Alum Treatment Conclusion
The alum treatment of Nippo Lake concluded on Thursday June 17, 2021. Lake monitoring will continue throughout summer and into the future to collect data on the impact of the treatment. So far, the water clarity is all ready drastically improved. Water recreation and water draws are allowed at any time now, but as always please keep the lake as clean as possible!
Alum Project Beginning!
The alum treatment of Nippo Lake will begin with a Pilot Treatment on Tuesday May 25, 2021. Below is the official notice for treatment that you will see along the shoreline.
NOTICE
NIPPO LAKE
TREATMENT AND CLOSURE SCHEDULE
TREATMENT AND CLOSURE SCHEDULE
The Nippo Lake Association, through its contractor, SOLitudeLake Management, will begin treatment of Nippo Lake on Tuesday, May 25th. SOLitude will be applying a solution of aluminum sulfate and sodium aluminate. Aluminum from the products binds with phosphorous, one of the key nutrients that helps algae to thrive. By making the phosphorous unavailable as a nutrient, algae growth is reduced. This is being done to improve the water quality of Nippo Lake pursuant to a surface water discharge permit issued by the NH Department of Environmental Services, Discharge Permit No. Nippo Lake-001 under authority of RSA 485-A:13 I(a).
Pursuant to the above-referenced permit special condition # 13, there should be no swimming or water withdrawals from the lake for 24 hours after the completion of each stage of treatment and the lake not also not be used, including for boating, swimming, fishing or water draws on the days the treatment is being conducted. The tentative dates of treatment are as follows:
Pursuant to the above-referenced permit special condition # 13, there should be no swimming or water withdrawals from the lake for 24 hours after the completion of each stage of treatment and the lake not also not be used, including for boating, swimming, fishing or water draws on the days the treatment is being conducted. The tentative dates of treatment are as follows:
Pilot Treatment - May 25th
Phase 1 Treatment - June 7th-10th
Phase 2 Treatment - June 14th-17th
Phase 1 Treatment - June 7th-10th
Phase 2 Treatment - June 14th-17th
Recreational use of Nippo Lake while being treated may reduce the efficiency of the treatment and may interfere with the treatment process. Regular recreational use of the lake can occur between treatment periods and once the treatment has concluded.
Anyone needing additional information should contact the Nippo Lake Association at 603-315-8026.
Anyone needing additional information should contact the Nippo Lake Association at 603-315-8026.
April Lake Treatment Update
We are very excited to report the NH Department of Environmental Services (NH DES) lake treatment permit and approval processes are advancing. Per regulation, permits of this nature require a public notice, “hearing,” and a comment period. In our case, the notice will appear in Foster’s Daily Democrat and the “hearing” will be a virtual on-line event on April 20 at 2:00 PM. The NLA Board collaborated on the pre-drafting of the proposed permit which NH DES will issue immediately following closure of the public comment period on May 7, 2021. The treatment is then permitted to proceed any time thereafter!
We strongly encourage all of you to “attend” or offer comment on this permit approval. You can also email or send written comments to
David Neils. His email is [email protected] and his mailing address is:
We strongly encourage all of you to “attend” or offer comment on this permit approval. You can also email or send written comments to
David Neils. His email is [email protected] and his mailing address is:
David Neils
NHDES, Water Division
P.O. Box 95
Concord, NH 03302-0095
NHDES, Water Division
P.O. Box 95
Concord, NH 03302-0095
The next bit of good news is we have successfully concluded our Requests for Bids (RFB) process and have selected SOLitude Lake Management as the contractor to perform our lake treatment. SOLitude is well known to us as a national player and the preeminent lake treatment specialist in the region responsible for a number of high profile projects in New England, including the East Lake project personally monitored by our experts. Their bid was excellent across the board, including on cost, which came in sufficiently under budget. We’re now virtually assured to complete the treatment as designed and carry out post-treatment monitoring with first-rate quality. The precise timing of the treatment will be a function of when the NH DES permit is issued, but SOLitude has indicated it is comfortable with the May-early June timeframe described in our RFB. We expect the project will move quickly and come together the over next 2 months. We will keep Nippo Lake Association closely advised of both the schedule as it’s firmed up and the details of the treatment itself.
One final note, lake monitoring will be an important component of this project, both during and after the treatment. The NH DES will lead the initial effort, but we are hopeful some NLA monitors will volunteer to receive some training sufficient to handle a healthy share of the monitoring process moving forward. This knowledge base will keep us informed and skilled in ongoing supervision of post-treatment water quality, save us money, and count toward our grant match. We will post more on the details of what this will entail in the coming weeks.
One final note, lake monitoring will be an important component of this project, both during and after the treatment. The NH DES will lead the initial effort, but we are hopeful some NLA monitors will volunteer to receive some training sufficient to handle a healthy share of the monitoring process moving forward. This knowledge base will keep us informed and skilled in ongoing supervision of post-treatment water quality, save us money, and count toward our grant match. We will post more on the details of what this will entail in the coming weeks.
Alum Project Overview
Created by Certified Lake Manager, Don Kretchmer (8/29/2020)
Alum Treatment FAQs
Why are we doing an alum treatment and other questions folks have raised with answers from our lake scientist team:
Don Kretchmer, Ken Wagner, and Sally Soule
Don Kretchmer, Ken Wagner, and Sally Soule
When did Nippo Lake develop a cyanobacteria problem?
Nippo Lake has experienced cyanobacteria blooms for the past 10 years. The Nippo Lake Association, in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire in cooperation with the NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, has been monitoring and analyzing the quality of the lake water for the past 30 years. In 2015, the Nippo Lake Association requested research assistance and professional guidance from NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) regarding the cyanobacteria bloom to understand the causes and develop a strategy to eliminate the problem.
What are cyanobacteria and is it dangerous?
Cyanobacteria are blue green algae which can produce toxins that are dangerous to humans, animals, and aquatic life. Cyanobacteria and other algae grow in the water and are primarily fueled by phosphorus, a nutrient which enters the water through run-off from the land, through groundwater, directly to the lake in dust or rain, or from sediments as part of a recycling process from past inputs. As the cyanobacteria and algae grow, die, and decompose, the oxygen levels in the water deep in a lake decrease which leads to reduction in aquatic life and poor water quality. Humans and pets must stay clear of the water during a bloom for it may be fatal for pets and can be extremely toxic for humans. In addition, our Nippo loon population would be jeopardized.
What has the Nippo Lake Association done to eliminate the cyanobacteria problem?
The NHDES encouraged the Nippo Lake Association to hire a lake consultant to identify the sources of phosphorus entering the watershed. In 2017, the consultant was hired and conducted a thorough analysis in conjunction with NHDES. It was determined that the controllable sources of phosphorus came from both the watershed and the sediment at the bottom of the lake. Both sources need to be addressed to reduce or eliminate cyanobacteria blooms. The more phosphorus that can be kept out of the lake, the lower the likelihood for cyanobacteria blooms. This study led to the development of a work plan to eliminate as many sources as possible.
To address watershed sources, the Nippo Lake Association subsequently:
What is the proposed Aluminum treatment?
Nippo Lake has a great deal of phosphorus in the sediments as the result of past watershed activities. Much of this phosphorus is in a form that can be released back to the lake from the sediments when dissolved oxygen concentrations are low in the deep water of the lake. Low dissolved oxygen occurs every summer in Nippo Lake, partly because of the cyanobacteria and algal growth. By helping create low dissolved oxygen conditions in Nippo Lake, the blooms perpetuate themselves. Breaking this cycle is critical to long-term reduction of the blooms. The aluminum added to the lake will hold the phosphorus in the sediments regardless of the amount of oxygen in the deep water of the lake. The aluminum will be added by boat over about a week-long period. The treatment may be split into two half treatments depending on preliminary testing.
How can we be certain the Alum will be safe for our residents, lake, fish and wildlife?
Aluminum (aluminum sulfate (alum) and sodium aluminate) has been applied to hundreds of lakes with few reported incidents. Aluminum dosing and application methods have evolved and improved over the decades which have increased its reliability, efficacy, and safety. As long as the pH of the lake is kept between 6 and 8, the forms of aluminum that might be toxic do not exist. Modern aluminum treatments include real time pH monitoring and the ability to balance the dosage of alum and sodium aluminate to keep pH in the desired range. Such a program is proposed for Nippo Lake.
What evidence do we have this treatment works?
Hundreds of lakes have been treated. The vast majority have seen a long-term reduction in the release of phosphorus from the sediments. The few lakes where treatments that have not worked as well as planned have been determined to have been underdosed with aluminum or had excessive watershed loads that needed to be controlled.
When should we expect the treatment to be effective? How long will it last?
The aluminum treatment will accomplish two water quality objectives. After application, it will strip phosphorus out of the water column, and it will also form a floc that settles on the bottom to inactivate sediment phosphorus. The effects of water column stripping should be apparent within days of the treatment. Once fully treated, the sediment release of phosphorus should be greatly reduced. A spring treatment should result in immediate benefits the following summer.
After the effectiveness of the treatment wanes, what will we be our next steps?
Continued aggressive action on the watershed portion of the load for the foreseeable future, coupled with sediment phosphorus inactivation is anticipated to keep Nippo phosphorus concentrations and cyanobacteria issues at their lowest for a maximum length of time. As the effectiveness of the phosphorus inactivation wanes (15-20 years), a couple of options are available. Either an additional sediment treatment can occur, additional watershed management activities to reduce phosphorus input can occur, or even a combination of the two can occur. It may also be worth doing a sediment assay (with relatively low cost) at ten years out from treatment to determine if the inactivation is still effective.
Nippo Lake has experienced cyanobacteria blooms for the past 10 years. The Nippo Lake Association, in collaboration with the University of New Hampshire in cooperation with the NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, has been monitoring and analyzing the quality of the lake water for the past 30 years. In 2015, the Nippo Lake Association requested research assistance and professional guidance from NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) regarding the cyanobacteria bloom to understand the causes and develop a strategy to eliminate the problem.
What are cyanobacteria and is it dangerous?
Cyanobacteria are blue green algae which can produce toxins that are dangerous to humans, animals, and aquatic life. Cyanobacteria and other algae grow in the water and are primarily fueled by phosphorus, a nutrient which enters the water through run-off from the land, through groundwater, directly to the lake in dust or rain, or from sediments as part of a recycling process from past inputs. As the cyanobacteria and algae grow, die, and decompose, the oxygen levels in the water deep in a lake decrease which leads to reduction in aquatic life and poor water quality. Humans and pets must stay clear of the water during a bloom for it may be fatal for pets and can be extremely toxic for humans. In addition, our Nippo loon population would be jeopardized.
What has the Nippo Lake Association done to eliminate the cyanobacteria problem?
The NHDES encouraged the Nippo Lake Association to hire a lake consultant to identify the sources of phosphorus entering the watershed. In 2017, the consultant was hired and conducted a thorough analysis in conjunction with NHDES. It was determined that the controllable sources of phosphorus came from both the watershed and the sediment at the bottom of the lake. Both sources need to be addressed to reduce or eliminate cyanobacteria blooms. The more phosphorus that can be kept out of the lake, the lower the likelihood for cyanobacteria blooms. This study led to the development of a work plan to eliminate as many sources as possible.
To address watershed sources, the Nippo Lake Association subsequently:
- Hired engineers to design and build a new road with drainage improvements for Golf Course Way
- Championed several “SOAK UP THE RAIN” projects which included the introduction of new vegetation and culverts which divert run-off away from the lake
- Conducted a septic system survey to identify any failing systems which could contribute to the problem
- Completed several other projects involving private properties and camp roads
What is the proposed Aluminum treatment?
Nippo Lake has a great deal of phosphorus in the sediments as the result of past watershed activities. Much of this phosphorus is in a form that can be released back to the lake from the sediments when dissolved oxygen concentrations are low in the deep water of the lake. Low dissolved oxygen occurs every summer in Nippo Lake, partly because of the cyanobacteria and algal growth. By helping create low dissolved oxygen conditions in Nippo Lake, the blooms perpetuate themselves. Breaking this cycle is critical to long-term reduction of the blooms. The aluminum added to the lake will hold the phosphorus in the sediments regardless of the amount of oxygen in the deep water of the lake. The aluminum will be added by boat over about a week-long period. The treatment may be split into two half treatments depending on preliminary testing.
How can we be certain the Alum will be safe for our residents, lake, fish and wildlife?
Aluminum (aluminum sulfate (alum) and sodium aluminate) has been applied to hundreds of lakes with few reported incidents. Aluminum dosing and application methods have evolved and improved over the decades which have increased its reliability, efficacy, and safety. As long as the pH of the lake is kept between 6 and 8, the forms of aluminum that might be toxic do not exist. Modern aluminum treatments include real time pH monitoring and the ability to balance the dosage of alum and sodium aluminate to keep pH in the desired range. Such a program is proposed for Nippo Lake.
What evidence do we have this treatment works?
Hundreds of lakes have been treated. The vast majority have seen a long-term reduction in the release of phosphorus from the sediments. The few lakes where treatments that have not worked as well as planned have been determined to have been underdosed with aluminum or had excessive watershed loads that needed to be controlled.
When should we expect the treatment to be effective? How long will it last?
The aluminum treatment will accomplish two water quality objectives. After application, it will strip phosphorus out of the water column, and it will also form a floc that settles on the bottom to inactivate sediment phosphorus. The effects of water column stripping should be apparent within days of the treatment. Once fully treated, the sediment release of phosphorus should be greatly reduced. A spring treatment should result in immediate benefits the following summer.
After the effectiveness of the treatment wanes, what will we be our next steps?
Continued aggressive action on the watershed portion of the load for the foreseeable future, coupled with sediment phosphorus inactivation is anticipated to keep Nippo phosphorus concentrations and cyanobacteria issues at their lowest for a maximum length of time. As the effectiveness of the phosphorus inactivation wanes (15-20 years), a couple of options are available. Either an additional sediment treatment can occur, additional watershed management activities to reduce phosphorus input can occur, or even a combination of the two can occur. It may also be worth doing a sediment assay (with relatively low cost) at ten years out from treatment to determine if the inactivation is still effective.
Alum Project Presentation
Created by Certified Lake Manager, Don Kretchmer (6/27/2020)