Water Quality

What is meant by “water quality”?

Water quality can be defined as how clean or how safe water is for people and wildlife. Landowners along the Lamprey who responded to the LRAC's landowners' survey identified water quality as the single most important attribute to protect on the river. Because of its clean water, the river supports a healthy diversity of aquatic life, provides public drinking water (after treatment), and is safe for swimming, fishing, boating, and other water-based recreation.

The Lamprey is classified by the NH Legislature as a Class B (swimmable, fishable) river, and the state is thus required to maintain "fishable and swimmable" conditions as defined under the federal Clean Water Act. Water quality in the Lamprey River is generally very good. During the warm days of summer, however, the river’s current can be slow-moving with lower flows. In addition, it has several areas that are pond-like. These factors make the river vulnerable to pollution.

ABOUT THE RIVER