NEWFOUND WATER QUALITY HUB

Dive deep and explore Newfound

NEWFOUND’S WATER IS MORE THAN JUST CLEAR

Newfound Lake has long been known for its clean, clear waters, but there’s more to water quality than what meets the eye. Use the Water Quality Hub to explore our water quality record and stay up to date with the latest readings.

Water Quality at a Glance

Newfound Lake continues to have excellent water quality. In 2022 we observed lower pollutant levels and high water quality. This is due in part to several dry summers in recent years, without major storms during the summer monitoring season. Summer rains, especially severe storms, increase stormwater flow, which brings sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants to the lake. While we currently enjoy a lake with high water quality, decades of data show the influence of major storms and periods in the not so distant past where Newfound’s future was less clear.

2023 STATE OF THE LAKE PRESENTATION

Conservation Program Manager Paul Pellissier and Executive Director Rebecca Hanson discuss our latest water quality data, the results of expanded invasive aquatics monitoring, the watershed planning process, and more in a presentation at the Minot-Sleeper Library in February 2023.

View the Recording

VIEW LATEST CONDITIONS AND EXPLORE SEASONAL TRENDS

VOLUNTEER DRIVEN DATA COLLECTION

Monitoring water quality has been essential to the work of the Newfound Lake Region Association dating back to the early days of the organization. Thanks to the effort of many dedicated volunteers, NLRA staff, and support from university partners Newfound has 37 years of water quality data that provide insights into the health and function of our lake.

Measuring Newfound’s Water Quaility

Newfound Lake’s water quality is measured weekly from the middle of May through the end of September at seven long-term monitoring sites located to capture conditions throughout the lake.

UNDERSTANDING CURRENT CONDITIONS

Measuring Water Clarity

Lake scientists around the world use the simple method of lowering a black and white Secchi Disk into the water and recording the depth at which it can no longer be seen. Clarity is affected by sediment, algae, and plankton in the water column. Deeper water clarity readings indicate better water quality.

Importance of Surface Temperature

Surface temperature tells us more than whether we should go swimming or not. When the surface water warms it alters the growth rate of algae and changes the chemistry of the upper layer of the lake. Seasonal changes are a normal occurrence, but cooler temps are generally healthier for the lake.

What's a Thermocline?

If you ever jumped into Newfound and dived deeper than a few feet, you’ve likely noticed a layer where the water temperature changes rapidly. This area is know as the thermocline and is the boundary between the warmer surface layer, called the epilimnion, and cooler denser water of the hypolimnion. Most of Newfound’s algae and plankton thrive in the warm water layer, while most fish species tend to prefer the oxygen rich cool water, with very little mixing between the top and bottom layers.

LONG-TERM TRENDS

Newfound’s centrally located deepest point best represents lake-wide trends in water quality. We carefully assess data from the “Deep Site” for long-term trends to understand what’s happening in the entire lake over time.

Use the dropdown and slider arrows to explore trends

WATER CLARITY

Clarity decline by 12 feet over this period due to increased development in the mid 1980s coupled with large storms in the 1990s 750 × 331 px 7

Clarity decline by 12 feet over this period due to increased development in the mid 1980s coupled with large storms in the 1990s 750 × 331 px 6

Interpreting this Figure

This figure shows individual readings of water clarity (blue dots) taken during the summer season from 1978 to the present. The solid black line is with a statistically fitted trendline and the grey shading describes how well the trendline fits the data.

Note: in areas with more data, the shading tends to be narrower indicting a more accurate placement of the trendline.

TOTAL PHOSPHORUS

Why Phosphorus is Important

Phosphorus is the key nutrient controlling the growth of freshwater plants and algae. It occurs naturally in soils but human activities like applying fertilizes and failing septic systems have a significant contribution. Impervious surfaces associated with development also concentrate stormwater runoff leading to increased erosion and the transport of phosphorus in soils to the lake. More phosphorus leads to increased algae and decreased water quality.

CHLOROPHYLL A

Clarity decline by 12 feet over this period due to increased development in the mid 1980s coupled with large storms in the 1990s 750 × 331 px 740 × 331 px 750 × 331 px 4

A Pigment You Should Know

Chlorophyll a is a light absorbing pigment naturally found in all green plants and algae that convert the sun’s energy into food through photosynthesis. It is one of the most abundant chemical compounds on earth! Levels below 3.3 parts per billion (ppb) are best for lakes like Newfound.

DRIVERS OF LONG-TERM TRENDS

Historic Declines in Water Quality

Deep Site measurements of transparency, chlorophyll a, and total phosphorus all show signs of declining water quality from the beginning of our record in the mid-1980s through the late-1990s. During this period, we saw an increase in chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, and a 13-foot (3.9 m) decrease in average summer water transparency at the Deep Site with similar trends observed at other monitoring sites.

While it is often difficult to attribute direct causes of changing water quality in lake systems, the connection between increasing development and declining water quality is well documented in the scientific literature. The 1980s saw an increase in development in the watershed and Newfound experienced several major storm events throughout the 1990s moving sediment and pollution into the lake. Today pollution carried in stormwater runoff from developed areas remains Newfound’s largest threat.

Slow and Steady Rebound

Throughout the early 2000’s we saw a period of steady improvement across the three measures of water quality with clarity and chlorophyll approaching levels seen in the mid 1980’s and total phosphorus decreasing to 4 parts per billion (ppb).

Impact of Intense Storms

The recent water quality record is dominated by the influence of several large storm events, starting with Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 which brought over 8 inches of sustained rain to the watershed. Its damaging flood waters carried sediment and stormwater pollution to Newfound—dropping lake transparency by 80% to just 6.9 feet (2.1 m). Irene’s legacy can clearly be seen in the transparency and chlorophyll records and impacted water quality for at least the next four years.

WATER QUALITY THREATS

STORMWATER RUNOFF

With changing climate conditions and increased frequency of large storms, stormwater runoff remains the biggest threat to Newfound’s water quality.

Learn more.

AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES

Aquatic invasive species add nutrients to the lake in the form of decomposing plant matter and reduce available oxygen. So far, Newfound remains free of invasives!

Learn more.

Building Resilience

NLRA programs and initiatives work to insure clean water by protecting healthy ecosystems through thoughtful stewardship of natural resources at a variety of scales.

WATERSHED PLANNING

A watershed plan is a strategy for achieving water resource goals. Watershed planning is a community driven process addressing watershed-wide problems and seeks to protect the resources we all value.

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STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

Stormwater management projects protect the waters of Newfound Lake and its tributaries from sediment and pollution while also protecting our roads, homes, and infrastructure from damage and erosion.

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LAND CONSERVATION

Thoughtful land conservation is the most effective way to protect our water, including our drinking water. Undeveloped land acts as a water filter, removing pollution before it reaches our waterways.

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AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES MONITORING

NLRA’s volunteer Weed Watchers keep a constant eye out for potential invasive species, while the Lake Host program prevents the spread of invasives with complimentary boat checks at Newfound’s public boat launches.

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EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

By educating and engaging our community we can ensure a continued tradition of stewardship in the Newfound Watershed. NLRA offers programs and events for all ages.

See our events

Get Involved

VOLUNTEER

Give yourself an excuse to get out on the lake and along the streams. Become a water quality monitor, watch for invasive species, and more!

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PREVENT STORMWATER ON YOUR PROPERTY

Prevent stormwater runoff from damaging your property and the Lake. We can help!

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BECOME A MEMBER

Our year-round work is made possible by the support of our members. Join the NLRA community and protect what you love.

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