Watershed Management Bureau

  Rivers Management and Protection Program (RMPP)

    A Report to the General Court

The Cold River

A Report to the General Court
February 1999

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE COLD RIVER NOMINATION
  A. DESCRIPTION
  B. RIVER VALUES AND CHARACTERISTICS
   1. Natural Resources
        a. Geologic Resources
        b. Wildlife Resources
        c. Vegetation and Natural Communities
        d. Fish Resources
        e. Water Quality
        f.  Natural Flow Characteristics
        g. Open Space
   2. Managed Resources
        a. Impoundments
        b. Water Withdrawals and Discharges
        c. Hydroelectric Resources
   3. Cultural Resources
        a. Historic and Archaeological Resources
        b. Community River Resources
   4. Recreational Resources
        a. Fishery
        b. Boating
        c. Other Recreation
        d. Public Access
   5. Other Resources
        a. Scenery
        b. Land Use
        c. Land Use Controls
        d. Water Quantity
        e. Riparian Interests/Flowage Rights
III. LOCAL SUPPORT
IV. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
V. MAPS

The Cold River is located in southwestern New Hampshire. It rises at the outlet of Crescent Lake in Acworth and flows southwest 22.4 miles through the towns of Lempster, Acworth, Alstead, Langdon, and Walpole before emptying into the Connecticut River. The Cold River was nominated for designation into the New Hampshire Rivers Management and Protection Program (RMPP) by a group known as the Friends of the Cold River. The Department of Environmental Services has reviewed the nomination and is recommending the Cold River for designation into the RMPP.

 The Rivers Management and Protection Act (RSA 483) was passed by the General Court in 1988. The Act states in part: "It is the policy of the state to ensure the continued viability of New Hampshire rivers as valued economic and social assets for the benefit of present and future generations. The state shall encourage and assist in the development of river corridor management plans and regulate the quantity and quality of instream flow along certain protected rivers or segments of rivers to conserve and protect outstanding characteristics including recreational, fisheries, wildlife, environmental, cultural, historical, archeological, scientific, ecological, aesthetic, community significance, agricultural, and public water supply so that these valued characteristics shall endure as part of the river uses to be enjoyed by New Hampshire people."

 The Act directs the Department of Environmental Services to receive and evaluate nominations for the designation of rivers or river segments into the Rivers Management and Protection Program to protect outstanding values and characteristics. Nominations approved by the Commissioner must be forwarded to the next session of the General Court for review and approval. In fulfillment of this statutory directive, the nomination of the Cold River is hereby forwarded to the General Court.

 The Department of Environmental Services recommends that the Cold River be designated into the Rivers Management and Protection Program and classified as a "rural" and "community" river as described in the recommendations contained in this report, thereby affording it the full benefit of the applicable protection measures outlined in RSA 483. The outstanding statewide and local resource values and characteristics which qualify the Cold River for designation are described in this report.

A. DESCRIPTION

The Cold River begins at Crescent Lake which straddles the Unity/Acworth town line. From there the River flows for 22.4 miles through the communities of Lempster, Acworth, Alstead, Langdon, and Walpole before reaching its confluence with the Connecticut River. The Cold River Watershed drains an area encompassing 101.6 square miles. From its headwaters at Crescent Lake, at an elevation of 1,211 feet above sea level, the Cold River drops steeply at an average slope of about 44 feet per mile to its confluence with the Connecticut River where the elevation is 236 feet above sea level. Along the way, the River drops over numerous cascades and rapids, and passes through several gorges.

Land use along the Cold River is primarily rural. In the upper reaches of the River, from the outlet of Crescent Lake to South Acworth, most of the river corridor is forested. Downstream of South Acworth, through the towns of Langdon, Alstead and Langdon again, land use along the River is a mixture of forest, agriculture and scattered residential housing, interrupted only by the small villages of Alstead and Drewsville, the latter of which is part of the Town of Walpole. Below Drewsville, there are sizable sand and gravel excavations located near the River. Near the confluence with the Connecticut, agriculture again dominates the landscape.

B. RIVER VALUES AND CHARACTERISTICS

The Rivers Management and Protection Program identifies a number of river-related values and characteristics which may qualify a river for designation. The Cold River supports many of these including a variety of natural, managed, cultural, recreational and other resource values. Some are significant at the local level; others are significant at either the state or national level. The resource values which qualify the Cold River for designation include geology, wildlife, vegetation and natural communities, fish, water quality, natural flow, open space, impoundments, water withdrawal, historic and archeological, community river resources, boating, other recreation, public access, scenery, land use, land use controls, and water quantity.

1. Natural Resources

a. Geologic Resources: The Cold River Valley contains numerous exposures of its rich geologic past. These include the Ammonoosuc Volcanics at Osgood Ledge, the juncture of the Partridge and Littleton formations at Beryl Mountain, the Alstead Dome, and the exposure of the Bellows Falls Pluton at Drewsville Gorge. The Valley is also rich in pegmatites which are coarse-grained granites that contain large mineral crystals. Feldspar crystals fourteen feet long and beryl crystals four feet long were found at Beryl Mountain, located just south of South Acworth. These and other deposits make the Cold River Valley a geologist's and rock hound's delight. The Valley is also rich in glacial sand and gravel deposits. The most notable of these occurs in Walpole and Langdon near the confluence with the Connecticut River where a commercial sand and gravel operation known as Cold River Materials has been established.

b. Wildlife Resources: The Cold River supports a diverse habitat comprised of wetlands, forest and agricultural open space that is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Especially important are the large wetland systems located in the upper reaches of the Cold River which, along with other wetlands located elsewhere in the watershed, provide important habitat for migrating waterfowl and other birds. The steep topography of the Cold River Valley and its location remote from the more populated parts of Cheshire and Sullivan Counties have benefited wildlife in the river corridor. According to the NH Fish and Game Department, Acworth has more deer yards and wintering deer than any other community in Sullivan County, with most occurring along the Cold River and its tributaries.

The River supports a number of rare and endangered bird species including the nationally-endangered bald eagle and peregrine falcon which have been sighted at the mouth of the Cold River. The River also supports two state-threatened raptors, the Cooper's hawk and osprey. In addition, the state-endangered sedge wren is known to breed in Lempster, and although not documented, there is a good possibility that it may inhabit some of the marshes in the upper reaches of the Cold River. Historical records indicate that the timber rattlesnake may also be found in the river corridor in the vicinity of Fall Mountain in Walpole.

c. Vegetation and Natural Communities: There is a great diversity of plant species found in the Cold River corridor. Forest type changes several times due to variation in elevation and the widening of the river valley as one moves downstream. In the upper reaches of the river, the forest has a boreal feel to it with balsam fir and red spruce being common. Below Honey Brook, sugar maple, white pine, hemlock, yellow birch, black birch, and beech dominate the forest. In the Alstead area, vegetation changes to a southern hardwood type forest. Below Drewsville, the forest contains many riparian and other species that thrive in wet conditions. Silver maple, cottonwood, and sycamore are common in the floodplain.

The New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory lists five state-threatened plant species as occurring along the Cold River. They are the Black Maple, Ciliated Willow-Herb, Four-Leaved Milkweed, Goldie's Fern, and Meadow Horsetail. Another ten threatened or endangered plant species which are listed at the state or federal level occur elsewhere in the Cold River Watershed. These are the Bur Sedge, Downy False-Foxglove, Narrow-Leaved Spleenwort, Northeastern Bulrush, Northern Waterleaf, Philadelphia Panic-Grass, Sweet Goldenrod, Three-Leaved Black Snakeroot, Virginian Mountain Mint, and Woodland Hound's Tongue. Three exemplary natural ecological communities are associated with the Cold River corridor: Southern New England Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop, Central New England Dry Transitional Forest, and Southern New England Floodplain Forest.

d. Fish Resources: The Cold River is primarily a cold water fishery that provides habitat for approximately 13 resident species as recorded by the NH Fish and Game Department during a 1988 survey. Naturally-reproducing cold water species include blacknose dace, longnose dace, common shiner, longnose sucker, common white sucker, creek chub, slimy sculpin. Naturally-reproducing warm water species found in the Cold River include brown bullhead, golden shiner and spottail shiner. Introduced game species include brown, brook and rainbow trout. The River is stocked annually with these species as well as with Atlantic salmon as part of an ongoing anadromous fish restoration effort. The importance of the Cold River for fishery habitat is highlighted by its designation as a special focus area under the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge for the presence of nursery and rearing habitat for juvenile Atlantic salmon, as well as for potential spawning habitat for adults. Walleye are reported to be present in the River below Drewsville gorge, and Fish and Game biologists also suspect that sea lamprey may be found in the River during spawning time, although the latter is not documented.

e. Water Quality: The Cold River has been designated a Class B water by the General Court. The River is currently fully supporting the standards of this water quality goal. The Department of Environmental Services monitors the water quality of the Cold River at two locations, the Route 123A bridge crossing in Alstead and the Route 123 bridge crossing in Walpole. The significance of maintaining a high level of water quality in the Cold River is evidenced by the use of the River for recreational purposes and by the presence of a high quality cold water fishery.

f.  Natural Flow Characteristics: From its headwaters at Crescent Lake, the Cold River is 99.3% percent free-flowing, the one exception being the impoundment at Vilas Pool in Alstead. Except for periodic maintenance, the dam at Vilas Pool is operated in a "run-of-river" manner that does not impact flow. There are no diversions, channel alterations, or interbasin transfers.

g. Open Space: The Cold River corridor is predominantly undeveloped. Most of the land in the upper portion of the river corridor is either forested or wetland. Downstream from South Acworth, the corridor is dominated by a mixture of forest and agricultural land, but also includes the small villages of Alstead and Drewsville. Agricultural open space dominates the landscape near the confluence of the Cold and Connecticut Rivers. Protected open space within the river corridor includes a 10.1-acre parcel owned by the NH Fish and Game Department at the confluence of the Cold and Connecticut Rivers, a 63.1-acre town-owned wetland along both sides of the Cold River in East Acworth, and portions of the Honey Brook State Forest where Honey Brook meets the Cold River in Acworth.

2. Managed Resources

a. Impoundments: There are 13 active or historic dams on the Cold River. Of these, eleven have been breached. The two remaining dams are located at Crescent Lake and Vilas Pool. The Crescent Lake Association dam is 3 feet high and 40 feet long, and creates a 116-acre impoundment. The Vilas Pool dam is 31 feet high and 135 feet long, and creates a 6-acre impoundment that is used for recreational purposes and also functions as an important source of water for fire-fighting.

b. Water Withdrawals and Discharges: The only water withdrawal from the Cold River that is registered with the Department of Environmental Services is that of Lane Construction Corporation (formerly F. W. Whitcomb Construction). The water is used for their gravel operation known as Cold River Materials. In 1998, Lane Construction's seasonally adjusted average daily water withdrawal from the Cold River was 13,200 gallons per day. The company also used a seasonally adjusted average of 161,900 gallons per day from a nearby pond. There are no permitted direct discharges of wastewater to the Cold River.

c. Hydroelectric Resources: There are no existing hydroelectric power production facilities on the Cold River. Several comprehensive studies of potential hydroelectric power sites were conducted in the early 1980s, each with different priorities and criteria. None of the studies identified any potentially feasible sites on the Cold River or its tributaries.

3. Cultural Resources

a. Historic and Archaeological Resources: There are a number of sites of historic interest along the Cold River. Many buildings in the area were constructed during the early to mid 1800s.  Two of these buildings are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places: the Hutton House in Alstead and the Drewsville Mansion in Walpole. Already listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the McDermott Covered Bridge in Langdon. Built in 1869, this is the third bridge to have crossed the Cold River at this location. Although there are no documented archaeological sites in the river corridor, Native Americans are known to have used the floodplain area at the confluence of the Cold and Connecticut Rivers for years, and Bellows Falls which is located just one mile to the north of the confluence was an important gathering site for many tribes during the salmon and shad runs.

b. Community River Resources: The importance of the Cold River as a community resource is reflected in the local planning and protection efforts of the communities along the River. Town master plans in Lempster and Acworth discuss the importance of the Cold River to these communities. Walpole is updating its master plan and adding a new section dealing with natural features that emphasizes the areas adjacent to the Cold and Connecticut Rivers. In Alstead, the community recognized the importance of its water resources - including the Cold River - by developing and adopting a Water Resources Management Plan.

4. Recreational Resources

a. Fishery: The Cold River is a very popular trout fishery. The River is stocked annually with brook, brown and rainbow trout and most stretches are heavily fished. Some of the tributary streams provide recreational fishing for native brook trout. Anglers are also reported to catch walleye below the Drewsville Gorge each spring.

b. Boating: The generally free-flowing nature of the Cold River provides challenging whitewater boating opportunities for canoes and kayaks. The fairly-continuous rapids are best run in the spring time at medium to high water. Various published river guides rate the River as Class II; one gives it a Class III rating when the water is very high. Whitewater boaters can put in below the gorge in South Acworth and paddle all the way to the Connecticut River, with portages at Vilas Pool and Drewsville Gorge. Vilas Pool also provides an opportunity for row boating during the summer months.

c. Other Recreation: Swimming, hiking, birdwatching and hunting are other recreational activities that people enjoy in or near to the Cold River. The Town of Alstead owns a multiple use recreation area at Vilas Pool. Built and donated to the Town in 1926, the facility provides swimming, boat rentals, picnic areas, swings, pavilions and a refreshment stand. Elsewhere, numerous swimming holes dot the Cold River. During the winter, the frozen river is sometimes used by cross country skiers who take advantage of its relatively flat course. Nearby rock faces provide challenging ice climbs and snowmobile trails span the Cold River at various places.

d. Public Access: There is a variety of access to the Cold River, some publicly-owned and some private. Publicly-owned access sites include Vilas Pool in Alstead which provides a boat launch, canoe take-out, swimming and fishing; Millot Green in Alstead Village which provides a canoe put-in and fishing; and the NH Fish and Game Department access at the mouth of the Cold River in Walpole which provides parking and a paved boat launch to the Connecticut River. There is also informal, publicly-owned access for fishing and canoeing at various bridge crossings in Acworth, Alstead, Langdon, and Walpole.

5. Other Resources

a. Scenery: The Cold River corridor provides scenes of a traditional New England landscape with its fields, forests, quaint villages and rushing river. It also offers the spectacular scenery of a river hard at work as seen in the falls and gorges at Deep Hole in South Acworth, Vilas Pool in Alstead, and Drewsville Gorge in Walpole. The broad wetlands in the upper reaches of the River, the fertile agricultural fields farther downstream, and the gently-flowing rapids interrupted by falls and gorges, combine to make the Cold River an important scenic resource. Scenic views of the River can be appreciated along much of Routes 123 and 123A, as well as from various bridge crossings.

b. Land Use: From the outlet of Crescent Lake to South Acworth, undeveloped forest and wetlands dominate the landscape. Human influence becomes more apparent as one moves downstream from South Acworth, most noticeably at the small villages at South Acworth, Alstead, and Drewsville. A variety of land uses are present between Drewsville and the confluence of the Cold River with the Connecticut River. Land use along this part of the River includes a mixture of forest and agriculture in Langdon followed by a large sand and gravel operation in Walpole. Downstream of the gravel excavation, there is a mixture of farm, forest, residential, and commercial use.

c. Land Use Controls: Many of the towns along the Cold River have established land use or other regulatory controls which afford some protection to the Cold River. Lempster's Subdivision Regulations provide protection for water resources through standards for sewage disposal, and erosion and sedimentation. The Town of Acworth's Zoning Ordinance establishes a 100-foot setback from all streambanks, including the Cold River. Alstead's Floodplain Development Ordinance requires a special permit for development in the 100-year floodplain. Walpole's Land Subdivision Control Regulations and Site Plan Review Regulations restrict the subdivision of floodplains and poorly-drained soils, and also address stormwater management.

d. Water Quantity: From July 1940 to September 1978, the US Geological Survey maintained a stream gauge at the Drewsville Gorge. The gauge is now privately owned by a geology professor at Boston University. There are no publicly-maintained operating stream gauges on the Cold River.

e. Riparian Interests/Flowage Rights: Flowage rights exist historically for the impoundments associated with the Crescent Lake dam and Vilas Pool dam, but are not documented.

There is strong local support for the designation of the Cold River into the Rivers Management and Protection Program. Beginning in 1996, the Friends of the Cold River - with the help of the New Hampshire Rivers Council and the Upper Valley/Lake Sunapee and Southwest Regional Planning Commissions - held a series of workshops to gather information about the Rivers Management and Protection Program and to consider the merits of developing a nomination of the Cold River. These workshops culminated early in 1998 when the Friends of the Cold River hosted a public informational meeting to explain to the public at large their proposed nomination and the effects of the designation of the Cold River into the Rivers Management and Protection Program.

The Friends of the Cold River also met with local boards and commissions in the towns along the Cold River to discuss the nomination with local officials and to determine the level of local support. As a result of these meetings, the Department of Environmental Services received twelve letters of support from local officials. Five of these letters came from boards of selectmen, two were from planning boards, and five came from conservation commissions. The Department received seventeen additional letters of support from interested individuals and organizations. There were no letters of opposition. At the public hearing on the nomination, which was held in Acworth on September 8, 1998, the testimony was overwhelmingly supportive. Of the thirteen people who testified, ten spoke in favor of the nomination; the others took no position.

The Cold River supports a variety of significant state and local resources. To better protect and manage these resources, the Department of Environmental Services recommends the following actions:

Recommendation 1: The General Court should adopt legislation which designates the Cold River into the Rivers Management and Protection Program and classifies the Cold River as follows:

a. As a "rural river" from the outlet of Crescent Lake Dam in Acworth 20.3 miles to the most downstream crossing of the Langdon/Walpole town line, and

b. As a "community river" from the most downstream crossing of the Langdon/Walpole town line 2.1 miles to its confluence with the Connecticut River in Walpole.

Under the provisions of RSA 483, designation of the River will provide increased protection against the construction of new dams, damaging channel alterations, water quality impairment, and the siting of solid and hazardous waste facilities in the river corridor. Designation will also require the establishment of a protected instream flow to maintain water for instream public uses including water quality, fisheries, recreation, and scenic values. A local river management advisory committee will be established to coordinate management and protection of the River at the local and regional levels, and will provide the residents in the riverfront communities with a direct avenue for formal input into state decisions affecting the River. Finally, designation will result in the development of a long-range management plan for the River that coordinates state planning and management of fisheries, water quality and quantity, and recreation.

The upper reaches of the Cold River from the outlet of Crescent Lake to the most downstream crossing of the Langdon/Walpole town line, including the impoundment at Vilas Pool, are being recommended for "rural river" classification. Rural rivers are defined under RSA 483 as "...those rivers or segments adjacent to lands which are partially or predominantly used for agriculture, forest management and dispersed or clustered residential development. Some instream structures may exist, including low dams, diversion works and other minor modifications." The Cold River, as it flows through the forests, wetlands, and farmlands of the predominantly undeveloped upper river corridor, clearly meets the definition of a rural river. While the Friends of the Cold River originally nominated the river segment at Vilas Pool for community classification, the Rivers Management Advisory Committee and the Department of Environmental Services believe that this segment, like the rest of the upper river, tends to be rural in character. After consulting with the Town of Alstead and the Friends of the Cold River, the Department has determined that the segment best meets the definition of a rural river and should be so designated.

The lower reach of the Cold River from the most downstream crossing of the Langdon/Walpole town line to its confluence with the Connecticut River is being recommended for "community river" classification. Community rivers are defined under RSA 483 as "...those rivers or segments which flow through developed or populated areas of the state and which possess existing or potential community resource values, such as those identified in official municipal plans or land use controls. Such rivers have mixed land uses in the corridor reflecting some combination of open space, agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial land uses." The lower reach of the Cold River, with its mix of adjacent land use, clearly meets this classification.

Designation of Cold River under the Rivers Management and Protection Program will express the intent of the General Court regarding its future management and protection, and will focus attention on the River as a natural resource of both statewide and local significance. This attention will help to ensure greater scrutiny of plans or proposals which have the potential to significantly alter or destroy those river values and characteristics which qualify the entire Cold River for designation.

Recommendation 2: The towns of Acworth, Lempster, Alstead, Langdon, and Walpole should continue to work together toward the protection of the Cold River through the adoption and implementation of a local river corridor management plan.

While legislative designation of the Cold River will improve the protection and management of the River itself, continuing efforts at the local level will be needed to address the use and conservation of the river corridor. A growing recognition by local citizens and officials of the Cold River's valuable contribution to the overall quality of life in their communities is evidenced by their desire to see it designated into the Rivers Management and Protection Program. Citizen appreciation and concern for the River should be reflected in the decisions and actions of local officials. The Department of Environmental Services will provide technical assistance to the local river management advisory committee and to the local officials in the riverfront communities on the development and implementation of a local river corridor management plan.

In summary, the establishment of a clear policy and specific instream protection measures by the General Court, and a continuing commitment on the part of local governments and residents to protect and manage the river corridor through sound land use decisions will ensure that the outstanding resources of the Cold River will endure as part of the river uses to be enjoyed by the people of New Hampshire.