SEPTEMBER 2024 - Spiny Naiad Extraction reportS

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Divers worked to remove spiny naiad from Country Pond July 22 - September 6. Extraction work is done for the season as the plants become too fragile to handle and disturbing them will only spread the seeds. Spiny Naiad growth was far more extensive than last season, extending into areas not found in the July survey. While the funding for treatment this season was used up, many areas of spiny naiad could not be removed due to time limitations and the extensive growth. The divers found plants in waters up to 10' whereas it was found mainly in shoreline areas last year. In all, 525 gallons of plant matter were removed this year compared to 79 gallons last year. Click the picture to the right to see the extraction reports for more details.

In 2023, NH DES asked for volunteers to submit fish caught in New Hampshire lakes and rivers to be analyzed for mercury content. A CPLA Board member caught and submitted eight fish from County Pond for analysis. The test results were just received.

The report flagged all the Largemouth Bass samples as having moderate to very high levels of mercury. According to FDA guidelines, the reported levels are in the “Choices to Avoid” category. 

NH DES has recommended limited consumption of fish from Country Pond due to mercury and PCBs for some time now, and these test results confirm that if you do plan to eat fish from Country Pond, you should limit consumption according to their guidelines and perhaps avoid eating Largemouth Bass altogether. Follow this link for fish consumption recommendations at Country Pond and other lakes and rivers across the state: 

https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/documents/2020-01/ard-ehp-25.pdf.

Follow this link for more information on the NH DES Fish Tissue Mercury Monitoring Program:

https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/documents/volunteer-mercury-guidance-header.pdf

Related links:

https://www.des.nh.gov/home-and-recreation/boating-and-fishing/fish-consumption

https://www.epa.gov/mercury/guidelines-eating-fish-contain-mercury

Wondering how the health of our local lakes and ponds compares to other areas of the state? On Saturday, June 10, Andrea LaMoreaux, NH LAKES President and Policy Advocate, will provide an overview of water quality trends in New Hampshire and how the lakes and ponds in Kingston and Newton compare. Then, she will take a deep dive into how the community can work together for clean and healthy lakes and ponds! Bring your ideas and questions! 

Hosted by Country Pond Lake Association (CPLA), the presentation will start at 9:30am at the Kingston Community Library. The presentation is open to the public, and anyone who enjoys fishing, swimming, or boating on our local lakes and ponds is encouraged to attend. CPLA will hold its annual meeting following the presentation. 

Andrea LaMoreaux joined NH LAKES in February 2007 and brings a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively work with volunteers, the ecology and health of the state’s lakes, and protecting and improving lake health. She coordinated the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Volunteer Lake Assessment Program for six years before joining NH LAKES.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Environmental Management degree in Water Resources from Duke University.

Amy Smagula, NH DES Limnologist/Exotic Species Program Coordinator, will present the Country Pond Spiny Naiad Long Term Management Plan and answer questions.  Click here for the meeting recording and here for answers to the Board's follow up questions.

Last summer spiny naiad, an invasive aquatic weed, was discovered in Country Pond through the Country Pond Lake Association (CPLA) Weed Watcher program and reported to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NH DES). Last fall NH DES conducted a survey of Country Pond and determined that this invasive weed was widespread throughout shallow areas of the lake. NH DES developed a Long-Term Management Plan to address the spiny naiad infestation in Country Pond, which was recently published and shared with CPLA.  

The plan outlines various treatment options and anticipated outcomes. It proposes that implementation start in July 2022 with a second survey of the lake to confirm the presence and extent of the spiny naiad infestation.  

June 2021 -  Our first Watershed Management Plan Implementation meeting with Sally Soule of NH DES is set for Wednesday, June 9 at 7:30 pm.
 

Now that the WMP is nearly complete we have the opportunity to apply for grants for projects that will help reduce phosphorus in Country Pond. Sally will describe the grant application process and some of the projects that the WMP team identified during their research. We are looking for YOUR input to decide which projects we should focus on first.
 

This meeting is not just for CPLA members, it is for anyone with an interest in Country Pond water quality. Please tell all your neighbors and friends that they are encouraged to attend, especially those who own or manage lake front property. 

Miss the meeting?  Please use this link to the recording of the Zoom meeting.

October 2020 - Now that summer 2020 is behind us and the days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer, we want to give our CPLA members and friends a summary of what we accomplished this past summer.

NH LAKES Lake Host Program

Our second year of the Lake Host Program was a busy one! There was a general increase in boat traffic this summer, most likely because Country Pond provided fantastic COVID-safe recreation options.

We owe the success of this year’s program to our dedicated volunteers, our paid Lake Hosts, member contributions, financial and administrative support from NH LAKES, and funding from the town of Newton.

As a result, our Lake Hosts performed 219 inspections, more than triple the 67 inspections done in 2019. Over 15% of the boats arriving at the ramp came from lakes with exotic species infestations like milfoil. It is important that we continue to protect Country Pond with this program. CPLA wishes to expand the Lake Host program in 2021 with more paid and volunteer hours.

Vice President Jennifer West contributed many hours as Lake Host Coordinator and was assisted by Program Coordinator Pat Masterson. Their time and experience were key to building this program. Our terrific volunteers Sue Zipkin, Ray Madore and Tina Dion put in many hours at the ramp. We totaled 107 volunteer hours for this summer. NH LAKES grants are based in part on the number of volunteer hours so not only did our volunteers give their time, they also “earned” CPLA credit towards next year’s NH LAKES grant.

Funding for our paid employees came from NH LAKES ($1,750 grant), the Town of Newton ($1,000 from warrant article), and the Newton Recreation Commission ($200). The remainder was paid by CPLA member contributions ($1,253).

We are grateful to the Newton voters who supported our funding request for this year’s program and will soon be circulating a petition to request more funding for next summer’s program.

VLAP

This year we expanded the VLAP program to include additional sampling to provide more data for the Watershed Management team. We thank VLAP Team Coordinator Alicia Geilen for her time and professional expertise as an environmental scientist in managing the sampling and reporting for this important program, Board member Bill Cashin for providing his boat and building test equipment, both Alicia and Bill for transporting samples to Concord, and the Kingston Conservation Commission for funding our laboratory costs and purchasing test equipment.

Thanks to the Kingston Conservation Commission’s funding and Bill's efforts, we no longer share sampling equipment with other lake associations, eliminating the possibility of cross-contamination. Our VLAP program is providing important data for developing a Watershed Management Plan, and the plan is a key requirement for Country Pond to be considered for future NH DES grants and projects.

Weed Watchers

Our Weed Watchers, led by Board member Tobi Howell, were on the lookout for invasives throughout the spring and summer. Tobi is pleased to report that there are no new infestations at this time, however the number of Chinese mystery snails seem to be on the rise in several locations. Also, there was a possible sighting of spiny naiad near the Northwest inlet once again in the early fall. Wrapping up his second year as a Weed Watcher and first year as program manager, Tobi is our go-to person for questions about aquatic plants and animals. When in doubt he relies on Exotic Species Program Coordinator Amy Smagula at NH DES to answer questions about whether a plant is native or invasive.

Fundraising

Sue Zipkin and the Wilders Grove Cottage Owners’ Association came through for CPLA once again with a raffle basket that earned us $630. We are grateful to them for pulling the raffle together again this year, as COVID put an early end to any plans CPLA had wanted to make for a lake-wide event that everyone could attend.

This year’s CPLA hats sold out fast - if you don’t have yours yet, we still have a couple left and are working on ideas for next year’s merchandise.

2021 Calendars

Marie Sapienza is now offering a Country Pond Calendar with her beautiful photographs, with 50% of profits going to CPLA. You can purchase a calendar on this page at lulu.com.

Watershed Management Plan Update

The Horsley Witten Group consulting firm has completed its study of Country Pond and updated the 2011 TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load of Phosphorus) estimate. 

The results show that less phosphorus is entering Country Pond annually than originally estimated. The original TMDL estimated that a 52% reduction in phosphorus would be required to prevent cyanobacteria blooms, while the updated TMDL estimates that a 21% reduction is required. This is a more achievable goal but making a substantial change in the amount of phosphorus entering Country Pond will require a significant amount of work over the next several years. 

This winter NH DES, the Rockingham Planning Commission and CPLA will work on the final version of the Watershed Management Plan. Once it is completed, we will be able to work on grant applications for the remedial projects recommended in the plan. To apply for grants for any project the group will first need to receive matching funds from the towns of Newton or Kingston, as well as landowner permissions where applicable.

UPDATE June 2019 - Drinking water test results are now available from the wells that were sampled in May.  Click here to see the results map.

June 2019 - Country Pond Lake Association held its Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 1. The meeting featured a presentation and discussion of the recent findings of PFAS contamination at the Ottati & Goss superfund site, an update on the watershed management plan, an overview of our 2018 VLAP water testing results and a business meeting.

Ottati & Goss PFAS testing

Last winter the Ottati & Goss Superfund site, which borders the western edge of Country Pond between the Lone Tree Scout Reservation and Country Shore Camping Area, was tested for PFAS contamination and high levels of the chemical were found in the groundwater test wells on the site. In May the EPA conducted surface water testing in the tributaries near the Superfund site and at the Country Shore Campground and Lone Tree Scout Reservation.

Jim Brown, EPA Project Manager for the site, presented the results of these tests and fielded questions from attendees. The initial results showed that while PFAS levels in some locations within the tributaries were higher than the current limit for drinking water, they were within the limit considered safe for recreation. The surface water results at Country Shore Camping Area and the Lone Tree Scout Reservation were considerably lower. The EPA has also tested well water at several adjacent properties with results pending. Mr. Brown remarked that while the initial results were encouraging, he will propose that the EPA conduct further testing in the summer to determine whether PFAS levels change in dry conditions. 

Robin Mongeon and Michael Summerlin, Civil Engineers with NH DES Hazardous Waste Remediation Bureau, also attended the presentation.

Click here to view the surface water test results and other presentations from the meeting.

 Watershed Management Plan

Sally Soule, Coastal Watershed Supervisor for NH DES, discussed the upcoming watershed management study, which is contracted with the Horsley Witten Group. Work is expected to begin in June and will continue through the summer of 2020.

2018 VLAP Results

VLAP Coordinator Alicia Geilen presented the NH DES summary report of our water test results for 2018. Although total Phosphorus levels were lower than they had been in some previous years, Alicia emphasized that seasonal variations do occur and that is it important to look at long-term trends. She did note that conductivity levels were significantly higher than the state average, and this may be the result of road salt.

Association Business Meeting

President Greg Senko presented a recap of the year’s activities and Treasurer Jennifer West gave a financial overview, followed by election of officers. The election results are: Gregory Senko, President (term ending 2021), Sue Zipkin, Secretary (term ending 2021). The office of Vice President remains open.

Silent Auction

CPLA would like to sincerely thank Tully Zipkin for Global Integrated Technologies’ generous bid of $200 in the silent auction of Marie Sapienza’s beautiful framed photograph of Country Pond.