May 16th or so, our MPA 1st Vice President attended a MA Department of Environmental Protection workshop in Marlboro titled Healthy Lawn and Landscapes in Your Watershed. She brought back a lot of information which the MPA will be bring to you – basics on “how to improve water quality, preserve water supply and save time and money on your yard.” Specifically you will receive helpful info on caring for your lawn, effective alternatives to pesticides and chemical fertilizers, composting, plantings of grasses, shrubs and trees to eliminate run-off and more, more, more. Here’s a sample of a few basic tips on MOWING YOUR LAWN: ~Mow only when the grass is dry to get a clean cut and minimize the spread of disease. ~Mow grass to a height of 2 1/2-3 inches (3″ is best!) as the longer the grass, the more water is retained and the longer the roots of your lawn will be making it stronger and more tolerant. Keeping you grass longer also may allow it to outcompete weeds thus reducing the need for herbicides. Hand pick dandelions and other broadleaf weed from your lawn as you spot them – No need for costly weed killers! ~Sharpen …
Wildflowers, Owls and the Old Snapping Turtle in Area 7
Area 7 boasts an owl, a massive old snapping turtle swimming, as well as wildflowers along the roadsides. Here’s a few of the flowers to be seen. Can you name them?
Found!
A sign at the Manchaug Pond Public Boat Ramp still advertises the finding of a 14 K gold man’s wedding ring. Give the inscription and it is yours!
Massachusetts Safe Boating Week May 19-25
Manchaug Pond has been quiet this week. Did you know it is Safe Boating Week in Massachusetts. Here’s the official press release! State Officials Urge Bay Staters to Observe Boat Safety Rules May 19-25 is Massachusetts Safe Boating Week BOSTON – With Memorial Day and the start of the summer recreation season fast approaching, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles and the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) kicked off Safe Boating Week by urging Massachusetts residents to wear life jackets and observe other boating laws and guidelines. “While it is a great form of recreation, boating can be risky if precautionary measures are not taken to protect oneself, family and friends…We encourage all boaters to ‘Boat Smart from the Start,’” states a proclamation signed by Gov. Deval Patrick to declare May 19-25 Safe Boating Week in Massachusetts. In addition to wearing life jackets, officials urged boaters to take a safety course, stay sober while boating, and make sure their boats are reliable and in good repair. “As an avid boater myself, I know people are eager to get onto the Commonwealth’s waterways at this time of year. By taking a few important precautions, boaters can have fun but also stay …
So What’s Happening? The Non-Point Source Pollution Grant Project and Sutton Election
Hello All! Life has been busy both on the personal front and with the MPA so I haven’t had much time for blog entries. Let me get you up to date on our Grant Project: Four of our Board members attended a Start-up Meeting kicking off the s.319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant Project. This award is made possible under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act to address prevention, control and abatement of nonpoint source poolution. The April 9th meeting was held at the Milford office of CEI (Comprehensive Enviromental Incorporated) with two engineers assigned to our Manchaug Pond Improvement Project. CEI will provide $56,000 in consulting design and engineering services to the MPA and the Towns of Douglas and Sutton over the course of the 3 year project. All services from CEI will be paid for by federal funds. This spring is slated for the engineering and design of the stormwater best management practices (BMP) at the 7 priority locations identified around the lake. These include 5 in Sutton on Manchaug Road and the Public Boat Ramp and 2 in Douglas on Oak Street. Specifically, 3 locations on Manchaug Road will see vegetative swale restabilization and plunge pools designed …
Photo of Manchaug Pond a Winner!
If you didn’t receive a complimentary issue of the NEW AND IMPROVED Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, check it out online by clicking the title of this post and turn to page 31 for a beautiful photo of the lake taken by one of our members! Titled “Drawdown on Lake Manchaug”, the photo was submitted as part of the Bi-Community Amateur Photo Contest presented by the Millbury and Sutton Cultural Councils. Great!
Good Morning Manchaug Pond!
I’m back and spring is here in full force! Manchaug Pond’s signs of spring: high water, the weekend roar of bass boats announcing 7 a.m., temperatures in the 80’s, the spring peepers singing around the lake their nightly songs, marsh marigolds providing the bright yellow along side the skunk cabbage in the watershed, and the simple white blooms of wild dogwood flowering along the road/woodsides… not to mention more company, my children & grandchildren swimming every day and sand on the kitchen floor which needs to be swept twice a day! Also, my neighbor reports the first boat of the season hit the wall this morning.
Waterlevel Stablizes at 3 ” Over Full
Here’s an update on the water level for those of you who can’t just look out the window! As of yesterday we are 3 inches over full but the height of the water on Manchaug Pond had leveled off, with no change reported in a 24 hour period. Last Saturday morning while the sun was shining and before the rains came, the low flow gate was opened to the max. It remained open as the rains came down bringing 5 inches or more to the area. The significant run-off from a saturated soil of the watershed accounts for heavy water running into the lake and the considerable increase in the level. With the lake on a steady rise and an over full level, flooding was the concern. – some homeowners already reporting damage to docks and sunk boats. Weds morning a board was taken out of the spillway to further arrest the rising waters. Thursday morning’s reading showed success with no increase in the water level. Driving around the lake earlier in the week, on Manchaug Road in Sutton and on Oak Street, Douglas, I could see how the storm drain grant will not only benefit the lake but also …
Bald Eagle Preliminary Count
MassWildlifeNEWSReleased January 29, 2007BALD EAGLE PRELIMINARY COUNT FIGURES “Preliminary eagle count reports from a concentrated surveying effort on January 5, 2007, by MassWildlife staff and volunteer observers resulted in 49 American Bald Eagles and 1 Golden Eagle. This event was part of a two week nationwide Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey conducted annually in January. Sightings from observers and other interested citizens are still coming into the office. These reports will be compiled and analyzed at a later date. A tally of eagle sightings by area from the January 5th survey are as follows: 21 –Quabbin Reservoir (16 adults, 5 immature); 11 — CT River (adults); 2 — Westfield River (adults); 1 — Sandisfield (adult); 1 — Blandford (adult); 2– Wachusett Reservoir (adults); 3 — Merrimack River (adults); 6 — Lakeville/Middleboro area (4 adults, 2 immature); 2 — Watuppa Pond, Fall River (adults); 1 — Westport River, Westport (adult); 1 — Great Herring Pond, Plymouth (adult). The Golden eagle and two new eagle nests were seen at the Quabbin Reservoir. As of 2006, there were at least 25 known nesting territories in the state with successful fledging of 16 eaglets. Eagle restoration efforts have been funded over the years from a …
Water Over the Causeway
The waterlevel is up! The two inches plus of rain and the inch of snowcover has the water level up so that the causeway wall is under waterand the Big Rock at the other end of the lake as of yesterday only hadabout 6 inches showing. The water is roaring out of the Manchaug dam butthe dam at Sutton Falls is also roaring. The water coming in, rain, snow melt and runoff from the watershed is bringing us ever closer to full! (Remember Lycott Environmental told us our lake was fed by runoff from the watershed not spring fed.) Also the spring newsletter is in the making. If you would like to submit anarticle, historical piece, question to the Skipper or an editorial, children’s piece,classified advertisement or announcement – all are welcome! I did have two individuals ask if their name could be left off their submission. Fine by me, but please be sure to credit original authors, or references for historical pieces, and quotes.
Why the Grant for a Non-point Source Pollution Project?
Many may think the lake is in great shape but those who have enjoyed it’s waters for 20, 30 or more years tell a different story. “You could see the bottom clearly!” and less weeds! Today’s Telegram and Gazette ran an article about new EPA regulations and the Route 20 sewage treatment plant. “Environmental officials have attributed low oxygen levels in the bay (Narragansett Bay in Rhodes Island) to the Blackstone River, and in part to the wastewater treatment facility and to companies that border the river,” the article reports. There is some debate whether or not the treatment plant is really to blame. The concern is the “release of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients which increase algae and other plant life that, when the die, reduce oxygen in the water.” What does this have to do with Manchaug Pond, you ask? Well, let me quote a description from our grant project: “The Pond (Manchaug) is 303d listed impaired by organic enrichment, low dissolved oxygen, and noxious aquatic plants and exotic species. Manchaug Pond directly feeds the Mumford River, which leads to the Blackstone River, both rivers are also 303d waterbodies.” Now clearly the Route 20 facility has nothing to do …