Natural Resources Chapter of the Master Plan - Town of Wolfeboro

Natural Resources Chapter, Wolfeboro, NH
Drinking water is a highly important resource and must be protected. Creating a source water
protection plan may help to further identify groundwater and drinking water resources, their
specific contamination sites, and provide recommendations for the town to use.
Point & Nonpoint Pollution Sources
Point and non-point source pollution is a very serious threat, both to the wildlife community and
the residential community. Any human use of land and water resources can impact water quality
severely, causing major water pollution. This water pollution can originate from two major
sources: point and non-point. Point source pollution is pollution that can be directly linked to a
specific pollutant or discharge point, and can be identified and located. Non-point source
pollution, on the other hand, is a bit trickier. Non-point source pollution is pollution that can
originate from a number of sources, and is difficult to identify. Generally, non-point source
pollution has no specific point of discharge.
Pollution can take a harsh toll on a number of natural processes and cause serious damage, such
as eutrophication. Eutrophication is the process by which water bodies receive excess nutrients
that stimulate plant growth, called algal bloom. This algal bloom reduces dissolved oxygen in the
water and can cause other organisms to die. Eutrophication is greatly accelerated by pollution
such as fertilizers, erosion, and sewage treatment plant discharge. In order to protect water
bodies against accelerated eutrophication and other forms of pollution, the State of New
Hampshire passed a Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act, creating a protected buffer for
public waters. The act encourages municipalities to adopt land use control ordinances for
shorelands of water bodies other than public waters.
Point Sources
In the State of New Hampshire, industrial and municipal discharges and privately-owned
wastewater management and treatment facilities that may have a potential impact on
groundwater are regulated by the NH Department of Environmental Services, and must obtain a
groundwater discharge permit. Also, most discharges have to be treated prior to discharge, and
all discharges require a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit. These steps are
taken to help identify and significantly reduce dangers to Wolfeboro‟s water resources.
Potential Nonpoint Sources
Logging, construction, road maintenance, agricultural operations and waste disposal facilities are
just a few of the many significant land use practices that can be potential sources of pollution and
disturb water quality. Non-point sources are difficult to calculate due to their unidentifiable
nature; they can impact water quality through unmonitored, intermittent, or incremental
contamination, or only be felt over a long period of time. Because of this, it is extremely critical
that buffers are created to help infiltrate pollutants. Wide buffers can significantly reduce impacts
from pollutants such as pesticides, nitrates, sediment, phosphorus, pathogens, etc.
Natural Resources Inventory, Wolfeboro, NH 31