NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT:

The Saco Headwaters Alliance

Protecting the Ecosystem

Mobilizing commitment to protect the threatened ground and surface waters of the Mt. Washington Valley and the watershed, of which it is a part, the Saco River headwaters, for the long-term resilience of its robust tourism economy, vibrant communities, and beautiful, healthy natural environment.

Three years ago, a small group of Mt. Washington Valley citizens interested in long term protections of the excellent water resources in the area convened at the base lodge of Wildcat Ski Area to exchange ideas and evaluate if there was enough interest in forming a new non-profit organization to mobilize efforts toward that goal. Since it was a bluebird day, and snow conditions were perfect, they all took advantage and put on their skis to have a series of separate meetings on the chairlift. What better place to think and talk about this than the height of the Saco River Watershed.

Every conversation on the rides to the top of the mountain were processed in everyone’s subconscious as they each cleared their mind by concentrating on skiing to the bottom. This was repeated multiple times until the lift closed. Afterward, back at the base lodge, these many private conversations were recapped for the group, and it was unanimously decided that there was enough positive energy to channel and create this new and unnamed organization. More formal meetings were scheduled with additional folks with diverse natural resources expertise. They shared the belief that this watershed that is the Saco River Headwaters needed an organization focused on protecting its precious waters for drinking, recreation, and habitat—and the Saco Headwaters Alliance (SHA) was born.

Within half a year of that glorious day skiing on Wildcat Mountain, SHA secured its first grant.

It would be another six months before incorporation as a 501 c-3 was achieved. The Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation had been inspired by the SHA founders and their commitment to protect the ground and surface waters as the key to building resilience in the natural environment and the robust economy and vibrant communities that depend upon it. SHA was off and running.

FB Environmental was contracted to conduct a scientific study of water resource monitoring across the Saco Headwaters Watershed. The query was: what data and monitoring systems concerning quality and quantity of ground and surface water do we have from various organizations, and what do we need in the future? This will be the foundation for determining priority threats and intervening where necessary to take preventative action to protect our ground and surface waters.

The report is a comprehensive tool, with many links to additional information and maps. Thoughtful and feasible recommendations are key contributions in helping our watershed remain pristine into the future for many generations to come.

Shortly after, another project emerged in the form of Flood Plain Mapping for Hart’s Location. Funded by New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), these maps are currently being used by Hart’s Location municipal government to guide citizens in developing properties on sites that will be safe from the ever more frequent

WiseguyCreative.com photo

flooding events that are occurring and are projected to continue into to the foreseeable future. A very useful project, indeed.

This endeavor brought the point home that if the mission of SHA is to be effective, a coordinated effort must be made to involve public officials in the planning processes. An initiative entitled Municipal Education and Outreach to Improve Source Water Protection was developed and funded by the NHDES Source Water Protection Bureau and supplemented by the second grant from the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation. This was Phase 1 of a three-phase project. Participating towns were Hart’s Location, Bartlett, Albany, Jackson, Conway, Madison, Eaton, and Chatham. Each town worked to create their own customized self-assessment of their water resources and identified opportunities to improve the stewardship of both surface and groundwater in their geographic areas. Enough information was produced and distributed for the towns to be able to make decisions that may lead to customizing an ordinance based on the NH State Model Groundwater Protection Ordinance. Hart’s Location has already passed this ordinance, and others may follow.

Phase 2 of this initiative has also been completed. A Municipal Education and Outreach Manual was developed to aid in building a watershed-wide collaborative of municipalities. This was also funded by the second grant from the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation.

Phase 3 is about to be launched and will use this manual to help engage willing municipalities in the Saco Headwaters Watershed to work together on projects to continue to protect surface and groundwater. Flooding, pollution, and drought know no municipal boundaries, so it is essential that collaboration among the towns becomes a reality. This project is being funded by the third grant from the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation.

OTHER PROJECTS UNDERWAY The Kearsarge Brook Watershed Management Plan

This plan is being developed in partnership with SHA, the Greater Lovell Land Trust, and FB Environmental (in process and funded by Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation).

This project is developing strategies to

protect the quality of source water in the Upper Saco River Valley from pollution threats, including the integrity of aquatic life. The process is community-supported and data-driven, while meeting the standards for the Natural Resource Conservation Service National Water Quality Initiative, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act Section 319 program. It will serve as a role model for ongoing future protection and restoration efforts across the watershed that is the Saco Headwaters Watershed, including the Mt. Washington Valley. Upon completion, this Watershed Management Plan may meet many requirements for a variety of future funding sources to implement the recommendations.

Saco/Swift Rivers Corridor Management Plan (CMP): Hart’s Location, Bartlett, Conway, and Albany

The development of the CMP will result in a guidance document to ensure consistent and robust water protection management practices across the municipalities that comprise the Saco and Swift River corridors, with specific focus on the quarter-mile-wide corridor from the seasonal highwater embankments (in process; funder, the NH Department of Environmental Services).

Saco Riverbank Erosion Risk Assessment (Phase 1), and Bank Fortification (Phase 2), to protect the North Conway Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) from Saco River Meander

Located on the banks of the Saco River, the WWTF treats wastewater from this heavily developed tourism center that is the Mt. Washington Valley. This vital service protects the Saco aquifer from the risks of the private septic systems it has replaced, removing pollutants, and returning treated water to the aquifer.Over the past decades, the Saco has been steadily eroding its banks in the direction of the WWTF. Phase 1 of this project will survey a reach of more than 8 miles, develop hydraulic models of the river system, evaluate erosion risk near the WWTF, and identify potential mitigation strategies. Phase 2 of the project aims to refine potential mitigation strategies using public input from the broad range of river users and stakeholders, and to develop preliminary designs and secure required permits for future mitigation work.Ultimately, a third phase of the project would see construction of the selected mitigation strategies (in process; funder, the NH Department of Environmental Services).

Finally, SHA is serving as a liaison for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to local communities on a study entitled, “Evaluating impacts of withdrawals on water resources in the watershed that is the Saco River Headwaters,” by the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey). This initiative is one part of a larger national study by USGS with the same title. This study also is a realization of one of the key recommendations from the first SHA project mentioned above, Watching Our Waters.

Step by step, SHA is collaborating with multiple partners to develop the capability to collect data on threats to the quality and quantity of water across the Saco Headwaters Watershed. This will be the necessary foundation to convert data into action and realize SHA’s mission of protecting ground and surface water across the watershed. This process is contributing to SHA’s urgent vision of building a resilient and sustainable watershed of natural resources, robust economies, and vibrant communities for multiple generations to come.

The Saco Headwaters Alliance

The SHA is growing its capability to protect the quality and quantity of ground and surface water across the watershed; by facilitating a growing collaborative network of committed individuals and diverse stakeholders committed to the SHA mission and vision. These include leaders of municipalities, NGOs, state and federal organizations, foundations, and donors.

And by catalyzing awareness among all segments of the community, that the Watershed that is the Saco River Headwaters, including the Mt. Washington Valley, is one ecosystem; the threats are real and growing from pollution, flooding, and drought; and a threat and vulnerability in one location, is a threat and vulnerability to all locations; and without action, the threats will irreparably harm the tourism economy, the vibrant communities and the healthy natural environment of the Mt. Washington Valley and the Watershed, of which it is a part, that is the Saco River Headwaters.

For more information, visit www.sacoheadwatersalliance.org or email info@sacoheadwatersalliance.org. ALL THAT’S MISSING IS YOU!

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