The Great Bay-Piscataqua Estuary is an incredible place. It’s home to numerous fish and bird species and provides spectacular fishing, boating, and recreation for the people of New Hampshire, Maine, and beyond. But persistent high levels of nitrogen pollution have disrupted these waters, and while progress is being made, some municipal officials are fighting against the changes that can save Great Bay.
May 10
2018
2018
Apr 12
2018
2018
Help for Cape Cod’s Pollution Problem
No one would consider swimming, sailing, or fishing in a sewer, but that, in effect, is the choice facing people seeking to use polluted bays around Cape Cod. The Cape’s septic systems cause 85 percent of the nitrogen pollution plaguing our waterways. Every time a toilet flushes into a septic tank, our clean bays, our…
Mar 7
2017
2017
Vermont Takes Action to Rein in Stormwater Pollution
Vermont’s House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife is considering a bill to improve how the state manages its rainfall. Pollution from stormwater runoff is one of the gravest threats to clean water in New England. When rain falls on pavement rather than soil, two things happen: first, it gains speed as it runs…
Feb 9
2017
2017
What’s Next for Clean Water in Vermont
This past year was big for clean water in Vermont. The pollution limits for Lake Champlain were finalized, and a slew of new rules for agriculture, development and wastewater were established. CLF fought hard to shape these new policies to protect the environment and to ensure we have regular check-ins and honest accounting on how…
Jan 11
2017
2017
CLF Sues the Pease Development Authority to Clean Up Toxic Stormwater Pollution
CLF has filed a lawsuit against the redeveloper of the site of the Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for violating the Clean Water Act. Pollution from the site is fouling local waterways, including the Great Bay estuary, with numerous pollutants, including toxic chemicals of growing concern. From Air Force Base to a…
Jun 30
2016
2016
Progress on Newmarket’s Sewage Treatment Plant Means Clean Water Ahead
Last week I visited Newmarket to see first-hand the progress being made on the town’s new sewage treatment plant. In 2013, the town’s citizens voted to bond the cost of a new plant that would adhere to EPA permit requirements that – for the first time – will result in dramatic reductions in nitrogen pollution.…
Jun 28
2016
2016
Great Bay–Piscataqua Waterkeeper Vessel Launched for 2016!
The Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper vessel is back on the water for its third season. Following our launch earlier this month, the weather did not cooperate until last week. Interest is keen from folks who want to climb aboard and explore Great Bay and the Piscataqua River to identify and discuss the challenges facing our local…
Sep 2
2015
2015
Great Bay is Cleaner Today
On August 13th, Seven Rivers Paddling of Newmarket and Timberland of Stratham teamed up with Jeff Barnum, CLF’s Great Bay–Piscataqua Waterkeeper, to patrol several areas of the estuary, picking up whatever refuse they could find. “Great Bay is an estuary of national significance – one of only 28 in the U.S. – and deserves our…
Dec 6
2013
2013
Environmental Appeals Board Affirms Newmarket Clean Water Act Permit
As we have reported in the past, reducing nitrogen pollution from sewage treatment plants is an essential and urgently needed step toward restoring the health of the Great Bay estuary. I’m pleased to report an important decision that will keep the estuary on the path to recovery: the Environmental Appeals Board’s affirmation of a Clean…
Sep 10
2013
2013
Hidden in Judge’s Ruling on Cape Cod Water Pollution: A Slap to EPA’s Hand on the Clean Water Funding Spigot
A recent federal court decision in Conservation Law Foundation’s and Buzzards Bay Coalition’s lawsuit against EPA addressing nitrogen pollution in Cape Cod bays has major implications for the way local water pollution control projects are funded in the Commonwealth. The impact of nutrient pollution on the streams and bays of Cape Cod was identified as…