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Watershed Management Bureau
Volunteer Lake Assessment Program
Why is VLAP Important?
The Volunteer Lake Assessment Program serves a dual purpose by establishing
a regular volunteer-driven water sampling program to assist DES in evaluating
water quality throughout the state, and the program empowers volunteer
monitors and lake residents with information about the health of their
waterbody.
Regular gathering of water quality data from the lake and the streams
that enter it builds a strong set of baseline data. Such monitoring
results in early detection of water quality changes, allowing DES to trace
potential problems to their source. If the data gathered in VLAP
reveals that there is a water quality problem in a particular waterbody,
the data may be used to justify the need for the implementation of a more
intensive watershed study through the N.H. Clean Lakes Program, the Federal
Clean Lakes Program, or the Non-Point Source Local Watershed Initiative
Grants Program.
The volunteer monitors of VLAP are invaluable to the state of New Hampshire
for collecting data that are used to determine long-term trends and for
educating their neighbors on keeping the waters clean. They have been,
and will continue to be, a key element in protecting the integrity of New
Hampshire's lakes.
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