The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) is a non-profit volunteer organization formed in 2005 to protect and improve water quality in the lakes and streams in the Acton, ME / Wakefield, NH border region and ultimately in the rivers, estuaries and bays into which they flow. The Alliance is registered with the State of New Hampshire and holds 501(c)3 status. AWWA has active directors and officers who bring a wide range of expertise and affiliations to the group. Local lake associations are represented on the board and members have diverse expertise.

The mission of the Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance is to protect and restore water quality through the prevention of nonpoint source pollution in the border region of Acton, Maine and Wakefield, NH.

In 2006, AWWA received a two-year Watershed Assistance grant from the NH Department of Environmental Services to initiate a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. In 2008 the NH State Conservation Committee awarded AWWA a Moose Plate grant to continue its YCC work. The YCC is comprised of a Director who designs and oversees the erosion control projects; Crew Leaders and four - five high school age crew members who install them to prevent of tons of sediment and phosphorus from reaching the receiving waterbodies annually. The YCC Technical Director designs additional technical assistance plans for property owners wishing to install their own solutions. Homeowners pledge to complete at least one of the recommended designs. Project sites are chosen from all the requests based on a set of seven criteria with the most important being the amount of potential pollution prevention.

In addition to the YCC program the AWWA board members have been actively promoting water resource awareness in the communities. They have presented a shorefront landscaping workshop, taught in the local schools, worked with the town boards, presented at local lake association meetings and staffed informational displays and activities at community events. AWWA encourages regular press coverage for its activities and has been featured in the local newspapers on several occasions. AWWA staff and board members have been invited to share their YCC model and other projects with presentations at the NH Lakes Congress, the Green Mountain Conservation Group Watershed Weekend, the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute Lake Science Academy, the Maine Congress of Lake Associations conference, the Chicago Lakes Conference and the NH Watershed Conference.

As the initial YCC project period was completed the AWWA Board recognized the need to focus its efforts to reduce the effects of stormwater runoff on a broader scale and was awarded a NH DES Watershed Assistance grant to develop a watershed-based management plan (WBMP) for the headwaters of the Salmon Falls River including Great East Lake, Horn Pond, Lake Ivanhoe, Lovell Lake and Wilson Lake. The Action Plan within the Salmon Falls Headwater Lakes Watershed Managment Plan, developed with stakeholder input, will help direct AWWA's outreach and project efforts in the years to come.

In 2010 the NH DES again awarded AWWA a grant to implement action items from the Plan including a road management plan for Brackett Road around Lovell Lake, two more years of YCC work to address issues identified in the watershed surveys, floating classrooms, and other outreach projects. AWWA will continue seeking support for its efforts to carry out the Plan's recommendations over the years to come.

The AWWA Watersheds

The AWWA region includes the watersheds of Province Lake, Belleau Lake, Balch Lake, Pine River Pond, Sandy Pond, Woodman Lake (Saco River watershed) Lake Ivanhoe, Great East Lake, Horn Pond, Wilson Lake, Lovell Lake (Salmon Falls River watershed) and their tributaries.

Province Lake flows into the South River and joins the Ossipee River near Porter, Maine. Pine River Pond flows into the Pine River which feeds Ossipee Lake and then the Ossipee River. Belleau Lake, Woodman Lake and Sandy Pond flow into Balch Lake to form the headwaters of the Little Ossipee River. The Ossipee and Little Ossipee rivers flow to the Gulf of Maine via the Saco River.

Great East Lake, Horn Pond, Lake Ivanhoe, and Wilson Lake form the headwaters of the Salmon Falls River which defines the border between Maine and New Hampshire from Great East Lake to its confluence with the Cocheco River. Lovell Lake feeds the Branch River which flows into Milton Three Ponds where it joins the Salmon Falls. When the Salmon Falls River joins the Cocheco River they form the Piscataqua River, defining the state border to the Gulf of Maine. The AWWA watersheds cover approximately 55 square miles primarily within Acton and Wakefield but reaching into Parsonfield and Newfield, ME and Effingham, Wolfeboro and Brookfield, NH (map of Salmon Falls Headwaters).

How does AWWA help?

The AWWA Youth Conservation Corps began tackling small scale erosion problems in 2006. By the end of the 2008 season they had worked at 45 project sites installing 135 Best Management Practices (BMPs). The AWWA Technical Director provided an additional 87 site-specific technical assistance designs.  By the end of the 2011 YCC season, the crew has completed 103 project sites installing 357 BMPs across 10 waterbodies.  These projects have stopped an estimated 157 tons of sediment per year and 133 pounds of phosphorus per year from entering Wakefield and Acton lakes.  In addition, the AWWA Technical Director has provided a total of 192 homeowners technical assistance designs.

In 2008 AWWA was awarded a NH DES Watershed Assistance grant to develop a watershed-based management plan (WBMP) for the headwaters of the Salmon Falls River. The WBMP describes the present conditions, predicts future conditions and offers recommendations to preserve the high quality water status of all the lakes and ponds of the region. The two-year project includes analysis of all water quality data, on-the-ground volunteer watershed surveys, reviews of all existing regulations and Master Plans, and land use modeling. It is AWWA’s intention to provide the communities, lake associations and other stakeholder groups with a useful, timely and relevant tool to prevent degradation of the water quality and to protect property values.

AWWA partners with local, state and regional agencies to learn about watershed protection and develop strategies for fixing existing problems and planning for the prevention of future problems. AWWA’s Board of Directors and staff are actively engaged in enriching their understanding and knowledge about issues facing the watershed communities.

AWWA is committed to spreading the word about watershed protection and how YOU can help reduce the effects of erosion and other non-point source pollution. Explore the website and don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance, with concerns or suggestions.