It is the goal of the WLA Volunteer Lake Assessment Testing committee to sample, monitor and protect the quality of our lake water and shorelines for all NH residents to enjoy. Testing is performed several times during the active season in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services in Concord.
All our volunteers with the WLA committee come from varied backgrounds. We always welcome assistance and training is done with a combination of state supplied literature, YouTube instructional videos, in-house training and state visits by DES biologists. Testing is performed at critical inlets supplying water to our lake in addition to deep water testing. Samples are taken and brought to the state lab in Concord for analysis. Samples are analyzed to determine the seasonal health of the lake and to determine trends. Island Pond, as with all lakes within the state, are influenced by contaminants brought in from rain, poorly operated septic systems, animal and human use. The beach area water along with other areas are tested to ensure they are safe for human use.
The yearly results can be tracked through the state mapping website https://nhdes.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=1f45dc20877b4b959239b8a4a60ef540. The menus on the left show our test results and procedures. Comparing the Island Pond results to other lakes in the state show that we have an above average water quality yet we are an aging lake. Since we accumulate a good portion of our replenishment from rainwater washing from the mountains surrounding us our water visibility is very much impacted by these inlets. As we’ve seen the dryer summers tend to produce lake conditions with greater viability.
We have a great group of volunteers yet can always use your help. If interested please contact any committee member.