CTFishTalk.com: Lake association votes to treat Wononscopomuc - Connecticut General Topics ( CT General Topics ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

admin

Lake association votes to treat Wononscopomuc

By TERRY COWGILL
November, 01, 2007

SALISBURY — For the second time in six years, The Lake Wononscopomuc Association will try to move forward with a plan to combat aquatic weeds with herbicides.

By a near-unanimous vote at the association’s annual meeting Saturday morning at Town Hall, the association resolved to accept the recommendations of Aquatic Control Technology of Sutton, Mass., which advised the group last year to use two chemicals to reduce the Eurasian milfoil that has bedeviled the lake for years.

Most members were inclined to support the use of herbicides and listened closely to the testimony of limnologist George Knoecklein, of Northeast Aquatic Research, and Marc Bellaud, a biologist for Aquatic Control. Knoecklein, who had examined and mapped the lake for weeds in 2004, described the lake’s weed problem as "significant." He and Bellaud inspected the lake again on Aug. 9 and found that weed growth had increased substantially.

"It was extraordinarily dense, especially on the northeastern shore," said Knoecklein. "I found more milfoil than before. It was phenomenally packed."

In the 2004 survey Knoecklein conducted, he noted that the milfoil appeared to cover about 35 percent of the 353-acre lake, which is the deepest in Connecticut with a maximum depth of 102 feet.

Success in Twin Lakes

Louis Fox, president of the Twin Lakes Association (the Twin Lakes are in the Taconic section of Salisbury), was on hand to recount his experiences at the town’s other major lake, where herbicides have been in use since 2003.

Before that, a weed harvester had been used to combat the milfoil. Fox described the weed situation at Twin Lakes as "horrendous" until treatments with the chemical Sonar began.

"We felt harvesting was ineffective and costly," said Fox.

Bellaud echoed Fox’s sentiments, adding that repeated harvesting creates renewed growth. "It’s like mowing your lawn," he said.

In response to several members of the audience, Fox added that there have been no discernible side effects from the use of Sonar or from another herbicide, Reward, when it replaced Sonar at Twin Lakes at the suggestion of the state.

The use of Sonar, as well as Reward and Renovate (the two chemicals recommended by Aquatic Control for Lake Wononscopomuc) are all approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection, as well as by federal authorities.

"We have seen no harm from the chemicals," Fox surmised. "In fact, the fishing has gotten better."

Health impacts for humans?

But one member of the audience, Bruce Schearer, characterized Fox’s comments as "anecdotal," said he thought the association was "rushing into this" and proposed the hiring of an outside expert to offer an analysis of the possible risks associated with the use of the chemicals. Such an expert would likely provide more objective and reliable insight than "industry experts" or the government, he said.

"We owe ourselves to come to a considered opinion," added Schearer, who said he holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry. "We don’t know whether these compounds are safe. It’s a highly technical field." Schearer was particularly concerned about the effects of the chemicals on the eyes of young children.

But Lewis Bakes, who owns the largest undeveloped parcel left on Lake Wononscopomuc, appeared impatient with the concerns expressed about possible side effects of the chemicals and noted that they had been approved by experts at the state and federal levels.

"It seems like we’re running in place. If they’re comfortable with it, why do we want to reinvent the wheel?" he asked rhetorically. "We’ll never get anywhere until we get past that."

Lengthy permit process

Bellaud told the association if it wants to proceed with chemical treatments starting in the spring of next year, the process should begin now. In addition to milfoil, Lake Wononscopomuc harbors some species of rare or endangered aquatic plants that could also be harmed by herbicides. DEP regulations typically prohibit the "taking" (or killing) of such plants unless it issues an incidental taking permit, which can lengthen the permitting process, Bellaud said.

The tab for Aquatic Control’s proposed treatment program is estimated to be between $29,000 and $37,000, not including permitting and monitoring costs. Lake Wononscopomuc Association President Bill Littauer said it could be partially offset by the $20,000 spent by the town every year on harvesting and the $5,000 annual cost for weed-inhibiting mats on the shores of the Town Grove. The association pays for the mats.

After listening to the discussion for about an hour, association board member Mark Hochberg made a motion for the association to move ahead with the chemical treatments. Meanwhile, Littauer suggested also obtaining more data concerning the health effects of the chemicals. The motion passed by voice vote with only a couple of no votes among the 40 or so members present.

Littauer said after the meeting that the association will convene Dec. 1 to decide whether to solicit the support of the Board of Selectmen and whether to seek the advice of the appropriate town boards and commissions. In an interview, First Selectman Curtis Rand said that while appropriate town bodies such as the Conservation Commission should be kept "in the loop," they would not have veto power over a state permit. However, the selectmen will discuss the matter.

Rand added that it is unclear whether the use of herbicides would require a public vote at a town meeting. The use of chemicals at Twin Lakes did not, but most of the land around that lake is privately held. The use of herbicides on Lake Wononscopomuc has generated more public concern because it is home to the Salisbury Town Grove, a town park and public beach used by hundreds of people during a typical summer day.

The nonprofit Lake Wononscopomuc Association was formed in 1988 to help the town maintain the lake. The association last floated the idea of chemical treatments in 2001, when an informational meeting on the subject drew an emotional crowd at the Salisbury Congregational Church and prompted association officials to drop the idea.
_________________
~ Marc

Just one more cast...