Greens Basin

[Old Hubbard Rd]

Took a awesome ride with the family to Greens Basin on Tuesday. It was our 1st trip there. I had always heard that it was a very difficult manuvering in this area. I found it really easy. The big question I have for all you super smart people is Why is the water in Greens Basin brown?? When driving thru I noticed the water shooting from my prop was brown/orange.

[KTO]

Originally Posted by Old Hubbard Rd

Took a awesome ride with the family to Greens Basin on Tuesday. It was our 1st trip there. I had always heard that it was a very difficult manuvering in this area. I found it really easy. The big question I have for all you super smart people is Why is the water in Greens Basin brown?? When driving thru I noticed the water shooting from my prop was brown/orange.

I think its because its just so far out of the way. Not a whole ton of fresh water is being mixed with it and its not as open like the main body of the lake. You'll notice that the water starts changing as you get near Nineteenmile Bay and gets darker as you go up Mboro bay.

The same effect happens in back bay of Wolfeboro, too, where the water is just sitting separated from the main lake. But then there's Lakeport, where the water is still (when churned by the prop) that bright green color. Probably because the water is at a constant flow through Paugus Bay and over the dam.

Not sure if that's correct, but that's what I've always thought.

[Overlake97]

See subject line.

Thanks.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Overlake97

See subject line.

Thanks.

It's as far past Moultonborough Bay as you can go.In fact,it comes pretty close to connecting back to the main lake at Salmon Meadow Cove on the other side of the "neck".

[TomC]

My place is up that way, and I asked around about this phenomenon before I bought it . It was explained that the effect was from tannins leaching into the water from leaves, coupled with the lack of mixing with fresh water as mentioned earlier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin

In the "brown wake" areas, the bottom of the lake will be seen to have rotting leaves/muck on it, while the "green wake" areas will be seen (generally) to have a rocky bottom.

[Lakegeezer]

From I remember reading, Greens Basin was its own pond before the state raised the water level in the 1800's. Does it have any inflow from streams or is it spring fed?

[No-Mo-Shun]

Back about 1951, some pals and I left Lake Shore Park in our runabouts (4 of them ) and headed for Green's Basin. It was the furthest distance we could go on the lake. It began to rain, so we pulled into Melvin Village and stayed the night in a house that was under construction on the beach. It belonged to friends of my parents. The next morning we went into Green's Basin. As I remember, it required some careful piloting to get in there without hitting a rock. There were only one or two cabins there in 51 and we went skinny dipping. I remember jumping off a high rock into the water. Fifteen years ago, I returned and was surprised to see the construction there now. I don't remember any brown water but, it was a very isolated and beautiful spot way back when.

[winnipesaukeenh]

Green's Basin is a great place to visit. Not hard to navigate at all...a little narrow on the way up there but that's about it.

[skprbob]

TomC is right. The tannic acid is leached out of pines mostly, and shows up in areas where the water circulation is less - areas such as upper Moultonborough Bay, lower Alton Bay, etc. In fact, the vast majority of smaller lakes and ponds in NH are "brown" for that reason. The "green" lakes are Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, Squam, Newfound, and Sunapee. No surprise that they are the five largest.