The Guidelines for Coordinating Lake Management and Shoreland Protection Plans, and the Comprehensive Lake Inventory

With nearly 1,000 waterbodies 10 acres or more, New Hampshire lakes and ponds are one of the state’s greatest natural resources. Increased human presence in and around the state’s lakes and ponds has resulted in a need for an active, multidisciplinary management approach to secure the wise management and preservation of these waterbodies. Balancing the societal demands on a lake or pond, while attempting to maintain the natural ecosystem structure and functions, often requires complex and creative solutions.

Why is lake management important?

Lake management describes the art of balancing the multiple uses of lakes and ponds and their associated tributaries, while attempting to restore or protect the natural, physical, chemical and biological characteristics within a hydrographically defined geographic area. The interrelation between human activities and environmental quality places unique and complicated demands on lakes and ponds. The process of developing a lake management plan leads to the creation of cooperative partnerships between federal, state, and local agencies, as well as lake associations, municipalities, landowners and the general public. Developing a management plan also allows for a chance to promote environmentally responsible use of a watershed’s land and water resources.

The Guidelines for Coordinated Lake Management and Shoreland Protection Plans

The Guidelines for Coordinated Lake Management and Shoreland Protection Plans, which was mandated by statute RSA 483-A, is being developed by the Lakes Management and Protection Program (LMPP) in cooperation with the Lakes Management Advisory Committee (LMAC). It will be designed to provide municipalities and lake associations with the information they need to develop and execute lake management and shoreland management plans at the grassroots level. This compendium document will outline the who, what, where, and how for the preparation and implementation of management plans. Developing a lake management plan can be overwhelming due to the breath and volume of information needed and available. The LMPP has developed the Comprehensive Lakes Inventory to help groups collect relevant and appropriate information to develop a management plan.

Comprehensive Lakes Inventory

The Comprehensive Lakes Inventory (CLI) was designed to guide the user in the collection of information about a specific watershed with the understanding that it will be utilized when developing a lake management plan. The CLI is organized into ten primary attributes, with each attribute designed to address specific characteristics commonly used when developing a lake management plan. The CLI contains a total of 94 questions, but groups with limited time and/or resources may choose to conduct an assessment using only those questions related to the lake values in which they are interested, such as recreational, uniqueness, or susceptibility to impairment.

Ultimately, this data will be used to develop state and local management techniques, which will be implemented to protect or restore the natural characteristics (physical, chemical, and biological) of a waterbody while accommodating the important economic, social, and recreational values and uses. The CLI is to be used in conjunction with its companion document The Guidelines for Coordinated Lake Management and Shoreland Protection Plans.

For further information about the N.H. Lakes Management and Protection Program, visit the DES website at www.des.nh.gov/wmb/lakes, or contact Jacquie Colburn, Lakes Coordinator, 29 Hazen Drive, PO Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095; (603) 271-2959; jcolburn@des.state.nh.us.