Pleasant Lake Watershed Portfolio
This portfolio is a collection of information and analysis about the characteristics and conditions of the Pleasant Lake Watershed. The purpose of compiling this information is to provide the Pleasant Lake Protective Association (PLPA) with useful information to be referenced for the creation of future management plans for the watershed.
This portfolio was completed through a cooperative relationship between the Institute for Community and Environment at Colby-Sawyer College and the PLPA. Project work was supported through a small grant from the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the Upper Valley Region of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Included in this portfolio is a variety of information collected between September 2005 and April 2006 concerning the watershed.
The primary goal at the beginning of this project was to complete a Comprehensive Lake Inventory for the Pleasant Lake watershed. Those results can be found in the first chapter of the report below. Answering inventory questions guided us to several other important aspects of understanding the watershed such as:
- Calculating the rate of development and the percentage of impervious surface in the watershed
- Completing a build-out analysis based on current zoning regulations
- Designing an experiment to analyze different surface types (asphalt, bluestone, gravel and grass)
Also included in this portfolio are data and analyses related to water testing conducted over the 2005-2006 winter season. The results were analyzed by comparing conductivity levels to levels of development in the sub-watershed for each inlet into Pleasant Lake. Flow measurements are also provided for mid-Fall 2005. Finally, a review of lake related policy is provided and addresses current legislative initiatives which affect, or could affect Pleasant Lake in some way. Each addresses a topic of concern for the watershed and the PLPA.
In addition to the project report, please also find links below for a newsletter summarizing the major results of the project, posters providing an overview of activities, and presentations prepared for the PLPA.
