Summary and Recommendations - Report to the General Court - Souhegan River - Designated Rivers River Nominations - Rivers Management and Protection Program

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IV. Summary and Recommendations

The Souhegan River supports a variety of significant state and local resources. To better protect and manage these resources, the Department of Environmental Services recommends the following actions:

Recommendation 1: The General Court should adopt legislation that designates the Souhegan River into the Rivers Management and Protection Program and classifies the Souhegan River as follows:

As a rural-community river from the confluence of its south and west branches in New Ipswich to a point 0.5 miles above the Otis Dam in Greenville;
As a community river from the point 0.5 miles above the Otis Dam in Greenville to a point 0.5 miles below to Otis Dam;
As a rural river from the point 0.5 miles below the Otis Dam to the Label Arts Dam located approximately 0.3 miles above the confluence with Stony Brook in Wilton;
As a community river from the Label Arts Dam to the Wilton Road bridge near the Pine Valley Mill in west Milford;
As a rural-community river from the Wilton Road bridge to a point 0.5 miles above the route 13 bridge in Milford;
As a community river from the point 0.5 miles above the route 13 bridge to a point 0.5 miles below the route 13 bridge;
As a rural river from the point 0.5 miles below the route 13 bridge to the Everett Turnpike bridge in Merrimack; and
As a community river from the Everett Turnpike Bridge to the confluence with the Merrimack River in Merrimack.

Under the provisions of RSA 483, designation of the River will provide increased protection against the construction of new dams, damaging channel alterations, water quality impairment, and the siting of solid and hazardous waste facilities in the river corridor. Designation will also require the establishment of a protected instream flow to maintain water for instream public uses including water quality, fisheries, recreation, and scenic values. A local river management advisory committee will be established to coordinate management and protection of the River at the local and regional levels, and will provide the residents in the riverfront communities with a direct avenue for formal input into state decisions affecting the River. Finally, designation will result in the development of a long-range management plan for the River that coordinates State planning and management of fisheries, water quality and quantity, and recreation.

Much of the Souhegan River is being recommended for "rural river" classification. Rural rivers are defined under RSA 483 as "...those rivers or segments adjacent to lands which are partially or predominantly used for agriculture, forest management and dispersed or clustered residential development. Some instream structures may exist, including low dams, diversion works and other minor modifications." The Souhegan River as it flows through the forests, wetlands, scattered housing and open space of the upper river corridor, and the largely undeveloped broad floodplains of the lower river corridor typifies the definition of a rural river. The Souhegan Watershed Association, the Rivers Management Advisory Committee and the Department of Environmental Services have all determined that the river segments recommended above for "rural river" classification meet the definition of a rural river and should be so designated.

The remaining segments of the Souhegan River are being recommended for either "community river" classification or "rural-community river" classification. Community rivers are defined under RSA 483 as "...those rivers or segments which flow through developed or populated areas of the state and which possess existing or potential community resource values, such as those identified in official municipal plans or land use controls. Such rivers are readily accessible by road or railroad, may include existing impoundments or diversions, or potential sites for new impoundments or diversions for hydropower, flood control or water supply purposes, and may include the urban centers of municipalities." Rural-community rivers are defined under RSA 483 as ".those rivers or segments which flow through developed or populated areas of the state and which possess existing or potential community resource values such as those defined in official municipal plans or land use controls. Such rivers have mixed land uses in the corridor reflecting some combination of open space, agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial land uses." The segments of the Souhegan River being recommended for "community river" or "rural-community river" classification are those that are generally more developed or where existing hydropower facilities or village centers are located. In each case, the Souhegan Watershed Association, Rivers Management Advisory Committee and Department of Environmental Services have determined that these segments meet the definition of either a community or rural-community river and should be so designated.

Designation of Souhegan River under the Rivers Management and Protection Program will express the intent of the General Court regarding its future management and protection, and will focus attention on the River as a natural resource of both statewide and local significance. This attention will help to ensure greater scrutiny of plans or proposals that have the potential to significantly alter or destroy those river values and characteristics that qualify the entire Souhegan River for designation.

Recommendation 2: The towns of New Ipswich, Greenville, Wilton, Milford, Amherst, and Merrimack should continue to work together toward the protection of the Souhegan River through the adoption and implementation of a local river corridor management plan.

While legislative designation of the Souhegan River will improve the protection and management of the River itself, continuing efforts at the local level will be needed to address the use and conservation of the river corridor. A growing recognition by local citizens and officials of the Souhegan River's valuable contribution to the overall quality of life in their communities is evidenced by their desire to see it designated into the Rivers Management and Protection Program. Citizen appreciation and concern for the River should be reflected in the decisions and actions of local officials. The Department of Environmental Services will provide technical assistance to the local river management advisory committee and to the local officials in the riverfront communities on the development and implementation of a local river corridor management plan.

In summary, the establishment of a clear policy and specific instream protection measures by the General Court, and a continuing commitment on the part of local governments and residents to protect and manage the river corridor through sound land use decisions will ensure that the outstanding resources of the Souhegan River will endure to be enjoyed by the people of New Hampshire for many years to come.