On Wednesday, June 21, the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold a public information session at the Sandy Point Discovery Center in Greenland. The session will begin at 6 p.m. and focus on the impact of urban development on local watersheds. Representatives from the town of Greenland, area conservation commissions, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, area watershed groups and various state representatives will be present to hear Jeffrey Deacon of the United States Geological Survey and Sally Soule of the New Hampshire Coastal Program present the report from a study conducted by the USGS analyzing the impact of recent development on water quality between 2001 and 2003.

“This is really good science,” said Steve Miller, the coastal training program coordinator for GBNERR. “They’ll provide sound information to help those present make informed decisions about water quality protection.”

The study focused on 10 sub-watersheds in the area. According to Miller, a clear correlation was found between the increase in the percentage of impervious surface covering and the decrease in the water quality of the watersheds.

“It tells us what we’ve already known, but it gives us really good data to back it up,” Miller said of the study’s results.

Despite the dismaying information presented in the study, Miller says there is good reason for hope. He says a reduction in the amount of impervious surfaces in watershed areas as well as an increase in naturally vegetated buffers between roadways and waterways would vastly improve water quality in the area.

“A dramatic difference could be made by better planning,” he said. “We can do a lot to reverse the negative trends of area water quality. That’s the nice thing about this report.”

The presentation is expected to run until 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.greatbay.org