NH Watershed Protection and Restoration Forum

EPA just announced the release of the Bioretention Design Handbook. The handbook was developed to inform practitioners about the latest approaches and lessons learned for bioretention design, construction, inspection, and operation and maintenance.

The handbook contains a compilation of the current state of knowledge from published literature, interviews, and site visits with leading municipalities and practitioners across the United States. A unique feature includes the numerous photographs of bioretention facilities from more than 20 municipalities across the contiguous United States that showcase a diversity of design techniques.

The handbook can be found on the EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, Nonpoint Source Programs webpage here: https://www.epa.gov/nps/urban-runoff-low-impact-development

Enjoy this new EPA Resource. Please share this visually compelling resource with anyone interested in stormwater management!

Please send questions to Robyn DeYoung, DeYoung.Robyn@epa.gov

The City of Dover, NH seeks applicants for an Environmental Projects Manager position to perform routine and complex administrative, technical, and professional work in coordinating environmental projects generally related to solid waste, landfills, hazardous waste, stormwater, municipal drinking water (per the Safe Drinking Water Act), and municipal sanitary sewer (related to the Clean Water Act). May perform engineering design, planning, layout, and oversight work for environmental, water, sewer, stormwater, and other community development projects and programs. Responsibilities include supervision, construction oversight, preparation and coordination of plans, specifications, reports, estimate, field studies, and surveys.

More information about the Enivronmental Projects Manager position may be found on the City of Dover website by visiting the Employment page which has a description on how to apply plus a link for more information about position 24-042 Enivronmental Projects Manager:

https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/executive/human-resources/employment/

Vacancy announcement for this position:

24-042 Environmental Projects Manager Vacancy Announcement

Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) seeks responses to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for nitrogen control plan development for Milton, NH.

In 2022, the Town of Milton, in collaboration with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) submitted a pre-application and was authorized to borrow $100,000 as part of a Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan through the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) to develop a nitrogen control plan. Prior to final work scope and loan approval, a qualifications-based selection procurement process must be conducted through a formal Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to choose a consulting firm.

With this funding, SRPC, in coordination with a selected Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP), will develop a plan for nitrogen source reductions, from point source and non-point sources. The nitrogen source reduction plan would outline specific actions or projects with estimates of load reduction potential and cost to implement these actions or projects.

The plan will serve as a planning tool for Milton to allocate funding for investment and implementation to reduce total nitrogen into Milton Three Ponds/Salmon Falls River which feeds Great Bay. The plan would help Milton understand how much total nitrogen they might expect to reduce in the next 4+ years. A project deliverable would also include a nitrogen source identification planning template that could be used by other towns within the Great Bay estuary.

SRPC is soliciting proposals from QEPs with proven expertise in the development of nitrogen control plans and preparation of non-point source total nitrogen adaptive management plans that comply with the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Great Bay Total Nitrogen General Permit. Additionally, QEPs should have first-hand knowledge of the level of detail required in nitrogen control plans, the project experience to leverage their existing work, and the technical expertise to ensure that Milton develops a plan that is implementable and adaptable to their needs.

SRPC has a modest amount of funding available to hire a QEP to assist with selected project tasks and sub-tasks. The QEP will work under the direction of SRPC staff and collaborate with Milton staff and its partners to provide technical advice or services to complete the selected tasks.

RFQ TIMELINE
November 3, 2023 Request for Qualifications release
November 10, 2023 Deadline for submittal of questions on this RFQ (5:00 p.m.)
November 17, 2023 Questions and answers digest distributed to Proposers and posted to www.strafford.org
December 8, 2023 Deadline for receipt of qualification packages to this RFQ (5:00 p.m.)
January 5, 2023 Anticipated final selection of QEP and notification to all firms. SRPC reserves the right to conduct interviews with selected teams. The decision to conduct interviews may affect the specified timeline.

More details can be found in the RFQ: MIL_Nitrogen_Control_Plan_RFQ_110323

The three-day course will be held online November 6-8, 2023 with an optional one-day virtual field trip on November 9, 2023.  This course covers the basic principles of fluvial geomorphology and their use in watershed assessments and designing stream restoration projects.  The virtual field trip will be from the Chesapeake Bay region with additional virtual trip locations potentially developed based on the interests of course registrants.  The course is being organized and hosted by the River Management Society (RMS).  A brief course description is found below with more details available on the RMS website along with registration information and pricing: https://rms.memberclicks.net/stream-restoration-course-2023

Feel free to call John Field at 207-491-9541 or e-mail jfield@field-geology.com for further information on registration or course content.  Registration discounts are available for registration prior to October 6^th and for RMS members (and those that join during registration).  Please call or email regarding additional discounts for students and groups of 3 or more.  We look forward to seeing you in November!
 

Using Fluvial Geomorphology to Improve Stream Restoration and Watershed Management

This 3-day short course with an optional virtual field trip will provide an overview of fluvial geomorphology with a thorough discussion of key concepts such as the principles of equilibrium, channel classification methods, channel evolution, and sediment transport capacity.  A number of examples and case studies from New England, Pacific Northwest, Chesapeake Bay region and elsewhere in the country will demonstrate how an understanding of fluvial geomorphology can be used in watershed assessments to identify the underlying causal mechanisms for erosion and flooding problems that are responsible for significant infrastructure damage and environmental degradation.  Additional case studies will be used to reveal common errors made in stream restoration projects when the basic principles of fluvial geomorphology are poorly understood. The course will conclude with a discussion of the appropriate settings and conditions within which to employ a variety of widely used stream restoration techniques.  The virtual field trip will visit degraded streams where restoration projects may be completed and to already completed stream restoration sites in order to illustrate the fluvial geomorphology concepts and stream restoration techniques discussed in the course.

The short course will consist of visual presentations, small group exercises, and hands-on activities that will provide participants with practical experiences and examples to recognize unstable channel reaches in a watershed and identify the most appropriate stream restoration techniques that will best address the identified instabilities, if present.

The course is designed for government officials, environmental and engineering consultants, construction contractors, non-profit watershed groups, educators, and others dealing with flooding, erosion, nutrient loading, and habitat issues along rivers and streams.

The Lake Winnipesaukee Association (LWA) is seeking proposals from interested consulting firms to assist the organization in developing watershed-based plans for 3 of the lakes 10 subwatersheds.

For the past thirteen (13) years, the Lake Winnipesaukee Association (LWA) has led the effort to address the threats and contaminants that stress the lake’s natural ecosystem and degrade its water quality.  We have completed watershed and water quality analyses for 6 of the lake’s 10 subwatersheds, identifying over 270 sites that are contributing excessive nutrient loading to the lake.  In addition, as part of the watershed-based plan process, we have developed action plans that include specific remediation steps, expected efficacy, estimated costs and timelines.

Completing watershed-based plans for the remaining 3 subwatersheds of the lake will assist the communities in focusing their efforts by identifying sources of pollutants in the watershed that are contributing excessive nutrient loading to the lake.  In addition, updates to management plans completed over 10 years ago, will provide a whole lake understanding of the issues and better inform lake-wide management decisions to protect the lake’s water quality.

Complete RFP packages must be submitted via Dropbox and are due by close of business on October 16, 2023.

For complete details about the project and RFP submittal, please use the link below.

Request for Proposals – Lake Winnipesaukee Comprehensive Protection Initiative

Submittal deadline extended to August 24, 2023, 4:00 PM. 

The Partridge Lake Property Owners Association (PLPOA) is soliciting Request for Qualifications (RFQ) responses from interested consulting firms to provide deliverables related to planning for in-lake treatment of Partridge Lake for the purpose of preventing cyanobacteria blooms.

Partridge Lake is a 99-acre waterbody located in the towns of Littleton and Lyman, New Hampshire. Partridge Lake is on the NHDES 2022 303(d) list as impaired for Primary Contact Recreation due to cyanobacteria blooms. According to the Partridge Lake Watershed Restoration Plan, 55 percent of the phosphorus in Partridge Lake is from internal sources (benthic sediments).

The PLPOA seeks a qualified consultant to evaluate in-lake management approaches and design a treatment plan to reduce nutrient loading to the lake from internal sources.

Completed RFQ packages are due to Tom Norris, PLPOA, on August 24, 2023, by 4:00 PM (thosnoss@gmail.com).  For additional details about the project and RFQ submittal, please see the RFQ document at the link below.

Partridge Lake 2023_RFQ_06_27_2023 REVISED 08_04_2023