July 5, 2007 Conservation Commission Agenda

July 5th, 2007 looks to be a short meeting for the Newington Conservation Commission due to vacations and some project postponements.

However, two new projects are on the agenda. The first to consider a landowner request that the Town acquire a 6 acre parcel of land on Great Bay in lieu of it being sold for development. The second project involves a preliminary proposal to add a deck on an existing home near Great Bay.

The more interesting discussions relate to proposal discussed at our June meeting. These include:

Development of storm water regulations to help control non-point source pollution. According to the NH Department of Environmental Services stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces is the leading cause of non-attainment with the State's water quality standards established under the Clean Water Act.

The Commission is considering working with the New Hampshire Estuaries Project, the NHDES and other resource agencies to adopt controls on stormwater pollution in Great Bay and the Piscataqua River. According to one study by the NHDES Coastal Program, the commercial and industrially developed areas around Paul Brook in Newington had both the highest levels of imperviousness in the watershed and turbidity (i.e. silt) levels of the 10 locations evaluated on the Seacoast.


Silt laden stormwater shown here discharging into Little Bay below Exit 4 in July 2006, is the leading cause of non-point pollution in New Hampshire.

The surface of silt particles in stormwater often traps metals, oils, and other pollutants and carries them to surface waters, resulting in their concentration in aquatic life, increased water temperature, nutrient levels and reduced oxygen.

Technologies are being evaluated at the UNH Stormwater Center that can reduce the impact of stormwater pollution significantly.

The Commission will also continue its discussion of using the state's Air Pollution Mitigation Fund for projects in Newington, expansion of recycling, and other items.

The Commission's Agenda and information package for the meeting containing some of the relevant documents can be downloaded here.

The meeting begins at 7 PM and is open to the public. Please feel free to come by and share your thoughts on these or other matters.