The Harvey Lake Watershed Association depends on volunteers to keep it operating.

Our three main ways of protecting our lake are by:

1. Participation in the Lake Host program;

2. Testing our water quality through the Volunteer Lake Assessment Program (VLAP); and

3. Weed Watchers, who go out in their boats and kayaks once a month in summer and look for signs of invasive species.

Can you help? Click on the CONTACT link above under the MORE tab.

State Removes Cyanobacteria Advisory for Harvey Lake

On Oct. 25, 2021, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) has REMOVED a cyanobacteria advisory for Harvey Lake that was first issued on 8/9/21 (removed on 9/3/2021), and reissued on 9/8/2021.

Some surface accumulations were still observed on 10/21/21 and samples contained cyanobacteria concentrations of only 15,000 cells/ml; including Microcytsis, Dolichospermum and Woronichinia. While the bloom accumulation has dissipated, NHDES advises that lake-goers look out for green surface accumulations in the future. Please continue to monitor your individual shoreline for changing conditions.

This advisory was not based on a toxin evaluation and was intended as a precautionary measure for short term exposure. Cyanobacteria are natural components of water bodies worldwide, though blooms and surface scums may form when excess nutrients are available to the water.

Some cyanobacteria produce toxins that are stored within the cells and released upon cell death. Toxins can cause both acute and chronic health effects that range in severity. Acute health effects include irritation of skin and mucous membranes, tingling, numbness, nausea, vomiting, seizures and diarrhea. Chronic effects may include liver and central nervous system damage. Be cautious of lake water that has a surface scum, changes colors, or appears to have green streaks or blue-green flecks aggregating along the shore.

The re-issuance of this advisory went into effect on September 8, 2021 and was removed on October 25, 2021.

Visit the NHDES Harmful Algal and Cyanobacterial Bloom Program website for photos and more information about cyanobacteria at: Harmful Algal Blooms | NH Department of Environmental Services Updates on cyanobacteria advisories may be obtained at: http://www4.des.state.nh.us/WaterShed_BeachMaps/WaterShed_BeachMaps.aspx

Follow the Beaches Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/NHDES_Beaches If you notice anything resembling cyanobacteria, please refrain from wading, swimming, or drinking the water. Keep all pets out of the water and contact NHDES immediately. Please call NHDES to report a cyanobacteria bloom at (603) 848-8094 or email HAB@des.nh.gov. 

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Please click on the icon at right for a 23-page
report on Harvey Lake's Beach and Boat ramp,
including a discussion of what we can do as
an association to improve the area.

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                          A dedication to our founder

                         Minutes of previous meetings

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Please click on this photo

to see how a major rain

event affects the

beach/boat ramp.

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Some scenes from past years:

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Click on the photo below to watch a clip of Harvey Lake in Northwood, New Hampshire on the Fourth of July, 2017.

LABOR DAY, 2015: This photograph signals the passing of another season. The American flag has been removed from the boulder that sits in Harvey Lake. (The red and white pole in the background is the marine marker.) The flag is a landmark for people passing by on Route 4 in Northwood. If you look closely, you can see the hole that was drilled in the boulder years ago to hold the flagpole. The flag usually flies in our lake Memorial Day to Labor Day each year.

Sunday

morning

on Harvey Lake

NICE DAY FOR EVERYONE: The ducks enjoyed the lake on Thursday, July 10, 2014. A few humans did, too.

WELCOME TO SUMMER 2014: Seen on the lake on Sunday, July 6, a sailor passes people in an inflatable boat.

Sept. 29, 2013: Another season comes to an end

Now there's something you don't see everyday ... Out on Harvey Lake on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013, this paddleboard enthusiast brought his dog along. They went around a good part of the lake, and the dog seemed pretty content being there.

Testing, testing, testing ....

That's Karen Smith, our longtime water quality coordinator, testing the water at the inlet to Harvey Lake, on Aug. 4, 2013. Karen served the lake for many years in many capacities until she moved to Vermont. We continue to test the water three times each summer, as part of the state's Volunteer Lake Assessment Program (VLAP). The water is tested at the inlet on Harmony Road, the outlet at the dam, located just off Harvey Lake Road, and at the deep spot of the lake, which is located just off the south of the peninsula in the center of the lake. We are checking several conditions, including phosphorous levels and water clarity. 

Memorial Day, 2013

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Scenes from a morning on the lake, Monday, Memorial Day, May 27, 2013. At right, a turtle basks in the sun behind Northwood Congregational Church; below left, fishermen try their luck in the area near the flag (which is once again flying proudly on our lake); and below right, a mother duck and her four ducklings (I'm told that this family began as 13 ducklings - It's not easy raising a family on the lake.)

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What a difference a few weeks make ... This was Harvey Lake in Northwood, New Hampshire, on April 5, 2013.

The photo at left was taken Sunday morning on April 28, 2013. Ice-out usually comes for our lake the first or second week of April.