Dublin’s Conservation Commission is hosting an informational meeting Wednesday to discuss what some consider to be a dramatic annual reduction in water height at Howe Reservoir.
Every fall, the N.H. Department of Environmental Services’ Dam Bureau draws down the water at Howe Reservoir by six feet. While it has its benefits, many feel the level to which it is drawn down is detrimental to recreation opportunities and wildlife habitats.
“A question we have heard is, why is it drawn down so much when a foot or two less could keep a lot more water?” Commission chair Traceymay Kalvaitis said. “I don’t think anyone is arguing that it shouldn’t be drawn down.”
The meeting will be held in the lower level of the Dublin Town Hall beginning at 7 p.m. and will give members of the public to share information and ask questions about the reservoir. Kalvaitis said a representative from the Dam Bureau will be present at the meeting.
The inspiration for the meeting came from Dublin resident Kiki Sangermano, who started a petition to have the Dam Bureau further investigate the idea of drawing down the reservoir less than six-feet.
Howe Reservoir is located in Dublin off Route 101 near Charcoal Road. Kalvaitis said water from the reservoir drains into the Russell Reservoir, the Minnewawa Brook, and later the Ashuelot River.
This year, the Dam Bureau is drawing down over 50 bodies of water throughout the state with drawdown heights range from one to eight feet. Drawdown heights are from the full pond level, not the current level.
There have been a number of inquires made over the past two decades regarding the drawdown level at Howe Reservoir, Kalvaitis said.
Kalvaitis said the drawdown happens annually to prevent flooding on Route 101 when the snow melts in the winter. The drawdown also reduces the strain on the dam.
Reducing the water by six feet, however, often leads to a number of mudflats, potentially altering a number of wildlife habitats. Low water levels also can impact fishing, ice fishing, and ice skating.
Kalvaitis said there is also a concern that certain animals, notably amphibians, require a certain water level for their winter habitats.
“We are trying to balance a lot of concerns,” Kalvaitis said.
Kalvaitis said the conservation commission has yet to take a stance on the reduction of water level, but is looking forward to getting more information to potentially get a more complete answer.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.