water pollution field guide distributed to communities

Unidentified foam can be a major deterrent to swimming in fresh water. How many times have you come up for a gulp of air, only to find yourself face to face with a huge dollop of white bubbles? The natural reaction is to flee with the same arm-flailing desperation typically reserved for shark attacks. But that mysterious foam can be as natural as froth on a latte. A new Water Pollution Identification Field Guide, circulated by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP), will help people determine on their own what is natural and what should be avoided like Speedos on a fat man.

“Foam is very commonly misinterpreted as pollution,” said Dave Kellam, project coordinator for the NHEP. “Foam often is created when water containing organic material is agitated. The froth will look brown and tends to pile up in backwaters. People assume it is detergent. The way to tell the difference is to stir the foam with a stick. Natural foam will break apart in clumps, while unnatural detergent foam will flow back together quickly. Unnatural foam will also usually be white. This type of foam may be coming from an improperly connected washing machine or broken sewer pipe,” Kellam explained.

Kellam also described the reverse scenario—a common pollutant often mistaken for a natural occurrence. “Many people do not see muddy water as a pollutant, but in fact water that is heavy with sediments will smother bottom-dwelling creatures and disrupt the ecology of aquatic systems. It will also clog storm water systems and increase the intensity of flooding,” he said.
The Water Pollution Identification Field Guide describes 22 conditions commonly found in or around surface water in the coastal watershed, including oil sheens, brown water, orange slime, trash, rotten egg smell and foam. For each condition, the likely causes and potential effects are described, corrective measures and preventative actions are suggested and resources for learning more are provided.

A list of contacts and clear response procedures are also included in the 36-page guide. “Emergency reporting, such as an oil spill, should be reported to 911. The local fire department will respond,” Kellam said. “If the pollution is not an immediate threat, reports should go to the municipal health officer. The Conservation Commission should also be informed, because they can follow an issue and see to it that it’s corrected.”

The NHEP is circulating the guide among road agents, public works personnel, health officers, conservation commission chairs, code enforcement officers, building inspectors, watershed groups, volunteer water monitoring groups and libraries. The guide was created to help facilitate an informed, watchful citizenry that will act quickly when water resources are threatened.

According to Natalie Landry, coastal watershed supervisor for the N.H. Department of Environmental Services, there are plenty of threats out there that should be taken seriously. “We have a variety of pollutants. I would say, this season, runoff from construction sites is probably one of the most prevalent pollution sources,” Landry said. “Turbid water is coming off construction sites and going into streams. It smothers fish eggs and also fills in the spaces between small stones,” where the larval stages of bugs take place. Bug larvae are an important source of food for fish, Landry said. “It’s causing cloudiness, and fish are having a hard time swimming through the water and finding food,” she added. Pollution also comes from failed septic systems, illegal discharge of wastewater and pollution associated with storm water runoff.

Landry is responsible for investigating all water pollution reports on the Seacoast. She tries to work with municipal staff as often as possible, but if a local health officer or code enforcement officer hasn’t addressed a problem, she responds herself. “We get calls from property owners about things they see on their property, and this is a way to let them know if it’s a natural phenomenon or pollution,” she said. “(The field guide is) a great resource to let them know who to call. It’s been a missing piece for a long time.”

The N.H. Estuaries Project is a collaborative program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the University of New Hampshire. It includes governmental agencies, universities, nonprofit organizations, businesses and the public, and is dedicated to protecting, enhancing and monitoring the environmental quality of New Hampshire’s coastal waterways. “Water quality is a critical component to healthy estuaries, and thus identifying and reporting pollution quickly will help everyone protect important water resources,” Kellam said. The NHEP has also developed a large educational poster, a Web site and a bookmark to help inform people about water pollution. The field guide is available at www.nhep.unh.edu.