BELMONT, N.H. (AP) – One state agency has accused another and a construction company of polluting Lake Winnisquam during a highway paving job.
The state Department of Environmental Services said Weaver Brothers Construction Co. of Bow and the Transportation Department have been allowing sediment to wash into the lake for five months while repaving a stretch of Route 3 in Belmont.
The sediment, which ran into the lake every time it rained, is considered a water quality violation, punishable by a fine of up to $20,000.
The company could not be reached for comment.
Jody Connor of Environmental Services said he called the department several times since May, asking them to fix the problem.
“The problem is we had an extremely wet fall and a lot of road surface open,” Tim Chapman of the Transportation Department said. “The traffic – 20,000 to 25,000 cars a day – was pushing silt into the drainage area, and that runs out to the lake.
“We had (control) measures in, but when you get that kind of rain, it’s hard to have a large enough measure to trap everything. This was basically an act of God.”
Connor disagreed.
“In the planning phase, if less of this (roadway) was opened up … they probably would have stopped a large percentage of it from getting into the lake,” he said.
“No matter how hard or light it rained, the check dams (piles of rocks that filter runoff by slowing the water) weren’t working.”
Connor couldn’t say how the lake might be affected by the pollution.
Officials said they would meet Monday to determine the violations and any penalties or remediation plans.
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