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Town staff update council on hydrilla control and boat‑cleaning steps at Wharton's and Indian Lake
Summary
Conservation officer gave status on aquatic invasive hydrilla work: no state‑led treatment yet at Wharton’s Pond due to funding and an algal advisory there; Indian Lake received a DEM‑funded treatment program with initial application and planned multi‑year follow‑up and a boat‑wash station planned for Indian Lake as well.
Conservation officer Mike Stack updated the council June 23 on hydrilla and aquatic invasive species management for Wharton’s (Warden’s) Pond, Indian Lake and related waterbodies.
Stack said there was no active hydrilla treatment at Wharton’s Pond at the moment and that recent public health advisories related to a cyanobacterial (blue‑green algae) bloom had limited public recreational use. He confirmed the boat‑washing station at Wharton’s is operational and that the town has software to monitor use; activity at the station has been limited because many residents have heeded DOH/DEM advisories to avoid contact during the algal event. The town has a small grant from the Wood‑Pawcatuck Wild & Scenic Rivers partners to install an informational kiosk at Wharton’s describing the cleaning station and invasive species risks.
On Indian Lake, Stack said DEM awarded a grant to fund two years of targeted hydrilla treatment. The contractor Pond and Lake Connection conducted a pre‑treatment survey and applied the first treatment on June 16; the contractor will post notifications at public ramps and village access points and treat by airboat. The contractor and DEM told Stack that post‑treatment swimming, fishing and boating are allowed but residents should avoid the application while it is being applied.
Stack said the Indian Lake project includes plans for a full boat‑cleaning station and that DEM and local environmental partners are coordinating funding for future years; DEM currently recommends multi‑year treatment (typically five years) for effective control. For Wharton’s Pond, Stack said funding constraints and the large acreage affected (hundreds of acres in connected water bodies) make a town‑led treatment more complicated; town staff and nonprofit partners are exploring options and grant funding but no firm plan was in place as of the meeting.
Councilors asked for monitoring data from the pre‑ and post‑treatment surveys; Stack said that the contractor’s mapping will provide a baseline and follow‑up survey results and that he would provide updates once maps and post‑treatment assessments are available.
