Amston Lake District
Minutes of Special District Meeting
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 9:30 am
ALIA Clubhouse
Wood Acres Road, Amston, CT 06231
A. Specialist Panel to discuss potential treatment options for weeds
The meeting was called to order by ALD Board President Dave O’Brien at 9:35 am. Dave said the purpose of the meeting is to present non-biased factual information, that there was no preconceived result, and that residents are to provide input. Dave then turned the floor over to Mark Paul.
Mark Paul then introduced the panel of experts.
Mark then began the panel discussion by asking questions submitted by District residents.
How many properties are affected by the weeds and what weeds are they? REGGIE MILES: About 40 properties, especially Lollipop Cove and Francis Road Cove. Estimates 50% growth since 2000. The weeds are the surface Water Shield and Water Lilies.
What about benthic barriers – how do they work? GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: They are effective, but need annual maintenance – remove in fall and replace in spring. To control a boating lane, you need a lot of material. Need to use the right kind of materials because the wrong type traps gas bubbles and the material will rise. Not recommended.
How were the lily pads and water shield removed in the Southeast Cove? REGGIE MILES: Don’t know. Thinks residents hand pulled them.
How about a drawdown of the lake? GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: Amston Lake cannot be drawn down much because of the dam and outlet structure. Drawdown would not reach the depth of where the Water Shield and Lily Pads are grounded, and to work, the roots need to be exposed and frozen. Drawdowns at Amston Lake in the past have increased shoreline algae growth. May also create erosion on exposed Lake bottom in the winter. Not recommended.
Would a culvert under the Lollipop causeway help? GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: Would need to calculate how big a pipe would be needed to make a difference. Not a clear cut solution.
Has the Town of Hebron written a letter to the DEP about the herbicide permit application? Dave O’Brien: Hebron Conservation Commission sent letter to DEP asking them to not approve the use of herbicide at Amston Lake, concerned about affect on Raymond Brook downstream. CHUCK LEE: His division of the DEP thinks that the herbicide and planned distribution as noted in the application would have no downstream effect.
Mark Paul: Important to note that Amston Lake has no invasive species of plants. But we have native species increasing in volume. This is a symptom of larger issues such as septics and storm water runoff. These issues need to be addressed as well as the symptom. The ALD Board is reviewing all alternatives for integrated solutions. The herbicide permit was filed due to timing concerns. If residents choose herbicide, the application would be in on time. If the residents do not choose herbicide, the permit would not be used.
Where are the details of the herbicide and the areas where herbicide would be used? REGGIE MILES: Frances Cove, Lollipop Cove, Southwest Cove. GERALD SMITH: We are targeting Water Shield and Lily Pads with Rodeo, formally known as Glyphosate. On land, it is non-selective, it will kill any plant. But in water, it will only work on floating plants on top of the water. The Water Shield and Lily Pads need to be dry and the application has to be on a calm day with no wind. It is applied to the dry pads from a boat with a low pressure sprayer. The Rodeo is systemic; it goes down from the foliage into the plant to kill it. The plants die off within 2 – 3 weeks and fall to the bottom of the lake almost as they do in the fall. Rodeo does not kill the plants it does not touch. The plan is to use 3 quarts per acre, and to treat up to six acres. It would be applied in mid to late summer. Duration of control is one to three years. 80% reduction is expected in the area for one year
Do you need to pull out the biomass created from the treatment? GEORGE KNOECKLEIN. They die and fall in place. Sometimes additional rhizomes might pop up.
Will fish be killed, and do people need to stay out of the water? GERALD SMITH: The application is done by a biologist who is licensed by the state to spread herbicide. They have never had a fish kill with this application. Aquatic Control Technologies policy is that there should be no boating or swimming on the day of application, but this is not required by the state.
Could you comment on the potential problems listed on the Rodeo label? CHUCK LEE: The Amston Lake application is a relatively small one. DEP would not approve it if there was risk of well contamination. GERALD SMITH: He is unaware of any contamination of wells from Rodeo anywhere. CINDY GAUDINO: CT Water is concerned about possible hydrologic connections between Amston Lake and their wells which are close to the water. CT Water opposes the use of herbicide in Amston Lake. CT Water encourages the District to look at other nutrient sources in the watershed causing the weeds. CHUCK LEE: Chemicals are reviewed by both the federal government and the state. Aquatic applications of chemicals are regulated and require applications. The state Department of Public Health (DPH) has a list of chemicals which cannot be used in drinking water. Rodeo is not one of them. Rodeo is allowed in drinking water by DPH under 700 parts per billion (ppb). The planned application is estimated to result in 276 ppb in Amston Lake. Has never seen Rodeo enter drinking water wells from a lake. Regarding nutrient loading – don’t ignore it. The recent Lebanon sewer approval will help. Nitrogen leaching from leaching fields feeds the rooted plants such as Water Shield and Lily Pads. Also, the demand on wells in the area may be reduced due to CT Water’s application to bring water into the area from outside of the watershed. This should alleviate the problem of Phosphorus being used by the water company in the pipes that might get into the lake. The DEP does not give advice, but they do not have any environmental reason to deny the permit application.
Is CT Water aware of any other uses of Rodeo near their wells and what was their position? CINDY GAUDINO: CT Water has a well in Essex downstream from a pond where Rodeo is being contemplated. CT Water opposed that.
Are there any problems with Rodeo that CT Water or DEP is aware of? CINDY GAUDINO: CT Water policy is to oppose use of chemicals near their wells. GERALD SMITH: Consult with DEP – there are no known documented problems. CHUCK LEE Glyphosate has an 11 day half life and binds quickly to the soil. Not a high likelihood of well contamination. Judy Singer is a hydrologist with the DEP who works on these permits. Sometimes she requires well testing to see if there is any contamination.
What will the frequency of the applications be? GERALD SMITH: Aquatic Control Technologies would do one or two applications this year two weeks apart to ensure coverage. After that, it might be annually or every other year. There are no full guarantees, but you should see a benefit.
What is the cost? GERALD SMITH: It will be $3,000 to $5,000 this year. But we may decide we don’t need the second application.
Does the depth of the water matter? GERALD SMITH, No not with this application which is topical.
What other literature is available regarding Glyphosate? GERALD SMITH: Left copies of Nature Conservancy review, Mass. DEP, National Pesticide Telecommunication Network, Monsanto, Dr. John Madson (article which defines “significant”) DEP does not allow “significant” damage to human health, the environment or wildlife resources.
Mark Paul said the last page of the newsletter that was mailed has a summary of the range of options being considered. Mark then turned the floor back to Dave O’Brien.
Dave O’Brien then declared Item B open.
B. Question/answer period open to district residents
Marge Nichols, Spafford Rd. Lebanon: She cleared the Northeast cove by hand from her kayak. She would volunteer to get a group of volunteers together to hand pull weeds and then monitor the effectiveness.
Laurel Hennebury, Deepwood Dr. Lebanon. Thanks Board for putting panel together. What are the impacts of Rodeo to mammals, reptiles and herbivores? CHUCK LEE: the permitting review process reviews for effects on aquatic organisms. There will probably be no effect on the animals themselves, but there will be a loss of habitat. To mitigate loss of habitat, treat irregular areas.
Lorraine Long, Meadowbrook Rd. Hebron: What about benthic barriers? GERALD SMITH: You need the correct gas permeable materials. Aquascreen is what they use now, nylon coated fiberglass screen. Needs diligent maintenance, not for large scale use.
Andrew Stanulonis, Hillcrest Dr., Hebron: How long are we tied to Aquatic Control Technologies if we do this? GERALD SMITH: The plants do come back. There is no way to eradicate them. They guarantee their price in 2009 would not exceed the 2008 price. Aquatic Control Technologies also has 7 harvesting machines of all sizes or you could buy one. They also do hydro raking which did not work well at Amston Lake. He does not advocate cutting without collecting the biomass. Also, if you buy a machine, you need insurance, an operating budget, workers, storage etc. GERALD SMITH does not advocate cutting.
Barbara Lederer, Deepwood Dr. Hebron: What is the cost over time? GERALD SMITH: They are guaranteeing the cost in 2009 not to exceed the 2008 cost. He cannot predict farther out because costs of materials, labor, gas, etc are unpredictable far into the future. Barbara: Would sewers in Lebanon alleviate the problem? Mark Paul: We cannot predict how this will affect the weeds, but the Board considers sewers to be part of the holistic approach.
Evan Fox, Francis Rd. Hebron: What is the overall health of Amston Lake? GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: Very good. Evan: Is this a human nuisance or, if not treated, will the weeds impact the health of the Lake? GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: The weeds are a human use impairment. Evan: this is a balance between human use and nature? GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: Yes. Evan: Is there any data on well contamination from Rodeo nationwide? CHUCK LEE: Nothing can be guaranteed. But they estimate the concentrations of Rodeo in Amston Lake to be less than drinking water standards. The DEP looks at many lakes in CT and most lakes are a lot worse off then ours.
Gerald Horan, Rondaly Rd., Hebron: What about drawdowns? A lot of lakes do it. GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: For many years, drawdown of lakes was seen as a panacea. No longer. Consider how much of the lake you need to draw down to have an effect. You need to expose the roots of the Water Shield and Lily Pads to air and freezing to kill tem. Most of the Water Shield and Lily Pads roots are embedded in muck, so you wouldn’t kill them. You would need at least a 4 -5 foot drawdown and the lake would become very shallow, creating problems for fish as they congregate in the water that is left. During the winter, it would look like an open construction site with no silt fence. Also consider the size of the watershed. It would be difficult to fill the Lake by April 1 with a 4 – 5 foot drawdown. Previous drawdowns of Amston Lake are believed to have caused algae blooms when the Lake refilled.
Mark Mastrianni, Deepwood Dr. Lebanon: Has handpicked weeds at his waterfront. Does not think it is effective. Hydro raking should’ve been followed up with herbicide. Hand pulling creates a lot of turbidity in the Lake. Thinks Water Shield and Lily Pads is expanding and may connect the peninsula of Lollipop to the other side.
Kristen Kilbourn, Deepwood Dr, Lebanon: Weed pulling is overwhelming, They cannot use their shoreline.
Hans Kilbourn, Deepwood Dr. Lebanon: There will be drownings in the lily pads.
Helen Scott, Rondaly Rd. Hebron: Could you cover the plants with sand, as in beach sand? REGGIE MILES: If you put sand on muck, it combines and creates mucky sand. GERALD SMITH: In Massachusetts, you would need a permit, and you would have to remove the same amount of muck as sand you would replace it with.
Joyce Clark, Deepwood Dr.: Is there any application to darken the water to restrict sunlight thereby killing the plants? GERALD SMITH: This only works in standing ponds with no flow. The DEP would probably not approve it. It also turns the water “Tidy-bowl blue”.
Janet Atkins, Francis Rd. Hebron: What areas are priority? REGGIE MILES: Francis cove, Southwest Cove and Lollipop Cove. Janet: She handpulls. Thinks the tarps that were put in last year at Francis Cove did not work well and were ugly. Concerned about wildlife habitat. The tarps are like a tornado to wildlife habitat in terms of destruction. Janet also asked for better resident training on the types of weeds in the Lake. Wants coordination with the towns. Do residents need to come to the Board to get permission for tarps? Mark Paul: We know people have done things on their own. But we don’t want people to take things into their own hands.
Matt Kilbourn: Deepwood Dr, Lebanon: What would the panel recommend if they lived at the Lake. CHUCK LEE: would not recommend a whole lake treatment. The area applied for is 3% of Amston Lake. They would not consider that a problem at the DEP. But they recognize the human usage issue. On that basis, he recommends Glyphosate. Does not recommend harvesting as invasive weeds can be brought in on those. GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: Recommends a democratic process by Lake residents to decide. GERALD SMITH: Given the list of strategies, he has done this for over 32 years and they can work with us on any of the options. Often lake districts choose a combination of techniques. If you don’t want to treat six acres, he can treat less, boat lanes, for example. Thinks Glyphosate treatment is appropriate for Amston Lake.
Maria Nelson, Deepwood Dr. Lebanon: Herbicide was voted down four years ago by many people. Coordinated a group last year to hand pull in Lollipop Cove and it worked for about a month. Water Shield and Lily Pads is a habitat for animals, turtles and fish. There are lots of birds around the Water Shield and Lily Pads. Wants volunteer handpulling.
Mike Smith, Deepwood Dr. Hebron: Handpulling is a monumental task.
John Connor, Deepwood Dr Hebron: What do other lakes do? GERALD SMITH: Aquatic Control Technologies chemically treats 103 lakes in CT. CHUCK LEE: In the past there was more harvesting and drawdowns. Now they see more herbicide applications, especially due to invasive weed species in lakes.
Mark Paul then returned the floor to Dave O’Brien.
C. Discuss weed management options with district residents
Dave O’Brien: Follow democratic process. Review options list from mailing.
Mark Paul: Reviewed options list from newsletter. GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: Biological controls – sterile grass carp. Cannot control what they eat. They basically convert the plants to nutrients. No suitable for Amston Lake. REGGIE MILES: Grass carp exterminate plant life and grow very large.
D. Consider and act upon a weed management solution
Dave O’Brien then asked for possible motions to act upon a weed management solution.
Motion: Matt Kilbourn moves to try herbicide with a smaller area than planned. John LaRoux seconds. Discussion:
REGGIE MILES: there are specific areas described in the 2002 weed management plan.
GEORGE KNOECKLEIN: Does not have specifics of the area planned for treatment.
Dave O’Brien: Put parameters around the areas to be treated.
Mike Smith: Suggests setting a percentage such as half of what was applied for.
Andrew Stanulonis: We should vote on options rather than going into specifics.
Matt Kilbourn withdraws the motion, John LaRoux agrees.
Motion: Matt Kilburn moves to use herbicide. John LaRoux seconds. Discussion:
Laurel Hennebury calls the question. Vote to call the question, majority in favor, two opposed, none abstaining.
Vote on motion to use herbicide: 40 in favor, 8 opposed, 0 abstaining. Motion to use herbicide carries.
Dave O’Brien asks for a motion on exactly what we are doing.
Barbara Lederer: Moves to use herbicide on Lollipop area only in the next fiscal year. George Allen seconds. Discussion:
John Connor: Wants more area than just Lollipop to be considered.
Dave Martin: Treat only 30% of Lollipop Water Shield and Lily Pads.
Evan Fox: Do all three areas.
David Moorcroft: Wants to Francis Cove to be considered.
George Allen: Does not want herbicide to be used over a large portion of the Lake..
Laurel Hennebury calls the question.
Vote to use herbicide on Lollipop area only in the next fiscal year: 3 in favor, majority opposed, 3 abstaining. Motion fails.
Janet Atkins: Moves to have the Weed Committee of ALD consider the discussion of today and return with a recommendation. Margaret Roohr Rosati seconds. Discussion:
Dave O’Brien: Weed Committee to precisely define the area to be treated.
REGGIE MILES: Let the Weed Committee use the recommendations in the 2002 Weed Management report.
Barbara Lederer: Suggests amending the motion on the floor to have a recommendation on the ALD website at least 48 hours prior to the annual District Meeting. No second.
Dave Arnold moves amend the motion on the floor to pre-approve up to $5,000 for the herbicide treatment in the next fiscal year. Matt Kilbourn seconds. Discussion:
Mark Paul: Not comfortable with the pre-approval process.
Mark Paul: Calls the question on the amendment. Vote on the amendment to pre-approve up to $5,000 for the herbicide treatment in the next fiscal year. 14 in favor, 16 opposed, 2 abstaining. Amendment fails.
Andrew Stanulonis calls the question on the motion to have the Weed Committee of ALD consider the discussion of today and return with a recommendation. Vote to call the question: Majority in favor, 4 opposed, none abstaining. Motion to call the question carries.
Vote on motion to have the Weed Committee of ALD consider the discussion of today and return with a recommendation. 30 in favor, 1 opposed, 1 abstaining.
E. Adjourn
Dave O’Brien asks for a motion to adjourn. George Gwodz moves to adjourn. Laurie Littlehale seconds. Meeting adjourned.