Consultant asks Jaffrey Conservation Commission to endorse Gilmore Pond watershed grant amid rising phosphorus and turbidity

Mindee Goodrum of FB Environmental presented a near-final watershed report for the Gilmore Pond Association, telling the Conservation Commission the pond is showing increases in phosphorus and turbidity that the report ties to stormwater runoff and possible septic-system issues. The Association is pursuing a 40% Watershed Assistance grant from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to fund drainage and erosion fixes and asked the commission for a letter of endorsement and a commitment of volunteer labor.

Commission Chair Tom Ahlborn-Hsu and Select Board representative Andy Lawn agreed to send a letter of endorsement to association contact Mike Lichter and to follow up with town staff on an identified infrastructure concern: a culvert on Sandy Lane that Lichter said needs repair. Goodrum described the report as near-final and focused on actions to reduce pollutant inflow and stabilize shoreline runoff.

The presentation included technical findings the commission cited as rationale for supporting the grant request: rising phosphorus and increased turbidity in Gilmore Pond, driven in part by runoff events that convey detritus into the waterbody. The commission did not take a formal funding vote but committed to submit an endorsement letter and to provide volunteer assistance if the association secures the DES grant. Lawn said he would follow up with town staff about the Sandy Lane culvert.