WATCHING OUR WATERS a Report on Water Resource Monitoring in the Saco Headwaters Watershed
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WATCHING OUR WATERS A Report on Water Resource Monitoring in the Saco Headwaters Watershed Prepared by the Saco Headwaters Alliance and FB Environmental Associates (C) Rundle CONTACT Thomas Gross, President Saco Headwaters Alliance [email protected] www.sacoheadwatersalliance.org This project was made possible with the support of the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation. Special thanks to the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust (usvlt.org) and Joe Klementovich Photography (klementovichphoto.com). Cover photo © Jill Rundle WATCHING OUR WATERS A Report on Water Resource Monitoring in the Saco Headwaters Watershed Prepared by the Saco Headwaters Alliance and FB Environmental Associates August 2020 Watching Our Waters represents the first completed project of the Saco Headwaters Alliance (SHA). a non- profit organization based in Conway, NH, and composed of representatives from many segments of our community – municipal leaders, conservationists, land trusts, and professionals – dedicated to protecting and conserving water quality and promoting sustainability and resilience in the Saco headwaters water- shed. All of the waterways of our Saco Headwaters Watershed – streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and aquifers – are interconnected as one ecosystem. Consequently, pollution, floods, and drought know no municipal or state boundaries. This report is intended to serve as a resource to all stakeholders, both public and private, who share the Saco Headwaters Alliance vision for the future of this region: a resilient watershed, a prosperous economy, a vibrant coalition of communities, and a healthy natural environment for all, with inclusive ac- cess to clean, abundant surface and ground water resources for drinking and recreation. We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Brendan Fitzgerald and his colleagues at the Virginia Welling- ton Cabot Foundation (VWCF) for supporting our vision and our mission to protect and conserve abun- dant, clean ground and surface waters for a resilient Saco Headwaters Watershed for many years to come. Mr. Fitzgerald’s personal goal was for the VWCF grant to not only underwrite a strategic study of water re- source monitoring across the Saco Headwaters Watershed, but to catalyze the launch of the important work of the Saco Headwaters Alliance. As we publish this report, Mr. Fitzgerald’s goal is already being fulfilled. We have had the good fortune to facilitate funding from various sources including the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Ser- vices (NHDES) for projects created with various partners across the watershed, including municipalities and other stakeholders. We have also developed a pipeline of proposals for outstanding new projects await- ing decisions from funders, plus a robust “wish list” of future priorities. We would also like to thank the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust (USVLT) for serving as our fiscal agent and for providing the encouraging environment in which SHA was conceived by several of us who were USVLT Board members and then became among the first Board members of SHA. This report represents a strategic building block for SHA’s Mission and Urgent Vision. It is grounded in our guiding principles (collaboration, resiliency and ecosystem thinking) and is the result of our expertise in both the natural and social sciences. It describes a work in progress and concludes with a robust action plan. We invite your feedback and your participation as we continue to work to protect the waters and resources of the Saco Headwaters Watershed today and as a legacy for the future. Sincerely, Thomas F. Gross President, Saco Headwaters Alliance WHAT IS A STRATIFIED DRIFT AQUIFER? As glacial ice retreated in New England, layers of sand and gravel were deposited by meltwater streams in valleys and broad plains. Today, these deposits are important aquifers that hold abun- dant groundwater with a relatively short residence time - that is, groundwater is able to travel quickly through the large pore spaces between the sand grains and gravel fragments. These aqui- fers are primarily recharged quickly from the surface by precipitation and infiltration. They often yield large amounts of water to wells and public water supplies, making them crucial to protect. © Klemetovich © Klemetovich © Klemetovich © Rundle © Klemetovich CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 PROGRAMS & DATA............................................................................................. 4 Active Water Resource Monitoring Programs .......................................................................... 5 Monitoring Data Sources ........................................................................................................... 9 Spatial Data Sources .................................................................................................................11 GAP ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................18 ACTION PLAN ....................................................................................................29 Actions that Address Data Gaps .............................................................................................. 29 Actions that Address Natural Science Gaps ............................................................................31 Actions that Address Social Science Gaps .............................................................................. 32 Future Iterations of the Gap Analysis ...................................................................................... 32 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................35 APPENDIX 1 .......................................................................................................36 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Saco Headwaters Watershed is a region of abun- evant to water protection in the Saco Headwaters dant water resources in eastern New Hampshire Watershed. A diverse network of state and federal and western Maine. The watershed is defined by the agencies and nonprofit organizations collects wa- drainage of the Saco River and its major tributary ter data for many purposes and under many separate the Ossipee River at their confluence, an area slight- programs. We also take a close look at the available ly larger than the size of Rhode Island, and includes spatial data for the watershed – geographic informa- mountains, broad glacial valleys, vital stratified drift tion system data that maps locations and boundar- aquifers, and scenic lakes and rivers. Unspoiled natu- ies of natural resources and human infrastructure. ral resources support the recreational tourism econ- omy and provide a high quality of life for residents. The Gap Analysis section critically appraises the available data and the existing monitoring pro- A large portion of the Saco Headwaters Watershed grams for their ability to detect and understand wa- – 43% – is protected as public and private conserva- ter resource threats. Threats and their causes are giv- tion land. The region contains abundant high-quali- en detailed discussion, and key gaps are identified. ty streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and aquifers that face mostly dispersed threats to water resources in the form The Strategic Action Plan section puts forth rec- of nonpoint source pollution. This form of pollution de- ommendations for specific actions to address gaps rives from contaminants produced by activities on the in data and scientific understanding. Details are landscape that can be carried by stormwater to streams provided on each action, including the responsi- or ponds or infiltrated into groundwater. Some notable ble entity, the timeframe, and the estimated cost. examples include nutrients from underground waste- water disposal, soil or sediment particles eroded and This report combines a number of components – each carried by storms, and road salt from winter deicing. of which would be an important undertaking on its own – in pursuit of one goal: to strengthen water resource A robust water quality monitoring system is a key com- monitoring in the Saco Headwaters watershed so that ponent of the Saco Headwaters Alliance’s Urgent Vi- key data gaps can be closed and water protection efforts sion for a more resilient watershed. The core purpose of can be based on the best science possible. A core as- this report is to assess the state of water resource mon- sumption underlying all of this work is that investments itoring with respect to known threats, as well as the in monitoring now will inform effective actions that will ability to respond to newly developing threats, which in turn prevent harm to our water resources that would is essential to building and maintaining resilience. To be much more costly to restore, or worse, irreversible. do this, we comprehensively reviewed the existing monitoring programs and data sources, analyzed gaps, and created recommendations for specific actions. The Programs & Data section inventories monitor- ing programs, organizations, and data sources rel- INTRODUCTION he Saco Headwaters Watershed, defined as all lands and wa- terbodies that drain into the Saco River and its major tributary the Ossipee River, is a region covering 1,294 square miles in Teastern New Hampshire and western Maine. The watershed includes parts of Carroll, Coos, and Grafton counties in New Hampshire and parts of Cumberland, Oxford, and York counties in Maine.