Wolfeboro Waters subcommittee outlines testing, monitoring and expanded cyanobacteria work

The Wolfeboro Waters assessment subcommittee provided an update to the selectmen on June 4 detailing planned water-quality testing and monitoring projects.

Subcommittee members said volunteers perform much of the sampling and that the group uses equipment purchased by a private donor. Planned activities include increased stream monitoring to identify which tributaries contribute the most nutrients to local lakes, continued PCR analysis in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire to identify cyanobacteria species, and pilot testing of benthic mats and rock-surface slime for cyanotoxins using field test strips.

Why it matters: Identifying nutrient sources and cyanobacteria types helps prioritize remediation and informs beach and public-health advisories if toxic blooms occur. The subcommittee noted samples will help update watershed-management plans and that some towns and watershed partners will use flow meters to add streamflow data for Lake Wentworth and Crescent Lake watershed updates.

Implementation and partnerships: The subcommittee said it will continue coordinating with UNH for PCR testing, the Lake Winnipesaukee Association for Smith River sampling, and neighboring watershed groups for flow-meter deployments. The fire department has provided refrigerated storage for collected samples awaiting analysis.

Ending: The group invited residents with concerns or nearby streams to contact the subcommittee through town staff for assessment; the subcommittee will return with updates as testing results and streamflow data are collected.