Whitins District Suggests Douglas Use Manchaug’s Water

Remember the 16 cfs of flow needed downstream for the Town of Douglas Waste Treatment Plant? Since the beginning of June, only 7 cfs, and during a brief period of rain 12cfs, have been flowing through the treatment plant.   This, combined with the need to maintain a flow for wildlife downstream, are the reasons Manchaug is always maintaining a flow through the low level gate. Updated in 2006, it actually does not close up tight. The Town of Douglas has stated that Interface, the Manchaug Pond dam owner, has been very cooperative in maintaining our contribution of the flow. Sutton’s contribution today to the Mumford River from Steven’s Pond dam. So here are a couple of the meetings which took place concerning the Town of Douglas and the Whitin Reservoir Watershed District, the need for a greater flow in the Mumford River,  and the suggestion that water sources other than Whitin Reservoir be tapped.1.)  First listen to the meeting of the Whitin Reservoir Watershed District. Go to: http://www.douglasma.org/cable/online_programs.phpScroll down and click onto: Whitin Reservoir Watershed Management Committee: August 25, 2010 Click to view the Whitin Reservoir Watershed Management Committee meeting dated August 25, 2010. The meeting length is approximately one …

Gatekeeper off duty for the season but ramp still in use…

With the passing of Labor day,  the ramp gatekeeper provided by the town is off duty for the season but the State Boat Ramp on Manchaug Pond is still open.  This morning boats roared out after 6:30 a.m. for some fishing. Manchaug Pond definitely sees less activity with the arrival of September as the children have gone back to school, the weather has brought lower temps (this morning 54F), winter drawdown necessitates the removal of the shore docked boats, and the summer camps and campgrounds sadly wind down for the close of their season. Manchaug Pond Saturday, September 11, 2010 22 6:30 AM 7:00 AM 3:00 PM Pioneer Valley Bass Anglers Manchaug Pond Sunday, September 12, 2010 12 6:30 AM 7:00 AM 3:00 PM New England Bassmasters of R.I. Manchaug Pond Saturday, September 18, 2010 11 6:30 AM 7:00 AM 1:00 PM A-1 Bassmasters Manchaug Pond Saturday, September 26, 2010 20 6:30 AM 7:00 AM 3:00 PM Iceholes Manchaug Pond Sunday, October 03, 2010 15 6:30 AM 7:00 AM 2:00 PM Central Mass Smallmouth The ramp continues to offer public access to the great pond through all seasons – leaving our summer swimming and summer sports for the enjoyment of …

Labor Day Weekend LIGHTING OF THE SHORELINE

LIGHTING OF THE SHORELINE  Sunday evening at 8:00 p.m.  The tradition of lighting the shoreline is longstanding here on Manchaug Pond! At 8:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, set your flares aglow at your beach or shoreline during our last celebration at the end of the summer!  Flares are available from your MPA Area Representative or purchase at cost at the local campground store.  $3. each or 2 for $5.00.Thanks to the MPA member who sent in this photo of last year’s event!

Storm Preparation Advise Courtesy of Lakeview Marine, Webster

Looks like Hurricane Earl will be bringing rain and wind to Manchaug Pond Friday afternoon into early Saturday morning.  Take today and tomorrow morning to secure umbrellas, lawn furniture, boats and other “toys” around your home, dock or campsite. Here’s advise one of our Board members received in an email from a local marina: Greetings! Although we are at this point unsure of what kind of weather this weekend will bring, we wanted to pass on some tips for securing your watercraft and keeping potential storm damage to a minimum! A few key things to check IF your boat is in the water: -Ensure proper operation of your bilge pump. Make sure your battery is fully charged, and that the pump is working. During the storm if a significant amount of rain has fallen, it is important to activate the pump to keep the water from accumulating. After any heavy rain, always check the boat to make sure that the automatic feature worked. -Cover the boat securely to keep much of the water out. It is normal for some water to seep in, but a cover will help to disperse most of it. -Make sure that there are no loose …

Great Boating Weekend? Check for Weeds Washed up on the Beach!

On Monday morning around the lake one just needs to take a look at their beach to know whether or not it was a big boating weekend on Manchaug Pond! With the weeds growing up and the waterlevel going down – the plants are easily severed by motor boats.  The plant fragments wash in and pile up on the shore with waves bringing in more and more.  As the waterlevel inches down, ribbons of dried plants form on the sand.  Two invasive aquatic weed species are dominant:  variable milfoil and tape-grass. Variable milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum) Tape-grass or wild celery (Vallisneria americana)  Variable milfoil grows in dense beds reaching up to the water’s surface. Milfoil spreads rapidly, crowding out our native species, and blocking sunlight and oxygen. Tape-grass is now flowering, sending up long spiraling stems we see at the surface. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/Bay/sav/key/wild_celery.asp What do you do with the wheelbarrows full of weeds that wash ashore?  Options include composting, bagging and bringing to a composting area at the town transfer station, or drying for incineration. CONTROL: Since weeds have seeds and the plant fragments of some species can grow roots starting new plants, it is best to remove from the lake and …

ONLY A DRILL! Two Men in the Water and One Under

Remember, this is ONLY A DRILL!  This morning at 7:45 a mock boat accident took place here on Manchaug Pond as part of a Boating Accident/Water Rescue Drill – “a joint operation between the Sutton Fire Department, the Douglas Police Dive Rescue Team and the Manchaug Pond Association.”   The accident resulted in two injured victims in the water and a third yet to be found.  With morning air and water temperatures both at about 57 degrees F, it was a cold morning indeed to be the two men in the water awaiting rescuers. Sutton Fire Dept. first to respond. Arriving at the State Boat Ramp on Torrey Road, the Sutton Fire Dept with the police boat and the Fire Dept’s boat was the first on the scene.   Later the Douglas Dive Team arrived to search for “Dolly” the rescue dummy. The Fire Dept. reports the drill “is intended to test the procedures of, and readiness of the parties involved. “

Only a Drill!

One hour from now, right here on Manchaug Pond, volunteers from the Manchaug Pond Association (MPA) will assist the Sutton and Douglas Fire Dept. and the Douglas Dive Team in a rescue drill/training.  Victims will be in the water awaiting rescue,  the rescue dummy drowned and sunk in dark water, and a panicked witness on shore to aide fire departments’ personnel in the rescue and recovery. Sutton Police boat As you see the fire trucks and rescue boats arrive on the water, please stay way back.  Tell your neighbors this is only a training/drill. The MPA will post details and photos right here!  Further, we’ll let you know if it is Rescue Jennifer, Rescue Randy or Resuscitator Annie who has drowned.

Thursday’s Post and is “Anyone having internet problems today?

I posted Thursday about an opportunity for a $100,000 grant opportunity for a national or state by the Coca-Cola Company. Today the text is gone and replaced various codes.  I put more text up and home it will stay.Another site I visited wrote on Thursday: “Anyone having internet problems today? Earlier today, on and off, I had some real problems with use of the internet.  Some sites wouldn’t load, and others would. I had particular problems with loading anything from a Google search.Did you have this experience?Did something happen out there?”Attacks to the internet are high in the United States. Visit this site to see the world map.http://www.akamai.com/html/technology/dataviz1.htmlSomething definitely happened to internet traffic on Thursday. Look at the graphs on this site.http://www.internettrafficreport.com/7day.htm

VOTE Today for your favorite park! Purgatory Chasm and Douglas State Forest

Purgatory Chasm, Sutton  zip code is 01590 National and state parks have an opportunity to win $100,000 from the Coca-Cola Foundation. Douglas State Forest-zip code 01516 Visit this site (or click the post title) to cast your vote for your favorite park! http://www.livepositively.com/#/americasparks  Everyone needs to participate, pass the work, and must vote often if a local park is to win! Purgatory Chasm? or Douglas State Forest? Who will the winner be?

Don’t Forget to Bail the Boat!

It is amazing how much this slow and steady rainfall the past few days can add up in your boat! Don’t forget to bail during and at the end of the rainstorms! You might have a bilge pump system or some other fancy bailer you bought at the marina but if you don’t here’s directions from “how to do things.com” on how to make the easiest and cheapest boat bailer! A 2009 rain event where a 5 gallon bucket did the trick! “The easiest boat bailer to make consists of a one gallon plastic jug, cut in half along a horizontal line below the handle. One gallon milk jugs are the most common plastic bottles used to make a boat bailer, but other types of plastic bottles will work just as well. Discard the lower half of the jug and use the upper half with the handle and spout. It is a good idea to use this end of the jug because the handle makes it easy to bail water out of a sinking boat rapidly and is a good point to tie one end of a string to and the other end to the boat. This will ensure that …