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ARLAC briefing on DES Ashuelot in‑stream flow study prompts pond impact concerns from residents
Summary
At the June 25 Washington Conservation Commission meeting, ARLAC’s Barbara Skuly outlined the DES in‑stream flow study process for the Ashuelot River; residents raised concerns that upstream ponds (including Ashuelot Pond) were not evaluated and urged focused public comments during the current comment period.
Barbara Skuly of the Ashuelot River Local Advisory Committee (ARLAC) briefed the Washington Conservation Commission on the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) in‑stream flow study for the Ashuelot River on June 25.
Skuly said the Ashuelot was designated into the state river protection program in 1993 and that DES has conducted an in‑stream flow study for the river since 2021. She described the typical DES process: a technical, numeric study of flows followed by a river‑specific management plan that addresses three components — water conservation, water use and dam management. Skuly said the study’s draft is now in the public comment phase and that an advisory committee will take part in drafting the management plan. She referred attendees to a DES video and the DES in‑stream flow web page for more detail.
The presentation prompted residents to press for more clarity about the study’s geographic scope and whether the DES analysis considered shallow impoundments that feed the river. Joe Batcha said he read the Ashuelot and Cold River studies and said the Cold River plan includes 48‑hour pulse releases “with no limitations on asking for more,” and he argued the Ashuelot study did not evaluate effects on Ashuelot Pond or upper tributaries. Don Damm, who said he lives on Ashuelot Pond, said the pond is shallow (about six feet) and named May Pond, Sand Pond and Millen as additional impoundments he believes were not assessed. Bob Cale asked whether owners of Sand Pond and similar ponds had been notified.
Skuly told the commission that ownership alone does not exempt an impoundment from the study’s considerations and that the management plan will be written with input from stakeholders and the public. She explained that DES uses in‑stream data loggers to measure temperature and flow and encouraged commenters to focus written submissions on water elevation concerns and on any perceived methodological gaps while the comment period remains open. Chair Arin Mills said the commission would post links to the DES video and study on the town website and encouraged residents to email concerns to ARLAC.
There was no formal action or vote tied to the presentation. Skuly and attendees repeatedly urged that written comments be submitted now if residents believe the technical study missed local impacts; the DES process requires the agency to respond to public comments before finalizing a management plan.
