[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by HUH

Whats blatantly obvious to me is that the states real reason behind the bill was revenue.. Acid rain is doing far more damage to the lakes in the northeast than runoff ever will.

My gut reaction to this is to disagree. While acid rain has an impact, the alkalinity buffering of the lake will likely keep the PH in balance for another few decades. Runoff from cleared shoreline areas reduces the flow buffer to the lake, so more water ends up in the lake, faster. More nutrients, more soil, more erosion. We've seen the lake level rise quickly several times over the past decade. With a better 250' buffer, that rise would be slower, and water that makes it to the lake will be cleaner.

My take on what the state is doing is that the DES has our best interests in mind. It wants to put in place rules to stop the biggest problems and it wants to charge enough in permit fees and fines to fund itself. Without people to process the permit and waver applications and to do field checks and audits, the lake quality will get worse. NH taxes by use, not by income or spending, so the fees make sense here.

I've been coming to the lake only a bit more than 25 years - others have much more time here. The quality of the lake has changed a lot over that time. There is more muck on the bottom, rather than clear sand. The depth that you can see is nowhere what it used to be. Acid rain tends to make the lake more sterile and clear. That's not what we are experiencing.


I'd like to see the DES take a water sample at each property that has an obviously fertilized lawn. We've all seen them. The lake is getting too many nutrients and the water plants are loving it.