Quote:
Originally Posted by Grant
Our family house (lakefront, not island) got its water from the lake for the entire 67 years we were there. My grandfather had a well dug (not drilled) but the water reportedly had an awful taste. As a kid, I remember drinking the lake water all the time -- without thinking twice. But that was a long time ago, and water quality has declined drastically since then. In later years, we went to bottled water for drinking, but still did everything else with lake water. I would get a cooler with the 5-gal bottles. Better safe than hit with giardiasis.
BTW -- the folks who purchased our place last fall have since drilled a well.
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I just heard of
giardiasis in this area last week; however, the case occurred in nearby
Lovell Lake, not Lake Winnipesaukee.
Years ago, we also drank directly from the lake. In about 1971, the NH Legislature announced that Lake Winnipesaukee water quality had declined to make it a "Class
B" lake. We then started getting post cards offering to test our water "free". Did the NH Legislature "kick-start" a brand-new industry—intentionally?
Upon that news from the Legislature, our drinking water was then drawn from a Wolfeboro public water spigot. (Abutting the Lakeview Cemetery, we nicknamed it "Cemetery Water").
Seasonally, we get newsletters from the Town
paraphrasing, here:
Quote:
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"Your Town water is treated in such a manner, that your Town water can introduce problems with trihalomethanes. (Below is a list of ranges of safety—please consider these numbers carefully").
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Last Saturday, my newest neighbor asked about
our drawing water from the lake. He is currently sharing a new drilled well with his new McMansion neighbor. His water has problems with radon, taste and smell. I related all the above, and I think he's going for the change-over to lake water.
Our area appears to have an abundance of cold springs upwelling into the lake—
artesian, maybe?—which could have as its source, the Ossipee Range of mountains. (Just like our
local bottled water).
From schlepping "Cemetery Water", we're back to lake water, but had problems with clumps of algae clogging the foot valve—and with rafters dragging their anchors and pulling up our waterline.
My engineer-friend (pictured—
with permission) designed a rock-and-concrete base, which draws lake water from about three feet above the bottom with dual intakes (against algae), all stainless steel parts—and about 50' out in 10' of water.
It's been in place about 30 years, and nobody's carried it off with their anchor—
yet! 