What is happening to Lake Winnipesaukee?

Image courtesy of "Assessing the State of Lake Winnipesaukee Report"  https://trends.winnipesaukee.org/

A report released on September 24, 2026 by the Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance looked at more than 40 years of data. Its findings, as reported by New Hampshire Public Radio:

• Water clarity has dropped by more than eight feet since the 1980s.

• Harmful cyanobacteria blooms have grown by an average of 23% a year over the past seven years.

• Phosphorus in the lake is projected to rise by nearly 40% in the coming decades.

• The three main causes are stormwater runoff, leaching septic systems and road salt. Salt releases phosphorus from the lake bottom, and phosphorus feeds algae and cyanobacteria.

• Shorter winters and warmer water speed all of it up.

The good news is that the Alliance says these changes can still be reversed if communities act. Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro have already been part of that work, taking part in watershed planning for Moultonborough Bay and Winter Harbor. Our towns should  not have to carry it alone.

My youngest, Gabe, on top of Abenaki Tower with Lake Winnipesaukee in the distance. (2019)

When Concord pushes costs down onto local property taxes, projects like stormwater upgrades and septic replacement are the ones that wait.