Monterey Tax Dollars at Work in Lake Garfield

Although it’s been a relatively quiet summer for monthly updates from the Lake Garfield Working Group (LGWG), good things have been moving forward to help maintain the beautiful, clear waters and overall health of Lake Garfield. Two areas of LGWG focus, namely, the procurement of acceptable methods to control the growth of the invasive, aquatic weed Eurasian water milfoil (EWM), and securing required regulatory compliance for this activity, proceeded according to plan following the approval of funding by town residents at the annual town meeting in May of this year.  

For more than five years, Monterey has utilized the services of scuba divers to remove and properly dispose of EWM from the bottom of Lake Garfield. This method has and continues to be an important component of the overall effort to control invasive aquatic weed in the lake. Prior to the expenditure of town approved funding for this purpose, the application of this aquatic control method was subject to the bidding requirements of the State of Massachusetts. Monterey followed the procurement requirements and awarded a one-year contract for diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) to New England Aquatic Services, LLC during this past July. Concurrent with the bidding and award of DASH services, Monterey was also in the process of obtaining regulatory approval for DASH to proceed this fall.  

During the pandemic, the state extended existing regulatory approvals for projects that would potentially impact the areas of interest identified in the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (WPA) including the lands underwater, namely, the bottom of Lake Garfield, and other similar bodies of water. The method of diver assisted suction harvesting to control the growth of EWM is such an activity subject to the WPA. The Monterey Conservation Commission, and other conservation commissions throughout the Commonwealth, is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the WPA. Since the existing regulatory extension period for DASH came to an end during August, Monterey was required to seek an extension of the prior approval for another twelve months. This regulatory extension was granted by the Monterey Conservation Commission on September 8, which set the stage for DASH to proceed as quickly as possible thereafter.  

Scuba divers commenced the removal and disposal of Eurasian water milfoil during the week of September 19. More updates of aquatic weed control work and water quality monitoring of Lake Garfield will be reported in the November issue of the Monterey News. Enjoy the fall season and stay tuned for more updates.  

— Dennis Lynch Monterey Lake Garfield Working Group