CLF has made significant progress in tackling threats to the Great Bay Estuary. These successes include:
As a direct result of our advocacy, the State of New Hampshire and the EPA listed nearly all of the Great Bay Estuary as impaired, providing the estuary greater regulatory protection.
Our advocacy led to the upgrade of outdated sewage treatment plants in local communities, including Portsmouth, Exeter, Newmarket, Dover, and Rochester.
We are working with communities to more effectively manage stormwater pollution that washes off roads and parking lots when it rains, to reduce impacts from septic systems, and to transition from conventional to non-toxic management of lawns, parks, and athletic fields.
The Waterkeeper is out and about in communities throughout the estuary, working with volunteers on water quality monitoring and coastal cleanups, informing and inspiring community and civic groups, and testifying on important state and local issues.
The Waterkeeper is collaborating with scientists and community groups to restore underwater seagrass meadows and remove dams. Projects like these will improve habitat and the health of the estuary.
Hundreds of local decision-makers, elected officials, regulators, students, scientists, and engaged residents have had a firsthand experience of the Great Bay Estuary aboard the Waterkeeper boat, gaining a better appreciation of its beauty and vulnerability and a deeper understanding of why it’s worth protecting.
