MeredithMan
12-20-2015, 12:16 PM
A portion of an article from today's Boston Globe. I've gone by a couple of these reservoirs this fall and they look downright freaky, being so low. This approach probably does not make sense for the big lake, but an interesting approach, nonetheless...
By Emily Sweeney Globe Staff December 18, 2015
If you think the water level of the Foss Reservoir in Framingham is lower than usual, you are correct. It’s about 10 feet lower.
And that’s by design: the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has temporarily drawn down the reservoir to combat the spread of an invasive aquatic plant known as Eurasian watermilfoil.
It’s the first time the MWRA has used this form of weed control at Foss Reservoir, but the strategy is practiced at other reservoirs, ponds, and lakes around the state. The premise is simple: Dropping the water level exposes the weeds during the winter, when freezing temperatures can kill the plants.
Lowering water levels is “part of our ongoing effort to battle invasive species that impact water quality,” said Frederick A. Laskey, executive director of the MWRA, which began the practice at Chestnut Hill Reservoir in 2009. “It allows us to avoid using herbicides.”
Drawdowns have also been used by communities to control weeds at Forge Pond and Nabnasset Lake in Westford, Lake Maspenock in Hopkinton, Fort Meadow Reservoir in Marlborough, and Bare Hill Pond in Harvard.
“The problem right now is we’re waiting for cold weather,” said Jonathan Yeo, director of water supply protection for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. To be effective in weed control, he said, a deep freeze is needed for a couple months.
Eurasian watermilfoil — a plant with soft feathered leaves that was once used in aquariums — “is our number one culprit” among invasive species, Laskey said. Since it was first documented in the United States in the 1940s, it has spread rapidly in lakes and ponds throughout the country. The pesky weeds can clump together to form dense mats on the surface of the water, impeding water flow and blocking sunlight from reaching other plants.
In an effort to curb the weed’s growth, the MWRA began drawing down both the Foss Reservoir in Framingham and the Chestnut Hill Reservoir on Nov. 2, with the goal of decreasing their water levels by 10 feet. The Foss reservoir reached the 10-feet mark on Nov. 30.
By Emily Sweeney Globe Staff December 18, 2015
If you think the water level of the Foss Reservoir in Framingham is lower than usual, you are correct. It’s about 10 feet lower.
And that’s by design: the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has temporarily drawn down the reservoir to combat the spread of an invasive aquatic plant known as Eurasian watermilfoil.
It’s the first time the MWRA has used this form of weed control at Foss Reservoir, but the strategy is practiced at other reservoirs, ponds, and lakes around the state. The premise is simple: Dropping the water level exposes the weeds during the winter, when freezing temperatures can kill the plants.
Lowering water levels is “part of our ongoing effort to battle invasive species that impact water quality,” said Frederick A. Laskey, executive director of the MWRA, which began the practice at Chestnut Hill Reservoir in 2009. “It allows us to avoid using herbicides.”
Drawdowns have also been used by communities to control weeds at Forge Pond and Nabnasset Lake in Westford, Lake Maspenock in Hopkinton, Fort Meadow Reservoir in Marlborough, and Bare Hill Pond in Harvard.
“The problem right now is we’re waiting for cold weather,” said Jonathan Yeo, director of water supply protection for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. To be effective in weed control, he said, a deep freeze is needed for a couple months.
Eurasian watermilfoil — a plant with soft feathered leaves that was once used in aquariums — “is our number one culprit” among invasive species, Laskey said. Since it was first documented in the United States in the 1940s, it has spread rapidly in lakes and ponds throughout the country. The pesky weeds can clump together to form dense mats on the surface of the water, impeding water flow and blocking sunlight from reaching other plants.
In an effort to curb the weed’s growth, the MWRA began drawing down both the Foss Reservoir in Framingham and the Chestnut Hill Reservoir on Nov. 2, with the goal of decreasing their water levels by 10 feet. The Foss reservoir reached the 10-feet mark on Nov. 30.