mountain, Flat Mountain, and Noon Peak including Flat Mountain Pond that drains down Snow's Brook from Corcoran's Pond for maybe 300-yards, down into the Mad River.

[Susie Cougar]

FLL, I don’t know how to post a link to this article, but you need to check this out. It is called Mirada Lagoon and it is in Pasco County, Florida.

This is a man-made lagoon, the largest in the country. it is a 15 acre pond which is about twice the size of the pond that you are talking about.

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Hey there, it ....... http://www.des.nh.gov/water/healthy-...wimming-mapper ..... looks like the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has a new look on their swimming, water quality page for alerts and advisories regarding fecal bacteria and cyanobacteria.

Wednesday afternoon, June 28, 2023

Alton Bay town sandy beach, Alton NH is, today, now on the NH-DES Healthy Swimmer Map for a fecal bacteria advisory. This usually means the NH-DES installs two bright yellow warning signs, posted into the beach at the water's edge on a 42" wood stake, similar to a snow plow marker stake .... re-sampling 6/29 ..... new results 6/30.

Waterville Valley, Corcoran Pond town beach, has been on the NH-DES map for a fecal advisory advisory initially since June 15 and it continues to carry the advisory on June 28, 2023, which is 13-days time, so far ...... re-sampling 6/29 ...... new results 6/30.

Say hey ...... it will soon be July and summer will hopefully get here ...... isn't it time to get serious about eliminating the fecal bacteria advisory and go spread some powdered chlorine sanitizer all across the sandy beach where a big visiting flock of Mallard ducks like to leave their "business card" on the sand.

And, ditto this powdered chlorine for the very south end of Alton Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee on the waters edge sands of the Alton town beach!

You know the sandy beach is town property while the lake water is state property so it may actually be legal for a town to place chlorine powder on their sandy town beach and rake it in to the sand with a steel road rake to mitigate the duck poop that gets precipitated into the sand.

Hey there Waterville Valley and Alton, NH ....... go look for some small white feathers on the sand at the water's edge to indicate the night time presence of Mallard ducks.

[Juiced06GTO]

I did what I could to keep the goose population in check a few weeks ago while driving to work......they were crossing the highway, the car in front of me swerved and I had no where to go but through them all.......I felt horrible, but I guess not so bad after reading this thread!

We're up for our weekly vacation starting on the 8th, looks like we'll be swimming in the broads!

[John Mercier]

If you hit or injure one... just make sure to contact F&G.
They are a federally protected species.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

They are a federally protected species.

And I wish I understood why?!!

[John Mercier]

We have a migratory bird treaty.
And the animals are just reacting to human inputs.

Really not much different than me using clover all over my yard and seeing more deer.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

And I wish I understood why?!!

They really need to increase the bag limits during hunting season nationwide to keep them in control. Maybe an earlier season as well to get them flying south sooner!

Dan

[WinnisquamZ]

Agree. Increasing turkey and goose limit would be a start.


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[John Mercier]

We start in September.
And the bag limit at that time is 5. With 15 being the possession limit.

The problem is in spring and summer... and directly related to human changes in habitat.

If a landowner changes the habitat to be less hospitable... the geese move on to the next hospitable area and become that landowner's problem.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

The problem is in spring and summer... and directly related to human changes in habitat.

If a landowner changes the habitat to be less hospitable... the geese move on to the next hospitable area and become that landowner's problem.

Yes, the geese love open sandy beaches. Shoreline left with more natural planted conditions means less poop where you swim

[John Mercier]

Actually they like short grass.
If you go to Middleton Meredith late in the day; there is a large green space to the back of the property... roughly where they staged the Pond Hockey... it is full of geese that fly over the water bodies and then spot the feast laid out for them.

[fatlazyless]

7-acre Corcoran's Pond in beautiful Waterville Valley has had two yellow NH-DES signs that say "Unsafe for Wading or Swimming" for the last two weeks, since June 15.

This pond has almost zero Canada geese in it, maybe just 2-4 geese, but usually it has no geese. Last night it had a great blue heron positioned on a big rock that was carefully eyeing the water.

http://www.arrivalguides.com/en/Trav...ran-pond-43541 ...... the photo with the road and bridge is a good photo but the photo with the pedal boat is on some other pond, somewhere, not Corcoran's Pond.

On Friday, June 23 at 9:15-pm there was 45-50 Mallard ducks on the sandy town beach that flew in from somewhere that was running back and forth in and out of the water trying to catch and eat something.

The town has reinstalled the winter ice eater which makes splish-splash at the dam in an effort to eliminate the fecal bacteria. What it really needs is 100-lbs of powdered chlorine to eliminate the fecal bacteria.

June 30, 2023: The NH DES fecal bacteria advisory ...... http://www.watervillevalleynh.gov/ho...beach-advisory ..... for Corcoran's Pond town beach remains in place, resampled on June 28, with next sampling on July 6, and new results on July 7.

[fatlazyless]

www.twitter.com/NHDES/status/1674836443628294145 ....... Update June 30, 2023, 1:44-pm: The fecal bacteria advisory REMAINS at Alton Town Beach. Resampling July 5, new results July 6

So, what is happening at Alton Town Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee to cause this fecal bacteria advisory, and what's the town's approach to it? Do they close the beach or just leave the signs posted into the water's edge and let swimmers and waders chose whether to enter the lake water?

Sprinkling powdered chlorine onto the sandy beach, after removing any duck or goose "business cards" from the beach, and raking the white chlorine granules into the sand where it will react with moisture and water in the sand seems like a very acceptable thing-to-do from 50-60 years ago, back in the 1960's and 70's as a mitigation for the fecal bacteria. That's sure as hell what the heck I would do with a sandy beach, swim area situation that tests for fecal bacteria ...... you clean it up and out ...... with a bucket of powdered white chlorine and a steel road rake ...... and the chlorine will dissolve with the moisture into the grains of sand.

Doing nothing will not help the fecal bacteria situation. 7-acre Corcoran's resort Pond in Waterville Valley has had a fecal bacteria advisory since June 15 and the next DES sampling is not till July 6. You can lose the whole summer waiting for fecal bacteria to go away if you do nothing about it.

[John Mercier]

The chlorine is a terrible idea; so they will wait it out.
The ducks are there because of some food source... probably small fry or tadpole. Whatever the case, they will move on after the food source is depleted.

[Lakegeezer]

It is likely that the recent heavy rain has had an impact on the water quality. We've had over six inches in the past week, including two periods of 3" within 24 hours. That's like flushing the toilet. Heavy runoff erodes new spots, bringing new sources of nutrients to the lake. Add to that the extremely high water levels. New shoreline is exposed to natural and boat wake wave action, which brings new sources of sediment into the lake. Several mitigating factors. Poor weather in June has kept the boat traffic down, so bottom wash and shoreline erosion was less than it might have been. More interesting and less understood is the impact of a heavy dose of ocean sourced rain. Being heavier and of a different PH, a multi-inch dose falls through the water column and clarifies it. The column ends up cleaner for a while, but then the runoff arrives and balances the benefits. Geese, old septic systems, fertilizer, poor enforcement of shoreline rules and better reporting are all factors too. Best thing we can do is keep collecting data for analysis, educate people on best practices and do our own small part. Anyone that is close to or using the lake is helping to accelerate its aging. We can try to reduce the acceleration but that is about it.

[Susie Cougar]

There is an article in the Laconia Daily Sun this weekend that talks about cyanobacteria and what can be done to help control it.

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...1a8e9c113.html

[fatlazyless]

A photo showing a green cyanobacteria bloom floating at the water's edge...... http://www.twitter.com/NHDES_Beaches...17194247901184 ..... from one year ago, June 30, 2022, at Ellecoya State Beach, Lake Winnipesaukee, Gilford, NH.

By the way, Ellecoya State Beach is now open to stand-up paddle boards to left of the roped swim area. Who knows but maybe slapping that green cyanobacteria bloom with a long handle, paddle board paddle will totally deter, diminish, and demolish that green cyanobacteria ....... slap-slap-slap! ....... just go the heck away ....... you no-good cyanobacteria! ...... blech!

[Mr. V]

Were it up to me, I'd kill the birds and end the problem.

The Lakes Region depends on tourism, and the fecal bacteria issue negatively impacts dollars coming in.

[fatlazyless]

The biggest culprit has to be the Canada geese which have the ability to eat a lot of green grass, and seem to prefer short trimmed grass which has been mowed with a lawn mower. Hesky Park and Clough Park at the big stop light intersection in Meredith are covered with a lot of goose poop, and the Canada geese are frequently present, there, and seen while driving by in a car.

These geese need to go.

Canada geese, fecal bacteria advisories, Mallard ducks, cyanobacteria warnings, a cold 68-degree surface water temp on July 2, and so much high water levels ......... oh well???

[fatlazyless]

So's, I waded into the 67-degree, cold waters of Corcoran's Pond yesterday, July 5, about 4-pm, air temp 82 or so, warm & humid, ignoring the two NH-DES yellow signs posted into the beach since June 16 with fecal bacteria advisory.

A whole hell of a lot of water was just pouring over the dam, there, and presumably flushing out the pond and hopefully the fecal bacteria from all the recent rain fall.

Looking clean, and clear, the pond water was 67-cold, thermometer measured, with no visible pond scum on the surface that I saw.

This here pond and town public, sandy beach area is totally open to anyone and everyone, has lots of free parking, has decent and clean men's and ladies' rooms down in the basement of the town square, close to Olde Waterville Pizza.

A few people from over on the restaurants' side of the pond gave me a look like hey looky-there ..... someone is in the pond ..... despite the two yellow signs .... but I paid them no-attention and waded around the pond, neck deep, and walked around for a while.

The lady with the small white NH-DES suv is scheduled to return today, July 6 to retest the Corcoran's Pond water, testing positive for fecal bacteria since June 16. The new results go public tomorrow, July 7, so wait and see what happens with this three weeks long and growing, fecal bacteria happening.

I could see ZERO geese or ducks present on 7-acre, Corcoran's resort pond so the origin of this fecal bacteria problem must be a mystery?

This is such a good video ...... Corcoran's Pond and Snow's Brook walking trail with the BAAR Family - summer, 2022 ...... 9:35-time .....www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm-2Mh3pyT8 ..... that it's worth a second look.

[fatlazyless]

...... holy cowabunga ...... apparently after three weeks, from June 16 to July 7 .... the 7-acre Corcoran's Pond in Waterville Valley must have passed its most recent NH-DES ....... http://www.des.nh.gov/water/healthy-...wimming-mapper ..... test for fecal bacteria sampled on July 6 because the two yellow signs posted into the town beach have been removed, today!

I went swimming in there just now, swam about 100-yards and the water looks and feels very CLEAN and even somewhat warm at 68-69 degrees. Could be the recent heavy rain and inflow from Snow's Brook helped to clean it up, or something?

So, three cheers for the NH-DES Healthy Swimming Mapper and the woman from the DES who drives all across New Hampshire taking water samples from many different swimming locations.

Down there at the very southern end of beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, the Alton Town Beach is still on the NH-DES fecal bacteria advisory list, since June 28. So sorry for Alton! ..... ...... with its next DES resampling happening on July 10, and new results on July 11.

Alton Town Beach is the only area on Lake Winnipesaukee to be on the NH-DES Healthy Swimming Mapper as of today, July 7, 2023.

New Hampshire's Public Beach Inspection Program, 2023: http://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/...0-01/bb-48.pdf

[fatlazyless]

Ok ...... Saturday-July 15 ...... so's I have gone swimming three times in Corcoran's Pond since the NH-DES gave it the green light for swimming and the June 16 to July 7 fecal bacteria advisory signs were removed.

Well ...... ugh, and double ugh ...... now, I have itchy, red irritated eyes ..... and me-thinks it may have come from swimming in Corcoran's Pond, recently, like today, yesterday, and two days ago?

Off I go to get some medication for my eye problem-o! And henceforth, will swim the surface breast stroke without placing my face into the water, and keep my eyes out of the pond .... blah-blah-blah! ..... and double blah-blah-blah!! .....

.............

...... three hours later ...... a $12.98 Walmart Equate small eye drop bottle of Olopatadine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution USP, 0.2% Antihistamine, and I am pretty much a very happy camper with regard to my very itchy red eyes which were extremely annoying and irritating ...... so, where did this eye problem come from .......... helloooooo there Corcoran's Pond???

[fatlazyless]

Monday, July 17, 2023 ...... http://www.watervillevalleynh.gov/ho...an-pond-update ..... first sentence goes ...... "Great News!! Bacteria levels are lower and the fecal bacteria advisory has been REMOVED at Corcoran Pond."

So, what do I trust now that I have experienced a very bad case of itchy red eyes, now maybe 90% healthy again, but the very bad memory of the itchy eye irritation is strong in my mind, and a small amount of the eye itch still is present. For medication I have been using Equate Olopatadine Hydrochloride Opthalmic Solution USP, 0.2%, once/day early in the morning carefully dripped into both eyes and then during the day ....... Thera Tears, dry eye therapy, lubricant eye drops.

From June 16 to July 7 the town beach on Corcoran's Pond was posted with two yellow NH-DES fecal bacteria advisories.

And, I went swimming three different days, about 100-125 yards each time doing the surface breast stroke on or about July 12, 14 and 15 after the signs were removed and the pond water, safe to swim.

Do I trust the pond water is now safe, or do I stay away and go swimming in the very nice 74-degree outdoor pool at www.wmacwv.com or in Lake Winnipesaukee? Fpr me it is an easy decision what with all that itchy eye pain to simply stay out of Corcoran's Pond. Maybe I might wade in up to my waist on a very warm day or something, but it's not worth the pain and agony of the eye itch. So, SEE you sometime much later on, and Adios Amigo ...... Corcoran's Pond ....... so sad to say because Corcoran's Pond is a very nice scenic small pond with a wonderful town beach and swim area ..... is just too bad ..... ???

[lakeadoodle]

That's what happens when moron's like you feed the geese cheesits. You attract the birds to areas where they wouldn't normally go and defecate.

[fatlazyless]

No, I haven't Frisbee-tossed a Cheez-it original to that one friendly goose in over 3 years, and it was just one goose with an aluminum leg band with a 6 digit number starting with 3 that would sit for hours on a neighbors wood dock while his mate was sitting on their gosling nest, nearby, on Horse Island. Canada goose seem to prefer a wood dock as opposed to an aluminum dock for sleeping.

In March, April, and May, the female Canada goose was sitting on the large nest on the ground in the center of Horse Island while the male Canada goose wiles away the hours sleeping or doing nothing on a dock with a view to the nest, 100-yards away, and listening for any honking calls from the female.

On Corcoran's Pond it's maybe that flock of 45-50 Mallards that flew in one evening and were running in and out of the pond trying to eat some natural food item n the pond?

7-acre Corcoran's resort Pond doesn't usually get more than two Canada goose, and is usually zero? Canada goose are territorial so could be that a 7-acre pond is just big enough for one pair of geese. Canada goose .... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_goose ... are in a monogamous relationship which can last for 20-years until one goose dies then they start a new relationship with the female looking for a younger mate, or something.

Nine out of ten hungry Canada goose seem to prefer the mowed green, luxurious grass at Hesky and Clough Park in Meredith, down at that big Meredith stop-lights intersection.
..........................

Wednesday, July 19, 2023 ....... NEWS FLASH ....... http://www.des.nh.gov/water/healthy-...wimming-mapper ....... Corcoran's Pond Beach (on Corcoran's Pond) - Issued July 18 has once again ..... a fecal bacteria advisory warning with two yellow NH-DES signs posted into the beach close to the water ...... the fecal bacteria is back or something and maybe it never really left? ........ after the June 16 to July 7 fecal bacteria advisory, it's back starting on July 18.

Check out the new warning at www.watervillevalleynh.gov...... Corcoran Pond Update ..... that says in part ..... Beach Advisory ..... Posted as of Tuesday July 18th, 2023 @3:29pm ..... "High levels of bacteria continue to be present in the water at Corcoran Pond. NH Dept of Environmental Services has informed the Town that the water is still not suitable for wading or swimming. Exposure to this water may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. Children, the elderly and others with sensitive immune systems are especially vulnerable." " The water will be retested again on Thursday (7/20//23) by NH_DES and this notice will be updated."

For me personally, I recently went swimming in Corcoran's pond, three different times, going about 125-yards of surface breast stroke between the big rock, the town dock, the dam, and back to the big rock ..... in the cold 67-degree water ...... on or about July 12, 14, 15 and had wicked bad, red itchy eyes on Saturday and much worse on Sunday, July 16-17.

A $12.98 eye drops bottle of Walmart Equate Olopatadine Hydrochloride Opthalmic Solution USP, 0.2%, Antihistamine and Thera Tears eye lubricant is what worked very fast, like in one-two days for me to eliminate that nasty, dreadful, irritating red eye itch. You do not appreciate your healthy eyes until you go through suffering that irritating red eye itch ...... it was so itchy b-a-d.

[LoveLakeLife]

Originally Posted by lakeadoodle

That's what happens when moron's like you feed the geese cheesits. You attract the birds to areas where they wouldn't normally go and defecate.

The plural of moron doesn’t contain an apostrophe. I’ll stop right there.


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[fatlazyless]

Ellacoya State Park Beach (on Lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford NH) now has a fecal bacteria advisory issued on July 20, 2023.

www.twitter.com/NHDES/status/1682440085440962578 ....... http://www.nhstateparks.org/find-par...ya-state-park/

............

And, the latest fecal bacteria advisory for Corcoran Pond, Waterville Valley has been removed so it must have passed its July 20 water sample test.

Now, knowing what I know, and having suffered a very intense itchy red eye infection on Saturday-Sunday, July 15-16, presumably from swimming three different times in the supposedly safe-to-swim Corcoran Pond, not posted at that time ....... will I be returning to go swimming my 125-yards, there in the cold 68-degree water.

From http://www.watervillevalleynh.gov/ho...date-good-news ......"Posted as of Friday, July 21st, 2023 @1:20pm ..... GOOD NEWS!! The water test results from 7/20/23 indicate that the bacteria levels have dropped and the water advisory for Corcoran Pond has been lifted."

...... hmmmmm ...... I really like swimming there and have done it many times, maybe 50-different times in the last three years ...... so's it will be hard to resist returning for a swim after doing a 2-mile Mad River trail and town walk...... i dunno? ....... is a crazy tough decision to make? ...... good swim googles would be very smart for me to use! ....

[fatlazyless]

Ellacoya State Beach swim area HAS a fecal bacteria warning/advisory, sampled July 20, 2023 and posted on July 21 with yellow NH-DES signs posted into the beautiful 300' sandy beach at the water's edge, on the swim beach side of the park. The 300' sandy beach on the rv campground side, 37-rv sites w/hook-ups with a septic disposal transfer pipe system did NOT receive a fecal bacteria advisory. The 300' swim beach side of Poor Farm Brook, which got a fecal bacteria advisory has rest rooms on a septic system that has "issues."

www.twitter.com/NHDES/status/1682440085440962578 ...... http://www.nhstateparks.org/find-par...ya-state-park/ ... with resampling on July 24 .... and new results on July 25 ...... and today is officially Saturday, July 22, 2023.

This is the first time this summer of 2023 that Ellacoya has had a fecal bacteria advisory. I wonder if the park closes the water to swimming or lets people decide for themselves because this varies from town to town. Some towns will close a swim area when the NH-DES fecal bacteria advisory signs go up while other towns allow beach goers to swim as a personal choice.

"NH Dept of Environmental Services has informed the Park that the water is not suitable for wading or swimming. Exposure to this water may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, eye infection, or fever. Children, the elderly and others with sensitive immune systems are especially vulnerable."

I know that Waterville Valley closes their 7-acre Corcoran Pond swim area from swimming, while in Laconia at Weirs Beach on 45,444-acre Lake Winnipesaukee, when the yellow signs are there, posted in the sand, that swimming is an individual choice. Two Waterville Valley police officers hollered at me from across the pond on or about July 7, "the water is not safe so GET OUT, it gets tested every day" and I was only wading up to my neck without actually swimming.

You know ...... what, me worry? ...... hey, today is July 22. and I am going swimming, here, at dis dam beach ...... lemme tell ya!

So's how do they handle this NH-DES fecal bacteria advisory at Ellecoya State Park & Beach?
.....................

http://www.concordmonitor.com/Contam...aches-51618276 ...... July 14, 2023 ..... 'Fecal bacteria in state's beaches' by Sruthi Gopalakrishnan

Ellacoya State Park's swim beach area has a rest room facility with a septic system that has issues, and about six porta-potties are present at the rest room. So, does this have any effect on fecal bacteria in the lake water? Are bathers/swimmers doing it in the lake because they don't like the porta-potties, or something? Is it the 300' long, shallow water, roped swim area with a smooth sandy lake floor or the Canada goose, the Mallard ducks, the Merganser ducks, the Poor Farm Brook inflow, the human-people wading and swimming, or what ....... so's what's the scoop on this July 20, 2023 NH-DES fecal bacteria advisory at Ellacoya State Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee?

[fatlazyless]

It looks like the NH-DES Fecal Bacteria Advisory for the 300' sandy, swim beach side of Ellacoya State Park has been REMOVED, so it was relatively short lived. Testing positive for fecal bacteria from a sample taken on July 20, the advisory was removed today, July 25, from a sample taken yesterday on July 24.

I know that a lot of beach goers will ignore the yellow NH-DES advisory warning signs, posted into the sandy beach at the water's edge and hit the water as per normal. Typically most NH cities, towns and the State of NH are okay with this and consider the signs to be an advisory, and let people make their own decision whether to swim, or not to swim, and the hell with the yellow signs.

You know ..... what, me worry? ..... hey, today is July 25 and I am going swimming, here, at dis dam Ellacoya State .....http://www.nhstateparks.org/find-par...ya-state-park/ .... beach ...... lemme tell ya! ..... ..... this is a great time to hit the water, here on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee .... das right!

Maybe if Ellacoya could afford to get the septic system for their swim area rest rooms fixed, then visitors there will be more inclined to use the state park rest rooms as opposed to the shallow swim area.