Lake Garfield Working Group October Meeting

The Lake Garfield Working Group (LGWG) met by remote call on October 15. Dennis Lynch reported that the fall Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) program was very successful.

This fall’s DASH program collected 30% more bags of Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) were collected during this fall compared to the fall 2019 program. New England Aquatics divers, under contract with the town, observed less EWM in the large, dense working area east of Point Road in 2020 than in 2019. Consequently, the removal operation was expanded into other high density areas not harvested as much during the Fall 2019, resulting in a more efficient weed removal operation that covered a greater area. The removed weeds were taken to Gould Farm for composting. New England Aquatics divers completed 78 hours of their contracted 107 hours. The remaining hours will be continued into the Spring of 2021.

Of additional importance, Vasey’s Pondweed (Potamogeton vaseyi), which is protected under the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Act, was not observed at the collection sites.

Regarding the grants update, the town was selected to receive $8,500 in funding under the Clean Water Act 604b grant program to develop a conceptual design of a “structural best management practice” to help to reduce phosphorus-loading into Lake Garfield. This 604b award will ultimately enable the town to apply for further funding under another program during 2021 to fund the permitting and construction of a containment structure to remove phosphorus from stormwater runoff flowing into Lake Garfield. — Steve Snyder, Chair, and Dennis Lynch, Lake Garfield Working Group