Quote:
Originally Posted by garysanfran
A neighbor of mine pointed out that the increased construction and building is causing a decrease in natural vegetation, which absorbs lots of rain, and thus increasing run-off.
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Absolutely right. I thought about that, but I think of the vegetation cycle on Welch Island where I am most familiar. At the turn of the century (1900) the island was mostly bare of the "big" trees DES likes to see in their shorefront plans. People used to go berrying there and sheep grazed on the island in the summer. That stopped, and, by the Hurricane of 1938 there was considerable vegetation growth, and, as with a lot of the land around the lake, the blow down was harvested. In the 50's lots were sold with 100' frontage. Many camps had gravity drains ending in dry wells between the camp and the shore. Of course, the outhouses were farther back, behind the camp so that was not an issue. Septic systems really started appearing after 1960 when PSNH brought power to the island and water could be pumped up grade to a septic/leach system. I remember an annual trek up to Green's Basin and Hansen's Cove. The expectation then was that there would be no development of any magnitude north of the Hole In The Wall. Just too far away from everything.
So, look at it all now. Blame it all on Eisenhower and his dream of an interstate highway system, with at least one mile out of five suitable for use as a runway in time of war. Fortunately, island residents are seasonal, so the runoff probably isn't as severe as it is where shorefront condos significantly reduce the ability of the land to absorb precipitation. C'est la vie.