Long Pond Association outlines multi-year weed removal work, asks towns for storage and partnership

Representatives of the Long Pond Association (LPA) updated the select boards on three years of aquatic‑weed mitigation and water‑quality work and asked the towns to partner on storage, permitting and grant applications.

Robert Stefanian, a Lakeville resident and LPA board member, told the joint meeting that the nonprofit has obtained roughly a quarter‑million dollars in grants, contracted DASH (diver‑assisted suction harvesting) and used Eagle Harvester operations to remove hundreds of bushels of milfoil and fanwort. The LPA has purchased monitoring equipment, a DASH boat, underwater cameras and plotters, and said it is conducting water‑quality sampling with Bridgewater State University and other research partners.

The association said it is not currently seeking direct operating funding from the towns but requested help locating small indoor storage (the group currently stores equipment outdoors at a private residence) and said it can provide letters of support for municipal grant applications. The group warned that sustainable long‑term control may require larger or more intrusive measures, including mechanical harvesting or dredging, which would trigger additional permitting and potential controversy.

LPA members also urged town help at the public boat ramp to prevent the spread of aquatic invasives; state staff advised community presence and outreach at ramps when wash stations are not practical. The towns offered to coordinate liaisons and suggested a meeting cadence to keep the town staff, LPA and state partners aligned. No funding commitment was made at the Nov. 3 meeting.