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Date: 7/5/2023
SHUTESBURY — A watershed based plan for dealing with sediment and water quality issues at Lake Wyola was presented to the Selectboard last month, in draft form, by Kimberly MacPhee and Tamsin Flanders, planners for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. The long anticipated plan runs to 90 pages.
The Lake Wyola watershed based plan looks at holistic factors impacting the lake, including stormwater runoff, sediment, invasive species and pollutants from sources including farming, pesticides, pet waste and road salt. Phosphorus can also be a problem, which may or may not be the case in Shutebury’s biggest lake.
“I saw on the slide that the Lake Wyola Association only reported one date when the water was out of safety standards in six years,” said Bob Douglas, referring to phosphorus measurements at Elliot Park. Douglas owns a house on the lake, “That slide is against the state beach having to close multiple times in the past years, for that reason. I’m wondering why the state beach data wasn’t included.”
Flanders had a simple answer. “No one’s ever been able to get the state’s data. That’s what I’ve heard.”
Phosphorus enters the lake from two sources, as a natural byproduct of forests and from human development. The LWWBP documents the last official measurements of phosphorus occurred nine years ago, in 2014. A part-time Shutesbury resident, Ron Essig, thought a better job of monitoring was in order. His concern was that septic systems need to be a bigger focus.
“I like hearing the statement that the water quality is good,” Essig said. He called from Cape Cod. “It’s widely known that 80% of the nutrients in the Cape ponds come from septic systems…I would just encourage you to emphasize that more in your documents.”
Improved monitoring of phosphorus levels is one recommendation of the report. McPhee, however, didn’t think septic systems were a major source of phosphorus in the lake. She agreed with a conclusion by the Board of Health that oversight has controlled septic systems as a cause of so-called nonpoint sources of pollution.
The LWWBP emphasized that NPS are now the primary danger to the lake. That’s both good and bad news. The optimistic finding is that specific source points of pollution are identified and being dealt with to greater effect.
“NPS pollution is now the greatest cause of water quality problems in the country,” Flanders said. “And because it’s so diffuse we all have to play a role in managing it.”
The LWWBP clarifies that global warming intensifies the human impacts on the lake. Droughts are more frequent. When water levels are low pollutants and sediment are more concentrated and more noticeable. Droughts may account for the observed lack of mollusks in the lake, which cannot survive above the water line. Drawdowns using the manual dam may also contribute to that problem.
Stormwater runoff is an even bigger problem now because extreme precipitation is more frequent. Dirt roads are prone to erosion and washouts. One conclusion reached by the LWWBP is that sedimentation has already had a significant effect. North Cove, where Fiske Brook enters the lake, is primarily filled in with silt and sedimentation. Dredging the channel in North Cove to previous depths is a suggested project.
Along with identifying problems, another reason the town sought a watershed based plan is greater access to grant programs. The town will be able to apply to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for 604B grants for planning and data gathering. MassDEP S.319 grants may then be tapped to pay for implementation of projects. Long Island Sound Futures Fund grants and hazard mitigation grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will also be accessible.
The LWWBP is still in draft form. Residents wishing to offer feedback on the plan, posted on the town’s website, should email comments to kmacphee@frcog.org by Friday, July 7. MacPhee would like to see images of untreated stormwater runoff, erosion or sedimentation in the lake or on private property.
Residents should also monitor the town website for notice of a visit to the lake by the FRCOG planners this summer.
Selectboard member Eric Stocker asked who is ultimately responsible now that the data gathering is almost complete. “Where do we go from here? Who moves the ball down the field?”
MacPhee asked, “Maybe after the site visit this summer, there might be a little bit more clarity about who’s interested in moving the ball forward. Who beyond the town might be interested? If there’s consensus to move forward…we could help scope out that project.”