Keep up with the Manchaug Pond Foundation!
“Will the owner of the yellow and white boat, please move their vehicle!” Just kidding! If you know who owns this boat, give them a call. It is adrift in the causeway/the old dam. With the lake calm this morning, it is resting peacefully against/on the rocks.
We are in good shape for having a broken gate on the dam – 14 inches down from full as of this morning! Whitin Reservoir, another dam controlled by Guilford, is down 12″ without a broken gate. Guildford reports that only 3 boards have been taken off the spillway and they are waiting for the state Office of Dam Safety to tell them when to take another board out.The MPA has expressed to Guilford’s headquarters our concern that a significant drop in the water level will negatively effect wells and septic systems. They are talking with the state and conservation commission about putting up a temporary structure to minimize the impact. Keeping you posted 🙂
Thursday night’s catch included 5 nice white perch and about 50 kivers! My husband says he rarely catches white perch so was quite happy. He used worms from the flower beds and the compost pile for bait. All were put back into the lake to catch another day. Nothing was biting Friday or Saturday evening. Talking about fishing brings to mind the bass tournaments and the boat ramp. You can tell our boat ramp gatekeeper is off for the season (Memorial Day – Labor Day) as twice this week we have heard the roaring voices of the bass fisherman coming through the causeway before 7 a.m. A quick check of the ramp reveals only 7 cars from RI one day and 10 from RI and MA this morning. They are a loud chatty group for so few! It was only a few years ago that the MPA invited the then Sutton Police Chief John Hebert to our annual meeting and a member asked that the boat ramp be open at 7 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. The Chief agreed that the booming count off of fisherman at 5 on a Sunday morning should be delayed to 7.
We are still waiting to hear about the awards for the s. 319 Non point Source Pollution Grants -aka Stormdrain Grant. This will allow/fund the town to put in stormdrains, catch basins, bioretention gardens and the like along Manchaug Road, the boat ramp, and Oak St. and provide educational efforts for those living and working in the watershed.
The flow looks the same to me as it has been all week.
Here’s a view of how the lake and the dam looked today. Two boards are out of the spillway and the gate is open a bit as mandated by the State as part of their order to Guilford – concern was the hurricane season and the inability to control the gate and get enough water out in a short period of time. The MPA President was on the phone quite a bit this week to find out the latest details from all parties involved… Right now – The State has granted Guilford’s request to keep the waterlevel up until Labor Day so that we can enjoy the season. (Thank you!) After Labor Day watch the lake waterlevel closely. You may need to take your boats out soon. Guilford has had their engineers out to look at the dam this week, monitoring the situation, calculating the flow and time needed to bring down the lake and waiting for government approval and instructions. The State and the Town of Sutton’s Conservation Commission will actually decide the details as to how aggressively (how low and how fast) the water will be taken down, and when that will happen. Guilford is sensitive to the …
Who brought their camera?! I forgot 🙁 Email pictures if you did! Well, for those of you who didn’t venture out today to the Annual Meeting – you missed a lot! Info, info, info! Offee and great pastries! And the great lake friends I only get to see once a year! Also about the new location … a number of members complained that Camp Blanchard was too small, too hard to get to on foot for the older members, and too much work to clean. So we decided to try a new location … the Blackstone National Grill at the golf course was booked through September; someone on the board said St. Anne’s church hall would be too hot without air conditioning if the weather was warm; someone else suggested Singletary Rod and Gun but there is a bar there and doesn’t it sound like that other lake association in Sutton should meet there?! … so one of our board members arrranged the Whitinsville Fish & Game’s pavillion. Under a great roof, plenty of tables, clean, near a trout stocked pond, plenty of parking, and free too BUT having lived my almost 50 years of life in Sutton, the place …
Rain or shine tomorrow’s MPA Annual Meeting is happening! This year we are trying a morning meeting over coffee and soda, donuts, muffin and bagels at the Whitinsville Fish & Game in Douglas. There is a large pavilion to accomodate us as well as a large indoor hall if needed. This year’s site also offers easy access, cleaner more modern restrooms, and a larger space to accomodate the entire membership! Give it a try! Take a ride out tomorrow! I’ll see you there!There are a number of ways to get to the facility but our President found this one well marked with great signs and the roads easier to follow: Starting at the Citgo Extra Mart in Douglas follow Route 16 east for 2.9 miles. Turn right onto West Street and go 1.7 miles.Turn right onto Martin Road and go .4 miles turning left on to White Court which is the driveway of the Whitinsville Fish & Game. :))
A photo NOT taken on the weekend!
If you are wondering why the water is running out of the spillway let me tell you. I heard from Guilford Thursday night and he asked me to pass on this information…. Fuddy has been notified by the Guilford office in Maine that the state of Massachusetts has required that the lake be brought down an additional 6 inches and is sending a dam inspector tomorrow, Friday morning, to observe as Fuddy takes out the boards from the spillway. (We are currently down 6 inches below full.) Fuddy says this is an “emergency act” – a precaution- as the gate is broken/jammed closed and heavy rains are expected Sunday. This will take us down an additional 6 inches bringing the total to 12 inches down from full. We had a good level all summer and really can’t complain can we! Remember with the broken gate they could of drained us a month ago! I know the downstream residents of Steven’s Pond will welcome more water! Have a good weekend!
With August coming to a close it is time for the MPA Annual Meeting! Mark your calendar and plan to attend. Saturday, August 26th10:00 to noonWhitinsville Fish and Game in DouglasWhite Ct. DouglasAgenda items will include: the dam, the non point source pollution grant, election of officers and directors, and anything you want to talk about! Coffee, donuts, muffins and bagels are on the menu for this morning meeting. This new location offers a beautiful pavillion with picnic tables, lawn area overlooking a pond as well as indoor facilities if it rains. Easy access for young and old. Room for the entire membership plus! I’ll see you there!For direction click the title of this post. You can take either Depot St off of the Main St. in Douglas or head west a bit and take Franklin St to White Court. Check the link for the Yahoo Map for best directions.
