News
Annual Meeting Marine Patrol presentation
Click Here
Annual 2023 Letter to Members
Click HERE
Member Dues and Voting - CLAPA bylaws require that attendees should be paid up members in order to vote. If you are not a current member, we look forward to your future support. Membership Dues and Donations schedule
Website - Since early 2020 we have been updating our website. We trust you will find it very informational regarding activiites on Contoocook Lake, and if you have any suggestions for future news, pictures, and information, please forward them to the board at our email address: clapalake@gmail.com.
Boating Regulations - This summer a number of Contoocook Lake residents have expressed concern over the lack of respect from certain motorboat and PWC users towards other lake boaters, kayakers, swimmers, sailors, fishermen, etc. relative to following NH boating regulations. For everyone's education, we have included on this website, a summary of these regulations relative to Contoocook Lake in addition to the NH Boating Regulations themselves.
Parking Restrictions - The town of Jaffrey has restricted parking at Town Beaches with fines for out-of-town residents. Read HERE for more details.
Algae in Contoocook Lake - We have received a number of concerning questions regarding the presence of algae in Contoocook Lake. It's a natural occurrence and an educational article has been written to help us understand what types of algae are safe or harmful to humans, fish, and wildlife. Please review this article and follow up accordingly on any harmful sightings.
Lake Lowering - Each fall the Jaffrey DPW lowers the water level of Contoocook Lake for the winter months. This is a good time for all lakefront residents to clean up their beaches from debris, leaves, and other vegetation that could effect water quality. This year the lake will commence lowering on Friday, October 20, 2023.
Elections - There have been changes to the slate of CLAPA officers and directors for 2023/2024. See the Contact list.
Fundraisers - Several fundraisers are being promoted to support our organization. Currently, we have Logo T-shirts and Sweatshirts available for purchase with logo design by CLAPA member, Linda Harris. Additionally, we are promoting some beautiful handmade burnt wooden plaques made by CLAPA member, Candy Phillips. Click on the appropriate pictures below to see more items and information about purchasing. Thank you for your support!
Annual Meeting Marine Patrol presentation
Click Here
Annual 2023 Letter to Members
Click HERE
Member Dues and Voting - CLAPA bylaws require that attendees should be paid up members in order to vote. If you are not a current member, we look forward to your future support. Membership Dues and Donations schedule
Website - Since early 2020 we have been updating our website. We trust you will find it very informational regarding activiites on Contoocook Lake, and if you have any suggestions for future news, pictures, and information, please forward them to the board at our email address: clapalake@gmail.com.
Boating Regulations - This summer a number of Contoocook Lake residents have expressed concern over the lack of respect from certain motorboat and PWC users towards other lake boaters, kayakers, swimmers, sailors, fishermen, etc. relative to following NH boating regulations. For everyone's education, we have included on this website, a summary of these regulations relative to Contoocook Lake in addition to the NH Boating Regulations themselves.
Parking Restrictions - The town of Jaffrey has restricted parking at Town Beaches with fines for out-of-town residents. Read HERE for more details.
Algae in Contoocook Lake - We have received a number of concerning questions regarding the presence of algae in Contoocook Lake. It's a natural occurrence and an educational article has been written to help us understand what types of algae are safe or harmful to humans, fish, and wildlife. Please review this article and follow up accordingly on any harmful sightings.
Lake Lowering - Each fall the Jaffrey DPW lowers the water level of Contoocook Lake for the winter months. This is a good time for all lakefront residents to clean up their beaches from debris, leaves, and other vegetation that could effect water quality. This year the lake will commence lowering on Friday, October 20, 2023.
Elections - There have been changes to the slate of CLAPA officers and directors for 2023/2024. See the Contact list.
Fundraisers - Several fundraisers are being promoted to support our organization. Currently, we have Logo T-shirts and Sweatshirts available for purchase with logo design by CLAPA member, Linda Harris. Additionally, we are promoting some beautiful handmade burnt wooden plaques made by CLAPA member, Candy Phillips. Click on the appropriate pictures below to see more items and information about purchasing. Thank you for your support!
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Milfoil Update -
The NHDES has surveyed Contoocook Lake on two separate occasions this summer. On May 20, Walter Henderson from NHDES identified a few milfoil plants near Blueberry Island as you enter the main body of the lake from County Road. CLAPA had previously contracted with Aqualogic Inc. to extract identified milfoil plants for 2021. The latter’s dash dive team arrived on Monday, June 7th and extracted a total of 15 gallons both at the Blueberry Island site and also at the Woodbound Cove.
On July 7, NHDES again surveyed our lake and identified additional milfoil growth at the Woodbound Cove and the entrance to Contoocook Lake. A total of 7.5 gallons of milfoil were subsequently extracted by the Aqualogic team on Wednesday, July 21st. YTD, a total of 22.5 gallons of milfoil were extracted at a cost of $2,500.00.
For 2021, we also previously proposed to chemically treat the Woodbound Cove and adjacent areas north to the Jaffrey beach with ProcellaCor. The latter service was to be provided by Solitude Lake Management, but based on the findings of minimal milfoil within Contoocook Lake by the NHDES, we cancelled our plan to chemically treat Contoocook Lake in 2021. Our only expenditure for the latter was $1,395.00 for permitting.
Since we last chemically treated our lake in 2018, we continue to see a remarkable reduction of milfoil growth in Contoocook Lake. Thank you to our Invasive Weed Control Committee for a job well done, and a reminder to our local "weed watchers", please as you travel around the lake in your various aquatic vehicles, if you see plant growth of milfoil, please report it's location ASAP via email to……clapalake@gmail.com.
Note: See below for the pdf files documenting both the NHDES and Aqualogic reports.
The NHDES has surveyed Contoocook Lake on two separate occasions this summer. On May 20, Walter Henderson from NHDES identified a few milfoil plants near Blueberry Island as you enter the main body of the lake from County Road. CLAPA had previously contracted with Aqualogic Inc. to extract identified milfoil plants for 2021. The latter’s dash dive team arrived on Monday, June 7th and extracted a total of 15 gallons both at the Blueberry Island site and also at the Woodbound Cove.
On July 7, NHDES again surveyed our lake and identified additional milfoil growth at the Woodbound Cove and the entrance to Contoocook Lake. A total of 7.5 gallons of milfoil were subsequently extracted by the Aqualogic team on Wednesday, July 21st. YTD, a total of 22.5 gallons of milfoil were extracted at a cost of $2,500.00.
For 2021, we also previously proposed to chemically treat the Woodbound Cove and adjacent areas north to the Jaffrey beach with ProcellaCor. The latter service was to be provided by Solitude Lake Management, but based on the findings of minimal milfoil within Contoocook Lake by the NHDES, we cancelled our plan to chemically treat Contoocook Lake in 2021. Our only expenditure for the latter was $1,395.00 for permitting.
Since we last chemically treated our lake in 2018, we continue to see a remarkable reduction of milfoil growth in Contoocook Lake. Thank you to our Invasive Weed Control Committee for a job well done, and a reminder to our local "weed watchers", please as you travel around the lake in your various aquatic vehicles, if you see plant growth of milfoil, please report it's location ASAP via email to……clapalake@gmail.com.
Note: See below for the pdf files documenting both the NHDES and Aqualogic reports.
Comparison NH DES Maps of Contoocook Lake Milfoil June 2022 (left) June 2023 (right)
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Click file below to read the full Aqualogic reports for June, July, and September 2022
| 2022_contoocook_lake_harvest_reports_phase_1.pdf |
| 2022_contoocook_lake_harvest_reports_phase_2.pdf |
| 2022_contoocook_lake_harvest_reports_phase_3.pdf |
References Below: Contookcook Lake Milfoil Map 2018, ProcellaCOR information
| contoocook_treatment_map_2018_draft.pdf |
| contoocook_lake_nh_-_procellaCOR_slides_for_frank_battaglia.pdf |
Volunteer Lake Assessment Program (VLAP) Update:
The VLAP team, Carolyn West, Frank Belfsky and Russ Phillips, sampled the lake waters in June, July and August. A state biologist accompanied them in July. Samples are generally taken at eleven locations, but as the summer progressed several tributaries dried up due to lack of rain. The water quality remained generally good. We have had an upward trend in Conductivity and Chlorine, generally caused by road salt, and septic sewage. There is also a slight, but continuous upward trend in Phosphorus. These chemical pollutants can ultimately cause significant degradation of our lake water and we must all work to abate them by restricting stormwater runoff, over fertilization and proper maintenance of septic systems. Click the file below to see a summary of all NH lakes tested in 2022.
The VLAP team, Carolyn West, Frank Belfsky and Russ Phillips, sampled the lake waters in June, July and August. A state biologist accompanied them in July. Samples are generally taken at eleven locations, but as the summer progressed several tributaries dried up due to lack of rain. The water quality remained generally good. We have had an upward trend in Conductivity and Chlorine, generally caused by road salt, and septic sewage. There is also a slight, but continuous upward trend in Phosphorus. These chemical pollutants can ultimately cause significant degradation of our lake water and we must all work to abate them by restricting stormwater runoff, over fertilization and proper maintenance of septic systems. Click the file below to see a summary of all NH lakes tested in 2022.
| vlap-all_lakes_summary_2022.pdf |
Click the file below to get more information on the VLAP program from DES.
| vlap_fact_sheet.pdf |
| chemical_biological_parameter_explanations.pdf |
Click the files below to get information on the Weed Watcher program run by VLAP.
| weed_watchers_fact_sheet.pdf |
Click on the various files below to see the most recent results of our water testing.
| how-to-read-your-report.pdf |
| vlap-contoocook-jaffrey-aug_2023.pdf |
| contoocook-jaffrey-june_and_july_2023.pdf |
| 2022-contoocook-jaffrey.pdf |
| vlap_contoocook-june_2022.pdf |
| 2021-contoocook-jaffrey.pdf |
| vlap_results_sept_22_-_2021.pdf |
| vlap_results_june_22_-_2021.pdf |
| 2020-contoocook-jaffrey_vlap_report.pdf |
| vlap_results_-_august_2020.pdf |
| vlap_results_-_june_2020.pdf |
| summary_-_vlap_lake_report_2019.pdf |
| contoocook_vlap_results_sept_2019.pdf |
| vlap_results_july_12_-_2019.pdf |
| contoocook_2018_vlap_report.pdf |
Click HERE for an article about VLAP and CLAPA in the news!
Newsletter from the Loon Preservation Committee (loon.org): Click HERE for the latest monthly issues.