Cyanobacteria Alert Issued for Blackey Cove (Moultonborough)

Descant · 11-13-2023, 01:42 PM

I thought we might have comments from 'headless" boaters as to how they deal with these issues when they spend the day at the bar. Posting "I don't go there" isn't informative to any solution, any more than claiming that "everybody does it."
I have to guess that the headless folks don't post in this discussion because they do exactly what they're accused of. But I never hear of anybody being sick after swimming at a sandbar all day.

If we test water at public beaches and pools routinely, should DES or HHS be testing at the sandbars? LWA takes samples all around. Perhaps they would test for the general health of the lake in these congested areas?

ishoot308 · 11-13-2023, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Descant

I thought we might have comments from 'headless" boaters as to how they deal with these issues when they spend the day at the bar. Posting "I don't go there" isn't informative to any solution, any more than claiming that "everybody does it."
I have to guess that the headless folks don't post in this discussion because they do exactly what they're accused of. But I never hear of anybody being sick after swimming at a sandbar all day.

If we test water at public beaches and pools routinely, should DES or HHS be testing at the sandbars? LWA takes samples all around. Perhaps they would test for the general health of the lake in these congested areas?

As a headless boater....first off I only deal with #1 issues...if it's #2 we are going to a mainland bathroom or back to camp... there is no other option!

For #1 issues, Reliance makes toilet waste bags that are great. We keep a simple 5 gallon home depot bucket on board with one of those toilet seats that fits on top. The reliance waste bag fits nicely inside and solidifies liquid waste for easy storage and disposal. The changing room on the pontoon works great... Use these same bags while ice fishing...

Dan

Descant · 11-13-2023, 05:24 PM

Thanks. I knew there had to be some creative solutions.

John Mercier · 11-13-2023, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Descant

Thanks. I knew there had to be some creative solutions.

You noticed that the #2 is back to the mainland or camp bathroom.
Many of the boats are not leaving the area all day.

It isn't like swimming at a beach where we learned our lessons and put bath houses with certified septic systems close by for quick access.

Which is why they also notice the problem at Bayside. Years ago, the Boy Scouts and then other organizations would develop Tread Lightly and finally Leave No Trace. A cathole 6-8 inches deep at least 200 feet from surface water at one time was possible without all the developed land around the lake.

It now takes extraordinary measures packing out waste... that people aren't likely to do.

ITD · 11-13-2023, 05:32 PM

This isn't good for the lake.

From the Center Harbor Fire Department Facebook page:

Quote:

November 10

At 2:25 this afternoon, Center Harbor firefighters responded to assist with a wastewater line rupture in the area of 183 Whittier Highway. Upon arrival, it was determined that a 10" line had ruptured, causing approximately 1500 gallons of partially treated wastewater to spill into a small stream and into Lake Winnipesaukee. Crews worked to mitigate the further release of wastewater into the surface water while the line was shut down and a vacuum truck was called to remove as much material as possible. As a precaution, we advise people to stay out of the water in the area south of Half Mile Island to Bullrush Cove. Local and state health officials will be coordinating further testing if needed and recommendations regarding water safety. Currently, there are no restrictions on water or sewer usage in the Center Harbor area.

Lakegeezer · 11-14-2023, 09:06 AM

While giving a nod to the gross factor, keep the urine problem in perspective. If an acre of water, 10 feet deep, had the state maximum phosphorus level (8 parts/billion), it would take 40,000 average doses of pee to bring it up to 10 parts/billion, where algae blooms start to happen. There are other phosphorus sources of course, but headless weekender contributions are insignificant compared to the impact of the boats they arrive in. Prop wash and boat wake add measurable phosphorus to the water column by stirring up bottom sediment, where centuries of nutrient deposits reside.

John Mercier · 11-14-2023, 12:48 PM

And the Legislature will have a tough time dealing with that issue from a statutory point.

So stopping the addition of the nutrients, and stopping the agitation of the existing sequestered nutrients, is a much bigger issue than our Legislature is willing to face.

The lakes that have the least amount of shorefront development, the most bath houses around them, and the least amount of motorized traffic should fair the best... but even that is only the amount of time.

We simply ''love'' our lakes to death.

11-14-2023, 09:06 AM	#6
Lakegeezer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 1,692 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 356 Thanked 646 Times in 294 Posts	Concentration perspective While giving a nod to the gross factor, keep the urine problem in perspective. If an acre of water, 10 feet deep, had the state maximum phosphorus level (8 parts/billion), it would take 40,000 average doses of pee to bring it up to 10 parts/billion, where algae blooms start to happen. There are other phosphorus sources of course, but headless weekender contributions are insignificant compared to the impact of the boats they arrive in. Prop wash and boat wake add measurable phosphorus to the water column by stirring up bottom sediment, where centuries of nutrient deposits reside. __________________ -lg

11-13-2023, 01:42 PM	#1
Descant Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Merrimack and Welch Island Posts: 4,591 Thanks: 1,414 Thanked 1,703 Times in 1,107 Posts	Solutions? I thought we might have comments from 'headless" boaters as to how they deal with these issues when they spend the day at the bar. Posting "I don't go there" isn't informative to any solution, any more than claiming that "everybody does it." I have to guess that the headless folks don't post in this discussion because they do exactly what they're accused of. But I never hear of anybody being sick after swimming at a sandbar all day. If we test water at public beaches and pools routinely, should DES or HHS be testing at the sandbars? LWA takes samples all around. Perhaps they would test for the general health of the lake in these congested areas?

11-13-2023, 05:24 PM	#3
Descant Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Merrimack and Welch Island Posts: 4,591 Thanks: 1,414 Thanked 1,703 Times in 1,107 Posts	Thanks. I knew there had to be some creative solutions.

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Lakegeezer For This Useful Post:
root1 (11-14-2023), VitaBene (11-14-2023)

11-14-2023, 12:48 PM	#7
John Mercier Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2021 Posts: 3,976 Thanks: 3 Thanked 678 Times in 561 Posts	And the Legislature will have a tough time dealing with that issue from a statutory point. So stopping the addition of the nutrients, and stopping the agitation of the existing sequestered nutrients, is a much bigger issue than our Legislature is willing to face. The lakes that have the least amount of shorefront development, the most bath houses around them, and the least amount of motorized traffic should fair the best... but even that is only the amount of time. We simply ''love'' our lakes to death.