New Hampshire's Great Bay

This week NHPR’s Amy Quinton has been taking an in-depth look at the New Hampshire’s Great Bay.

The estuary is one of the state’s natural treasures.

But it’s in trouble.

Yesterday, Amy told us about the role wastewater treatment plants have played in polluting the bay and how they now face tougher clean water standards.

But the majority of pollution in the estuary comes from so-called non point sources, such as stormwater runoff.

And much of that comes from development. Amy Quinton has more.

This week, NHPR’s Amy Quinton has been taking a look at some of the challenges facing the Great Bay estuary.

Earlier she reported on how pollution is killing the bay’s eelgrass, a source of food and habitat for wildlife.

But the Bay also has lost most of its oysters, which help filter the water.
Pollution, disease, and overharvesting have all played a part.

As environment reporter Amy Quinton reports, an effort to restore oyster reefs may also help restore the balance of the ecosystem.

The Oyster River got its name for an obvious reason.

This week NHPR’s Amy Quinton has been taking an in-depth look at the New Hampshire’s Great Bay.

The estuary is one of the state’s natural treasures.

But it’s in trouble.

Yesterday, Amy told us about the role wastewater treatment plants have played in polluting the bay and how they now face tougher clean water standards.

But the majority of pollution in the estuary comes from so-called non point sources, such as stormwater runoff.

And much of that comes from development. Amy Quinton has more.

The Environmental Protection Agency has designated New Hampshire’s Great Bay as officially impaired.

That means the 14 New Hampshire wastewater treatment plants that discharge into the estuary face tougher clean water standards.

And that could cost ratepayers millions.

In the second part of her series on the challenges facing the Great Bay, NHPR’s environment reporter Amy Quinton reports.

Driving east on 101 as you approach the town of Exeter, you’ll see three huge man-made lagoons filled with dirty looking water.

Sitting on top of the water are strange looking metal machines.

If you’ve ever wondered what all that is, Jennifer Perry says you wouldn’t be alone.

At 18 miles long, the New Hampshire coastline is the shortest in the country.

But if you include the Great Bay, the state’s meager coast grows by about 144 miles of tidal shoreline.

The rare inland estuary, where salt water meets fresh, spans more than 13,000 acres.

And nearly a quarter of the state’s population lives within its watershed.

In the first of a five part series on the Great Bay, NHPR’s Environment Reporter Amy Quinton takes an in-depth look at the pressure that many people put on the fragile ecosystem.

It’s not yet 7 am, just before low tide, at the University of New Hampshire’s Jackson Estuarine Laboratory in Durham.