SWQC FY21 Annual Report

SURFACE WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE FY2021 ANNUAL REPORT (01 JULY 2020 – 30 JUNE 2021) SWQC Mission: To oversee, monitor, and maintain the health of bodies of water within the Town of Wayland Members: Elizabeth Newton (chair), Norm Marowitz, Thomas Largy, Jack Carr, Thomas Klem

DUDLEY POND Norm Marowitz, Project Coordinator Figure 1: Dudley Pond

Water Quality Based on water sampling and lab analysis done in August 2020 and April, 2021, Dudley Pond continued to show good water quality in terms of clarity and the lack of contaminants deemed detrimental to a healthy body of water. There are, however, nutrients in the deep sediment of the pond that feed plant growth. This sediment build up is due to organic matter such as un-harvested plants that die and wither to the bottom, leaves, sticks, etc.

The Dudley Pond Association hired and paid for a professional organization (Aquatic Restoration Consulting, Ashburnham, Mass.) to perform an Aquatic Macrophyte Survey in September, 2020. The purpose was to get a detailed look underwater at the plant population, sediment depths and other pertinent information to establish a baseline from which to help manage a long-term strategy moving forward with less reliance on herbicides. The two primary current target species are Milfoil and Tape Grass. A copy of this report can be seen at www.dudleypond.org.

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Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) The fight against the highly invasive Milfoil proliferation was extremely effective with ‘ProcellaCOR’ herbicide treatment applied near the end of August 2019 with the assistance of the Conservation Commission and the Dudley Pond Association, spearheaded by Mike Lowery, former SWQC committee member. For all intents and purposes, it seemed to have eliminated all but a few scattered plants. We are currently in our third year of the “three-year guarantee” by the vendor, and we are now starting to see Milfoil growth in areas that were not treated back in 2019. We may have to address these and other areas of Milfoil growth next season with another treatment.

Tape Grass (Vallisneria americana) We continue to monitor and deal with tape grass growth and have hired an outside contractor to harvest beginning in the second week of July, 2021.

We continue to explore the possibility of acquiring our own harvester to better manage weed control when we need it and not be relegated to the schedules of outside vendors. We have also analyzed the potential for long-term cost savings to the Town using this approach if pursued. This could be effective not only in Dudley Pond, but also Heard Pond and Wayland’s section of Lake Cochituate. We are also exploring other non-chemical approaches as potential long-term strategies for controlling invasive weed overgrowth and biomass build-up.

In March 2021, the order of conditions for continued aquatic plant management on Dudley Pond (DEP File # 322-859) was extended for five years until March 26, 2026.

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HEARD POND Tom Largy, Project Coordinator Heard Pond, off Pelham Island Road, is a Wayland wilderness gem that is about 95% surrounded by the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Figure 2: Heard Pond

Water Chestnut (Trapa natans).

The Heard Pond Water Chestnut Control Project has been ongoing since 2003. At the start of the project Heard Pond, a wilderness water body mostly in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge off Pelham Island Road, was largely a 100% coverage surface monoculture of the invasive Water Chestnut plant trapa natans. Recreational use of the pond was impossible.

The Water Chestnut plant is an annual, which may drop up to several dozen seeds per plant into the pond sediment, to germinate in following years. Uncontrolled for a few years, immense numbers of viable seeds may accumulate at the bottom of the pond. This is what happened at Heard Pond, where in the early years mechanical harvesting was needed to harvest a huge number of plants (Figure 3), with just hand pulling since 2009. An estimate is that about 3.1 million plants have been harvested in the pond over the 18-year span of the project. In recent seasons only about a thousand or so plants have been pulled, meaning that there are relatively few viable seeds still in the sediment (Figure 4). The goal of this project is to harvest the plants as thoroughly as possible each year, shoreline to shoreline, so as to finally exhaust

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this “seed bank”. In recent years 6-8 hand pulling crew days have been required to accomplish this, and there will always be at least a minor maintenance effort required.

Figure 3: Pounds of Water Chestnut Collected Per Management Year

Figure 4: Number of Water Chestnut Plants Collected Per Management Year

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LAKE COCHITUATE Jack Carr, Project Coordinator Milfoil Growth of the highly invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) started even earlier this season than in past years (including record summer 2019 growth) in the North pond of Lake Cochituate. Prior to this season (Summer 2020) Eurasian Milfoil was contained primarily to Middle and South ponds, Snake Brook cove, Pegan cove, route 30 tunnel and limited amounts near Wayland town beach. Growth started earlier this Summer 2020 season and by mid-summer milfoil was present in areas adjacent to town beach that in prior years had been clear of milfoil. Treatments include: •

Herbicide – Massachusetts DCR continually monitors the growth of milfoil and other invasives and this past summer provided treatment as needed for milfoil in all sections mentioned above. Given this increased activity in 2020 DCR plans to assess and if necessary treat with herbicide earlier in the 2021 season.

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Hand Pulling - DCR continues to perform hand pulling in select locations (primarily in Fiske and Carling Basin). DCR also supports the Lake Cochituate Watershed Council request to Wayland Conservation & DEP to extend its prior order of conditions to hand pull as needed.

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Other mechanical means - Lake Cochituate Watershed Council had secured $12,000 in DCR matching funds for use in FY 2021. These funds can be utilized on mechanical (nontoxic) methods of harvesting invasive weeds such as Diver Assisted Suction Harvester (DASH), divers, handpulling.

Other notes: • Reconstruction of the boat launch was postponed to FY 2021.

• Lake Cochituate Watershed Basin plan is complete and available upon request.

• Construction of the Rail Trail continues, however as of this writing, COVID has prevented the completion of the two bridges and the trail completion remains behind schedule. This 2.5 mile section of trail parallels the Lake Cochituate shoreline in numerous locations and promises to provide the public with new access points to the South, Middle and North ponds.

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