#1217407 - 06/01/1011:55 AM
Bantam Lake closure for weed eradication
EnCon Police Moderator
Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 3899
On Wednesday, June 16, 2010,at approximately 10 am, Bantam Lake will be closed for chemical treatment of invasive weeds. The treatment will take place in selective areas; however, the entire lake including the boat launches will be closed. The Bantam Lake Protective Association will be patrolling the lake all day. Signs will be posted around the lake and at all launchs. Further information will be posted to the blpa website at www.bantamlakect.com
Bantam Lake Protective PO Box 37, Morris, CT 06763 bantamlakehelp@optonline.net www.bantamlakect.com
Sir, Please tell me that we, the shunned public at large, are not footing any of the bill for this effort. Until an agreement is reached concerning the launches on the lake I think funding for the invasive weeds program should be stopped.
Eurasian milfoil and fanwort are the most likely candidates for erradication, I believe.
Yes, we are paying. Too bad the DEP did not make the grant conditional on the lease of the boat launch. Here is the detail:
Fanwort control in the Bantam River system, Litchfield/Morris: Project grant of $78,000. This project will use diver-assisted suction harvesting to remove fanwort in the overrun reaches of the lower Bantam River and other waters upstream of Bantam Lake. In addition to funding this project, DEP will be working with the town of Litchfield, the town of Morris and the Bantam Lake Protective Association to adequately address fanwort patches in Bantam Lake before the invasive can become established throughout the lake. As part of this effort, benthic barriers will be tested to determine if they are effective in controlling fanwort growth in the lake. The re-growth of fanwort from cleared areas will be evaluated over the next two years and a long-term management plan will be prepared to develop a strategy for continued fanwort removal from Bantam Lake, the Bantam River, and Little Pond.
I had argued that the weed projects should be linked to the boat launch issues. My solution would be to say "look, we need public access to the largest natural lake in Connecticut so open your town boat launches to non-residents right now and we will fund this weed project. In any case, the AG says it is illegal to bar non-residents so it is not giving up a thing on your part". There was no support for that argument. The funds come from a separate source having to due with fines, etc. so they did not want to co-mingle issues by having strings attached. Considering the source of the funds and the purpose of the funds that was probably the right call. I would still use to show DEP support for the lake. This chemical application is most likely funded by the locals not the DEP. The DEP has to issue the permit but usually they are hands-off when it comes to chemicals. What they funded was for an underwater vacuum system. We have used it on Ball Pond to try and eradicate a pink water lilly that is an invasive and will take over the shorline making it difficult to fish, boat, swim and in general use the shoreline. I don't like benthic barriers. These are basically rugs of plastic or woven materials that cover the bottom choking off everything from weeds to any aquatic life like nymphs. It is environmentally worse than chemicals in some respects.
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