Norm Royce

Testimony My name is Norm Royce. I’m a resident of Northwood, live on Northwood Lake, am retired from the Aerospace/Defense Industry and the past president of the Northwood Lake Watershed Association. I’m currently an elected member of the town Municipal Budget Committee, an appointed member of the Conservation Committee, and a Board member of NH LAKES. I’m very familiar with Cyanobacteria and the impact it has on the users of our lakes. The recommendation from NHDES when a Cyanobacteria bloom occurs is to close the lake for all water activities, resample in a week, and either stay closed or open the lake based on the sampling results. Cyanobacteria treatment, even in a small body of water, costs several hundred thousand dollars. The good news is that to apply for funds from NHDES, the waterbody must have a Watershed Management Plan in place. This means that the waterbody is being managed for root cause and preventive actions for Cyanobacteria. To just treat the waterbody without a thorough understanding of causes wouldn’t really solve the problem. In my town there are 7 lakes. Over the last several years there have been multiple outbreaks of Cyanobacteria blooms. I've had multiple property owners ask why this is occurring, and should they just sell their property. As President of the Northwood Lake Watershed Association, I wrote Warrant Articles for the three towns that have shoreline on Northwood Lake. These Warrant articles describe the need for education and prevention. I advise that treatment costs are much too expensive - the focus needs to be on root cause and preventive actions. These Warrant articles only provide a small amount of funds required. Please support HB1301. Cyanobacteria blooms can be addressed but it will require funding.