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05/24/2016 12:00 AMWith work currently underway to control invasive weed growth in Lake Quonnipaug, the lake may not quite be ready for swimming season this Memorial Day weekend, according to Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard who said they are working to complete the first phase of weed removal.
“Right now we are planning to have the beach closed on Memorial Day weekend,” he said. “I would rather sacrifice the weekend than sacrifice the whole summer.”
While the lake may have to open a weekend later, the weed removal will help improve the health and safety of the lake, particularly in the swimming area, according to Maynard.
“We put these benthic barriers—they are basically like tarp that go over the weeds in the swim area—and the idea is that it is supposed to kill of the weeds because the sun can’t get at them and it smothers them,” he said.
The barriers are supposed to stay in place for at least four weeks to ensure the weeds are killed. In the second stage of the project, Maynard said they will go after other sections of weeds in the lake with herbicides.
“We have been told the chemical control is effective and that these blankets should be good for the swim area,” he said. “It is not going to be a weed-free lake by any means, but it is going to be a pretty good improvement.”
The project to remove the weeds was made possible by a donation from the Guilford Foundation, a state grant, and matched town funding. In January, the Department of Energy & Environmental Planning (DEEP) announced Guilford will receive $20,000 for the remediation of aquatic invasive species at Lake Quonnipaug.
The town has to match the state grant in order to complete the project. Money had been budgeted to see the project through, but Maynard said plans may change due to the failure of the town’s proposed budget at two referenda.
“With the budget having gone down, in all honesty I don’t know what is going to happen at this point,” he said.
While the budget may be uncertain, Maynard said removal of the weeds is necessary to support the health of the lake. Greg Bugbee of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, which is assisting the town with the remediation, explained that the invasive species the effort seeks to control are species that are not native to Connecticut, meaning there is no natural enemy present to control the population.
Bugbee said weed overgrowth can pose some safety issues.
“The beach is problem because you can’t have it full of weeds,” he said. “People are not going to swim there and there is actually a danger of people trying to swim there and getting them wrapped around their legs. There are issues with safety and that is obviously a priority.”
The barriers should hopefully eliminate the weeds at the beach and the town can then address other sections of the lake with DEEP-approved herbicides in early July, according to Bugbee.
“It is important not to kill everything in the lake, which is why they are doing this in specific sections,” Bugbee said. “That is the plan.”
For more information, visit www.guilfordparkrec.com.