What is a watershed?A watershed consists of all of the land area that contributes water to a specific body of water. The Cold River Watershed is the land surface that serves as the drainage system for the Cold River.
Rain that falls on the watershed (and is not intercepted by plants or evaporated) drains to the Cold River both through and over the ground. Water flowing through the ground is extracted from wells and springs for drinking, and also receives treated wastewater from our septic systems. Water flowing overland in streams is used for both wildlife habitat and recreation, and is diverted for fire supply and other important purposes How does the watershed connect us?Within the Cold River Watershed, the flow of water winds across town and property boundaries in response to physical, chemical and biological factors. In this place, water connects us all in one way or another – we are all upstream or downstream of someone else. This connection requires us to be good neighbors and stewards of the environment.
As a result, many state and federal agencies are recognizing that the management of land use is most effectively done on a watershed basis. The Cold River Local Advisory Committee is working with those agencies as well as local boards and residents to promote land use practices and regulations compatible with watershed protection. For more information on NH watersheds, go to https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/nh/water/watersheds/. |
WHAT is included in the cold river watershed? It includes all of the land uphill from the Cold River’s lowest point, where the Cold River empties into the Connecticut River near Route 12 in Walpole. The Cold River Watershed includes 102 square miles of Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Langdon, Lempster, Marlow, Unity andWalpole. It contains water bodies such as Lake Warren, CrescentLake, Vilas Pool and a multitude of ponds and streams, including about a dozen major feeder streams (or “tributaries”). Each of the lakes, ponds and streams has its own sub-watershed within the Cold River Watershed.
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