We just launched a pilot project to see if eelgrass harvested in one area can be transplanted successfully in another. What we learn will help us understand if we can jumpstart the recovery of the ecosystem that depends on this underwater plant.
Melissa Paly, the Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper with the Conservation Law Foundation, said it didn’t help that for years, towns and stakeholders fought over who was responsible and who should pay. Now, they’re finally ready to get to work on more ambitious solutions.
“This has been a long and contentious road to reduce nitrogen pollution in the estuary,” Paly said. “After many, many years, it’s really gratifying to see municipalities coming together, working more collaboratively with CLF and other stakeholders to start down a new path, and hopefully the estuary will be the better for it.”
“Nitrogen pollution is a scourge on our Great Bay estuary, including the many bays and rivers that are part of it,” Melissa Paly, Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper at CLF, wrote in a separate statement. “This agreement gives the communities surrounding Great Bay flexibility in how they will reduce this harmful pollution, but also accountability to ensure real progress.”
“Nitrogen pollution is a scourge on our Great Bay estuary, including the many bays and rivers that are part of it,” said Melissa Paly, Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper at CLF. “This agreement gives the communities surrounding Great Bay flexibility in how they will reduce this harmful pollution, but also accountability to ensure real progress. We’re looking forward to working together with these communities to advance innovative solutions to combat this problem and create healthier waterways for everyone.”
From multimillion-dollar investments to win-win collaborations, good news from New Hampshire’s Great Bay give us reasons to celebrate in 2020. Taken together, these stories remind us that when communities act boldly, we can turn the tide on pollution and restore the health of the rivers, bays, and coast in the Seacoast region and beyond.
A new study provides a road map for cities and towns in the Great Bay watershed to tackle nitrogen pollution and improve the health of the estuary.
“The Seacoast’s beautiful rivers and bays are in danger,” said Melissa Paly, Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper at CLF. “Under the surface, we’re losing the meadows of seagrasses that support the fish, shellfish, and wildlife that call the waters home. Towns have made progress reducing nitrogen, but we need to get much more serious about curbing the nitrogen that flows into our waters from septic systems and stormwater every time it rains. This report gives us a path to reach that goal.”
Nitrogen pollution is one of the biggest threats to the Great Bay estuary. A new, comprehensive “Nitrogen General Permit” could help cut that pollution in half.
What do polystyrene foam containers, paper coffee cups, and plastic grocery bags, food ware, and straws all have in common? None of them are recyclable and they cost towns and cities an enormous amount of money. What’s more, heaps of these single-use items end up on our beaches and shores, serving as an ugly reminder… Continue reading New Hampshire Joins the Fight Against Plastic Pollution
