NHDES awards $50,000 grant to manage stormwater
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has announced the award of a third round of funding to the Wentworth Watershed Association and the Town of Wolfeboro for implementation of the Wentworth-Crescent Watershed Management Plan.
Fernald Brook winds behind Auto Care Plus
The Watershed Assistance Grant will provide $50,000 in EPA-funded monies for stormwater mitigation projects along Route 109 and for shoreline and parking lot areas at Camp Bernadette. Combined with in-kind contributions of labor, materials, and volunteer effort from the Town and Wentworth Watershed Association, the grant has a total value of $103,000.
The grant represents the second implementation phase of the watershed-wide management plan that was completed in 2013.
The first implementation phase was funded by $120,000 in Clean Water Act monies, $25,000 in cash from the Association, and another $125,000 of in-kind labor, materials, and volunteer hours from both the Town and the Association. That project is scheduled for completion at the end of this year.
That second grant saw installation of a significant stormwater mitigation structure behind Auto Care Plus on Route 28 to protect Fernald Brook from runoff delivered by acres of impervious surfaces in the area.
Prior to mitigation, stormwater pooled and then overflowed directly into the brook
With the support of John and Karen Manelas, owners of the car repair facility, the Association and the Town oversaw installation of large detention basins to capture and infiltrate runoff from parking areas and building roofs before that water can reach the brook and, eventually, the lakes.
Extensive testing of water in the stream, both before and after installation of the stormwater structures, is aimed at quantifying the amount of various pollutants removed from the tributary. The results will be part of the grant report to the state and federal governments.
Also part of that grant effort is installation of stormwater mitigation structures in the Gene’s Beach area of Route 109 and development of engineering plans for a long-needed stormwater mitigation effort along South Main Street. The work on Route 109 will take place in the fall.
The South Main Street project is expected to deal with some destructive runoff that has damaged private property in the area and caused significant changes in Crescent Lake.
Phosphorus and sediment from such runoff is responsible for increased weed growth in water bodies as well as sedimentation at the mouth of streams, creating impassible areas along the shoreline and increasing areas of silty deposits around the lakes.
Stormwater, now contained, infiltrates slowly without affecting the brook
The newly awarded grant, approved by Governor Chris Sununu and the Executive Council in late August, will address a second problem along Route 109 in the area of Triggs Landing, where planned stabilization of the roadside will control and filter runoff before it enters Lake Wentworth. At Camp Bernadette, mitigation structures will be aimed at controlling runoff from extensive impervious areas that currently flow directly into Wentworth.
Wentworth Watershed Association seeks executive director
The Wentworth Watershed Association is seeking a part-time executive director to work an average of 32 hours per week at its Wolfeboro office.
The executive director provides leadership, planning, and management of activities carrying out the Association’s mission of environmental protection and education.
The job requires creativity and a hands-on approach to the management of finances, program development and implementation, resource development, delivery of member services, oversight of communications, and board development.
The organization is also staffed by a part-time Office Manager who reports to the Executive Director.
Qualified applicants should email a resume and cover letter to president@wentworthwatershed.org by close of business on October 6. The hiring process is expected to take place between October and December, with the selected candidate beginning work after the new year.
A full description of the position and requirements can be found here.
Bob Cole is retiring as Association's executive director
Wentworth Watershed Association President Anne Blodget told the organization's Annual Meeting that Executive Director Bob Cole is retiring in the fall.
Blodget thanked Cole for his service, noting his efforts during the combining of the Lake Wentworth Association and the Lake Wentworth Foundation into the Wentworth Watershed Association, and for his leadership on the Warren Brook Campaign to preserve nearly 200 acres along Warren Brook with a conservation easement.
Jay 'Jerry' Calvert joins Association board
The Wentworth Watershed Association held its annual meeting on August 19 in The Great Hall of Wolfeboro Town Hall. Members heard updates about land stewardship and management of invasive species, elected officers and a new trustee, and honored three members for their exemplary volunteer work in the watershed.
New to the board is Jay H. “Jerry” Calvert, Jr. of North Wolfeboro. Calvert is a senior counsel with Morgan Lewis of Philadelphia. A seasoned litigator, he handles matters involving antitrust, intellectual property, and securities law, along with healthcare and regulatory issues. Currently, Jerry is a member of several nonprofit boards, including The Zoological Society of Philadelphia.
Serving as officers of the Association are Anne Blodget, president; Bob Spear, vice president; Andrea Dudley, secretary; and Dorothy Feldmann, treasurer. In addition to Calvert, trustees include Becky Arnold, Hugh Crawford, Linda Crootof, Carl Crosley, Lisa Donovan, Peter Galanis, Susan Goodwin, Judi Gosbee, Joan Green, Bob Morneau, Roger Murray III, Tom Ouhrabka, and Ken Perry.
Blodget reported that the organization, created by the joining of the Lake Wentworth Association and the Lake Wentworth Foundation earlier this year, offered several successful programs and events over the spring and summer. The group organized the Wolfeboro Water Summit in May, partnered with the New Hampshire Boat Museum on a landscaping by the water presentation in June, ran a canoe and kayak paddle to the Crescent Lake Dam in July that included a presentation on the history and workings of the dam, and partnered with The Nature Conservancy on a tour of Stamp Act Island in August. A second Wolfeboro Water Summit has already been scheduled for May 12, 2018.