Scott Parker was fixing a dock when he dropped a wrench into the cloudy, green-tinted water of Lake Kanasatka and realized he couldn’t find it. “That’s when I knew something was very wrong,” Scott told NH LAKES. “And the next day, overnight, the lake turned into bright green pea soup. The entire lake was one big cyanobacteria bloom.”
Lisa Hutchinson, the Director of Water Quality for the Lake Kanasatka Watershed Association (LKWA), vividly recalls kayaking through the bright green water and feeling her lips go numb from the airborne cyanobacteria. “It was scary,” she said.
It Takes a Village
From that fateful day when nearly the entire lake turned green, every member of the Lake Kanasatka community was dedicated to just one thing: finding a way to save the lake they love.
Many of them became involved in NH LAKES’ LakeSmart Lake-Friendly Living Program, discovering how to reduce the polluted runoff water contributing to cyanobacteria blooms in their beloved lake. And, each person tapped into their special skill set to join the effort to restore the health of their lake.
“Everyone’s got something they’ve been able to do to help, whether it’s raising money, contributing to the newsletter, doing lake-friendly projects around the lake, collecting water samples, or talking to neighbors about LakeSmart.”—Lisa Hutchinson, Lake Kanasatka Watershed Association
After nearly four years of hard work around the lake and with partners, the community has revitalized Lake Kanasatka and earned the second LakeSmart Community Award issued by NH LAKES. It’s amazing what the community has accomplished in such a relatively short time.
Time for Celebration
“Lake Kanasatka has risen to the occasion of saving itself, thanks our community,” said Kirk Meloney, president of the Lake Kanasatka Watershed Association. “The more of us that stay involved, the longer we can protect our lake for future generations.”
Bree Rossiter, Conservation Program Manager for the Lake Winnipesaukee Association (LWA), inspected many of the properties around Lake Kanasataka. LWA partners with NH LAKES to deliver the LakeSmart Program. “The LKWA is the best example of what motivated homeowners can do when they work together,” she said proudly.
by NH Rocks