Fresh Pond gettng needed attention

Dr. Ken Wagner of Water Resource Services visited Fresh Pond today, and will issue his report next week.

Dr. Wagner tells us that many lakes in the Northeast are experiencing earlier than usual algae blooms this year. Dr. Wagner believes that the spread of algal mats on Fresh Pond this year is due to the thick ice covering this winter, releasing and trapping phosphorus in low oxygen conditions. He recommends that we continue both short-term and long-term cleanup efforts. “The pond looks bad now, but will be a lot better after the mats are removed.”

Harvesting the week of July 13th will let light in, trigger lily pad regrowth, and help maintain the ecosystem. Long-term, phosphorus reduction will resolve the underlying problem that causes periodic blooms to reoccur.

In our bi-weekly Citizen’s Lake Assessment Program testing and sampling this past Sunday, clarity decreased slightly from 1.4 meters to 1.3 meters.