Manchaug Pond Mentioned in Fishing Article

http://www.telegram.com/article/20080527/NEWS/805270806/1009/SPORTS Here’s an article, brought to my attention by our 1st Vice President, which mentions Manchaug Pond as it comments on the effect gas prices are having on the fishing tournaments. Funny as I had forgotten about the price of gas for boats… the past two weekends we have seen little traffic from the boat ramp and it made me wonder if it was the lower waterlevel, the windy days we have been having, the never ending forecasts of bad weather the weather men keep giving… I should have thought about gas prices as our MPA President did mention putting $98 worth in his boat for the Memorial Day weekend. At my house we are not motorboating yet and it has been too windy for the canoe!

Saturday Morning – Cleaning!

While the weatherman predicted rain for this morning it never happen until afternoon. Another missed shot for the waterlevel to go up. But the sunshine provided a great time for my husband to help one of the son-in-laws figure out why his boat motor wouldn’t keep running. Taking the cover off revealed a nest tucked nicely inside the motor. Above and to the left of the nest is a yellow wire which was chewed right off with about 3 inches missing! But the bulk of the nest filled the front of that engine! Incredible! Once he vacuumed it all out with the shop vacuum, replaced the wire and put the covers back on, it started right up! Now the son-in-law just needs to repair his dock which was damage this winter by the ice of an unusually high waterlevel. (He’s on the Douglas side in Area 7-8 where the waterlevel is higher than on our opposite shore.)

A View from the MPA Board Meeting

This was the view tonight from the MPA Board of Directors meeting which overlooks scenic Manchaug Pond. Our third meeting this month, called by the MPA President, to bring the eighteen member Board together seeking their input and direction as to issues including the low water level issue, the dam and the water quality grant. This month has been a steady press of daily phone calls and meetings with local and state officials informing them of the situaion here on Manchaug Pond and securing their help. The continued focus of the President and his Board of Directors the past months has been two fold: the short term success of getting the waterlevel at the appropriate level for the season and secondly, for the long term, addressing the future control of the Manchaug Pond dam. The MPA extends its sincere appreciation to our local officials, our state legislators, the adminitration of Governor Deval Patrick including the Office of Dam Safety and DEP for their continued help on this issue this spring. We also value the open lines of communication provided by the dam owner to the MPA President and property owners in this process as well as our past working relationship …

Blue Skies, Wind and NO RAIN!

Sun again. Wind again. (Don, what does your weather station say, as this is not a breeze we are experiencing?!) Although we have had a few showers here and there since the flashboards went in and the gate closed down a bit we are not getting enough to getwater to many docks. I did notice a small pontoon boat went in over theweekend in area 2 of Manchaug Pond and appears to be docked in about 6 inches of water. The sand bar of what used to be Blueberry Island remains exposed….. … and jeez… lets think creatively now! Maybe we should look into hydro and windpower! We did look into hydro power a couple years ago if we were a district and Alternatives Limited has harnessed the power of the Mumford River under a huge grant already! The town of Hull boast the big wind mill powering 500 homes and Sutton’s own King Farm on Central Turnpike now has its own windmill! A week or more of wind has just got to me! Rain is in the forecast for the weekend to help bring the waterlevel up. Evaporation is a concern for June, July and August and then there …

Telegram Reports Whitin District

Tuesday evening the Whitin Reservoir Association went before the Douglas Board of Selectman to prepare for the meeting which will formalize their watershed district. The Board of Selectman set the first meeting of the District for June 16th where a vote of at least 60% of the approximately 140 property owners within the district boundaries is needed to establish the Whitin Reservoir Watershed District. Read of their continued success for yourself 🙂 http://www.telegram.com/article/20080521/NEWS/805210565 (In case you were wondering … I did not take this photo. It is a satellite photo provided by the internet.)

Start of the Season – Memorial day Weekend

Windy was again the word of the day but the forecastis calling for a beautiful tomorrow and Monday to start the season hereon the lake. Last night we heard a few fireworks here and there. Todaylawn mowers roared to get ready for cookouts and campers continued tocome into the area. Tonight the country music from a campground filledthe air. We were amazed at 8:30 tonight and again an hour later to hear and catch a boat zoom up and down the channel, “at full throttle” my husband said, safely navigating through the maze of Manchaug’s icebergs. I certainly would be carefully going through the old causeway, but then ignorance is bliss! And then there are still many properties left high and dry when it comes to the waterlevel. :((

MPA Event! Spring Social June 14th

Mark those calendars! Saturday, June 14th at the YMCA Camp Blanchard facility, the MPA is hosting our annual Spring Social where friends and neighbors of Manchaug Pond get together over morning coffee and danish at the start of the season. This event is just a casual get together to see old friends, catch up on thelatest after our winter hibernation away from the lake. The MPAPresident and other officers and members of the Board of Directors will be on handto answer questions you might have on the water level, dam and otherissues relating to our lake. Never missing an opportunity, our 319Grant Coordinator and 1st Vice President, Marty Jo will have oureducational exhibit set up and has asked Donna Williams of theBlackstone River Coalition to come in and talk with us at 11:00 aboutthe big picture of our water quality. Our first social, organized by the Norman’s of Area 5, also included a swap where members brought books, puzzles, life jackets and other items they wanted togive or trade. Your welcome to bring a few items along this year. Our treasurer will probably have his scissors and a deck of cards for the50/50 raffle which is always a hit at …

Rain and Watershed Run-off Continue

The sun is shining now but this morning, like the lastfew days, brought more showers to help bring up the waterlevel. This photo was taken on Lackey Road in Sutton showing water running down the hill and under Manchaug Road directly to Manchaug Pond. This rain is bringing the lake level up, but not enough for many boat owners around the lake. The large leafed plant is skunk cabbage. If you travel along ManchaugRoad toward Central Turnpike you’ll see the yellow flowers of marsh marigolds growing among the cabbage. These are also found on the Douglas side down Ledgestone Road. Not only is the 4,288 acres of watershed providing precious run-off to raise the level of the lake but it is also filtering a portion of this water. Our 319 nonpoint pollution grant project looks at educating homeowners in the watershed so as to curb activities which adversely impact our lake’s water quality. The DEP Healthy Lawns Workshop organized by our 1st Vice President and held this spring is one of many educational efforts the MPA has planned. The fall 07 and spring 08 clean-up events hauled a couple dump truckloads of trash out of the watershed with some items …

What to TaLK About… Districts, Vandals, and Bears! Oh My!

Plenty to talk about this week… DISTRICT: The Whitin Reservoir group is scheduled to meet tonight with the Town of Douglas Board of Selectman to set the date for the first meeting of the property owners. http://www2.douglasma.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=776 It is at this first meeting that they will formally vote in a Watershed District. After Sutton gave the MPA a no vote, Whitins continued on as they are only in Douglas to file their bill in the state legislature where it was reviewed a couple legislative committees, passed the Senate and the House twice and reviewed and signed by our Governor. Our MPA President has been told that the people of Whitins are totally prepared for this first meeting of the district. The District Clerk of a nearby lake watershed district continues to mentor them in this process. DAM VANDAL STRIKES a 3rd TIME: Late yesterday, a call was received by the MPA President from the attorney for the dam owner reporting someone had placed sandbags in front of the flashboards the Manchaug Pond dam. Unknown to me, I had taken this photo in the morning showing not a drop of water flowing through. The dam owner explained the danger of messing …

Rain brings water level up – still not floating…

Sunday night on beautiful Manchaug Pond… The rains are bringing up the waterlevel, but some areas of the lake are still high and dry. Our Great Pond is accessible from the Public Access Boat Ramp, just be careful going up the channel and through the old causeway as a couple motors hit rock again this weekend. As for some of us living on the lake… we are still high and pretty dry. A couple households are enjoying their new found beach and you’ll see on the poll they responded that everything is fine. While others are stuck… My husband is making arrangements for the old 28 footer to go and to replace it with something smaller which he can take out for the winter season and put in when the “tide comes in”! (That’s a quote I heard from a campground owner said during our clean-up event. I love it! So true!) My daughters cried that the old boat – 24 years old and still assessed at $7,000! – is leaving as it has a deck on top which they and guests love to canonball off of when we float out in the middle. The lake is too shallow for …

Congratulations to Whitin Reservoir!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post “YIPPEE! Not a drop going over the spillway :)”: We’re glad all will soon be in the Water.I live on the douglas res.and have been following the excellent job you’ve done keeping your residents informed. I wish our web was updated so promply.enjoy the summera neighbor down the lake Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying the MPA blog over the hill on the Douglas Res. You have a beautiful, quiet lake and I hear the boating and fishing is so much better on your private lake! As our association’s Corresponding Secretary, I started this blog in March of 2006 to offer a means of getting the latest news out quickly and timely – something a hardcopy newsletter can’t do. Besides the updates on the water level and water quality, the blog allows a view of the lake to the many seasonal property owners, campers, and day visitors. Others outside our association and community also loved to read of our goals, efforts and achievements as stewards of our water resource. As an informal vehicle for communication, it allows for comments/discussion, polls and the posting of beautiful photos and quips about …