Long Pond Association reports $250,000 in grant support, mechanical and diver harvesting efforts underway

Representatives of the reconstituted Long Pond Association updated Freetown and Lakeville officials on Nov. 3 about progress removing invasive vegetation and improving water quality. Speakers said the group has secured about $250,000 in grant funding to date and has used both DASH (diver‑assisted suction harvesting) and contractor eco/Eagle harvesters to remove milfoil and fanwort.

The association reported investments in monitoring gear (underwater cameras and plotting equipment) and said it had arranged institutional partnerships for water‑quality monitoring with Bridgewater State University and URI. The group said early mechanical and diver work has improved access in some choke points but noted longer‑term sustainability may require more invasive interventions—dredging or larger mechanical harvesting—that would require permitting, more complex coordination with resource agencies and potentially higher costs.

Association leaders asked for municipal support that would not necessarily be direct town funding: indoor or sheltered storage for equipment, a town liaison and letters of support for grant applications. Town officials identified potential paths for grant applications (culvert grants, DER programs and county dredging programs) and offered to coordinate a designated municipal liaison and help identify applicable grant rounds.

Ending: Both towns expressed willingness to support coordination; the association will continue pursuing grant funding while minimizing direct town fiscal exposure.