Judy Hughes | Support SB598

My husband and I have lived in Meredith on Lake Winnisquam since 1998. I'm writing in the hopes that you will vote to support this bill. In the last couple of years our summers have become unpredictable. We have a Labrador Retriever who is always in the water either on his own, with grandkids, friends or anyone else that will swim with him. Unfortunately due to cyanobacteria blooms in the last few years, we can't let our dog or grandkids in the water until we check for blooms. Ingesting a bacteria bloom can make them sick. These blooms are increasing across all of NH, threatening public health, drinking water, recreation, and local economies. The existing mitigation fund is now nearly depleted as demand grows. There’s no single solution to funding cyanobacteria mitigation at the scale needed statewide. This bill is a critical step toward developing stable, long-term funding solutions that reflect the shared responsibility of everyone who benefits from clean, healthy lakes and rivers.