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Residents and a selectman raise water‑quality alarms and allege inhumane trapping at Wolfeboro reservoir
Summary
Citizen test results and a selectman’s on‑site investigation prompted the board to attach a lab report to the minutes and request written answers from public works and consultants; allegations included an E. coli exceedance at a downtown dock and claims two turtles were shot and another trapped alive.
Residents and selectmen pressed the board on water quality and wildlife handling after multiple public comments and an on‑site inspection by a selectman.
Derek Brown (resident) told the board he had privately contracted a Eurofins laboratory test of water at the town docks and reported an E. coli value of 2.60, which he said exceeded the single‑sample advisory threshold for recreational beaches. He urged immediate testing and remediation and submitted laboratory documentation. The board voted to attach the analytical report to the meeting minutes and directed staff to share it with the public works director for follow‑up.
Separately, a selectman described a June 9 inspection of the primary reservoir outlet and alleged he found two large turtles that had been shot dead and a third caught alive in a trap. The selectman said he had not accompanied the water department on that inspection and asked for written justification on why the town has a water restriction ban and on the trapping methods used. He said New Hampshire Fish and Game had visited earlier after receiving complaints.
Town staff and board members did not dispute that Fish and Game visited, but they did not provide a complete response about who set traps or the disposition of the animals; the town manager and public works director were asked to provide written answers. Board members repeatedly emphasized that allegations made on the public record require rapid, documented follow‑up and asked staff to coordinate with Fish and Game and with law enforcement where appropriate.
Several other residents backed the public concerns, urging the town to find and fix any sewer or drainage leaks that could be sending contaminated ground water into surface drains and to consider redirecting sump discharges to sanitary sewers where feasible.
The board’s near‑term actions were procedural: attach the citizen’s lab report to the minutes (vote carried), forward the report to the public works director, and request written responses and any Fish & Game findings. The board noted that further action — such as beach advisories, testing by town contractors, or enforcement — would depend on the results of staff follow‑up and any formal lab confirmation by town‑authorized testing.
The transcript records the allegations and the board’s request for follow‑up, but not a definitive resolution; those items remain open pending department responses and any confirmatory testing.
