The mission of the Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) is to protect the watersheds and preserve or restore the water quality of lakes and streams located in, but not limited to, Wakefield, NH and Acton, ME. To engage in and promote the scientific study of and education regarding the importance of the water quality of these watersheds for the benefit of the general public.

Description:
AWWA is a non-profit volunteer organization that has created a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) to bring attention to and mitigate non-point source (NPS) pollution caused by shoreline erosion and stormwater runoff. Soil erosion has been listed as the top priority NPS pollutant, by the NH Department of Environmental Services NPS management plan. The YCC corrects erosion problems by designing and installing environmentally correct, erosion prevention, Best Management Practices (BMPs) on eroding shorelines. The BMPs include vegetative buffers, water diverters, catch basins, and infiltration trenches. The YCC technical director meets with approximately fifty property owners and designs solutions to their erosion problems. Ten to fifteen projects judged most critical are installed by the YCC each summer season, the rest are installed by the property owners who receive the designs. Property owners provide all plants and materials.

The projects serve as examples to other shorefront property owners who often request assistance or correct erosion problems on their own. We also raise awareness of the problem through school programs, presentations to town officials, lake associations and local organizations, articles in local newspapers and websites. Signs are placed at all project sites and the public is encouraged to visit and ask questions. The YCC crew members, local high school youth, are trained in environmental conservation techniques and BMPs and become the program's best ambassadors.

In addition to our YCC program, AWWA is working with the communities to develop watershed-based management plans to further protect the water resources with a tool to help guide future planning efforts.

History:
The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) is a non-profit volunteer organization formed in 2004 to protect and improve water quality in the lakes and streams in the Acton, ME, Wakefield, NH border region and ultimately in the rivers, estuaries and bays into which they flow. The Alliance is registered with the State of New Hampshire and holds 501(c)3 status. AWWA has fourteen active directors and officers who bring a wide range of expertise and affiliations to the group. Each local lake association is represented on the board and members have expertise in engineering, water resource management, environmental education, computer programming, volunteer management, office management, and construction and landscaping.

Contact people:

Linda Schier, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Carol Lafond, Vice President, (phone), (email)

Address:

PO Box 235, 254 Main St. Union, NH 03887

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

Take Exit 18 off of Route 16 North. Take a left at the end of the off ramp. Follow road past the Post Office and across the railroad track. The Greater Wakefield Resource Center is on the. . . (more)

Miscellaneous Information

Name of Executive Director (or equivalent) if not listed above:
	Linda Schier
Type of organization
	Nonprofit 501(c)3
Is your organization a Health and Human Service agency?
	No