Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 3/15/2023
LUDLOW — The Pond Committee met with the Board of Selectmen at its March 7 meeting to follow up on a previous discussion about receiving funds to clean up the town lakes.
The Board of Selectmen approved up to $25,500 of Chapter 40R funds to clean up Haviland and Minechoag Pond.
Board of Selectmen Chair Tony Goncalves explained that 40R is a Planning Board “bucket” that the Board of Selectmen has access to.
The Board of Selectmen currently do not know how much funding it has to give out but decided if available, it will go to the Pond Committee.
The Pond Committee met with the Board of Selectmen on Jan. 3 to discuss the feedback they received based on a recent pond treatment a survey of five ponds in August 2022.
The ponds were surveyed by the firm Water and Wetland for different concerns including water quality, sustainability, mill weed, lily pad and algae infestations.
Water and Wetland is a local company whose goal is to provide unique individual attention to each waterbody they are hired to work on.
The ponds surveyed included Haviland Pond, Minechoag Pond, Alden Pond, Murphy Pond and Harris Pond.
At the end of the Jan. 3. meeting, Pond Committee member Judy Breault said that the Pond Committee would meet to prioritize its biggest needs and present to the Board of Selectmen the projected costs.
On March 7, Breault provided updates and a list of priority treatments the committee would like to see the lakes receive.
The committee made Harris Pond its main priority because of the severity of the evasive plants, water chestnuts and proximity of Harris Brook Pond.
“This is a little but more involved.” Breault added. “This is a water chestnut invasive species and because of the density of the vegetation in that pond is choking out the entire pond. Each year we wait, that water chestnut will continue to fill in the pond and make it harder to fix.”
There are also other problems with Harris Pond including other weeds and a low water level.
Breault said, “Timing is critical for us. We are hitting March and a lot of this sonar treatment needs to be done in the spring because it is the best time to do it. For Harris Pond treatment, the timeline is more for July or August because that is before the water chestnut bloom and drop more seeds into the water sediment.”
The Board of Selectmen decided that based on the timeline and size of the project, Harris Pond falls into the next fiscal year budget and will have to wait until July 1 to be discussed.
The next priorities of the ponds after Harris Pond included Haviland, Minechoag, Alden and Murphy.
Even though Haviland Pond presented no invasive species, the density of the vegetation is something that could be looked at.
“When you hear about people taking out kayaks or rowboats, they are getting stuck in this grassy pond weed. The ways we could treat this pond is either do spot treatments on certain areas or an entire pond application,” Breault said.
Minechoag Pond also presented a dense vegetation that could use one treatment to be fixed.
The funds the Pond Committee received will be used for spot treatments to attack dense areas instead of treating the whole lake.
The treatments recommended will not impact the fish or wildlife and will have a positive impact based on the current habitat conditions being poor based on dense vegetation and evasive species.
The treatments will also not affect humans or domestic animals.
Breault added “I specifically asked about Haviland pond because that is mostly a recreational pond, but they just don’t recommend anyone in the pond during treatment.”
The Board of Selectmen would like to see Haviland Pond be treated since it can be used for recreation and is the first pond people see for aesthetics when the come to Ludlow.
Selectman Manny Silva asked if Haviland Pond will be swimmable this year for residents, but the committee said its has struggled to hear back from the Recreation Department and that it still does not have enough lifeguards for the pond.
When it comes to how long the treatment will last, Breault added that it depends on the type of treatment but expects it will last anywhere from two to three years.
The Board of Selectmen wanted to get a head start on funding the lakes before trying to fit in in the next budget and potential present at the next Town Meeting.
Goncalves said, “If are going to put something into the budget to sustain this and get people in the habit of seeing this on Town Meeting floor. If we could get a head start with 40R funds I have no problem with that.”