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Residents urge Westborough to accelerate Lake Chauncey cleanup amid algae concerns
Summary
At the public forum on the town’s Open Space & Recreation Plan, attendees described cyanobacteria and nutrient‑loading at Lake Chauncey as a public‑health concern and urged the town to move lake remediation, study and funding investigations higher on the priority list.
During the forum, an attendee called for immediate elevation of nutrient‑loading and cyanobacteria work at Lake Chauncey, saying the town beach is unusable for much of the season and that youth swim instruction and boating are affected. The attendee said recent conditions create health risks: "if you fall in and you drink, you could have massive issues… it's from the cyanobacteria."
Wayne Fiden said addressing lake water quality likely requires both planning and capital investment and suggested breaking the work into study, planning and potential infrastructure steps. He recommended moving feasibility and initial study work earlier in the schedule so the town could identify sources and funding needs rather than relying on short‑term measures (for example, cutting weeds at the water surface) that treat symptoms rather than causes.
Commenters noted that prior studies exist but their conclusions and recommendations were not clear to current participants; attendees asked staff to identify existing technical work and, if necessary, accelerate initial studies to determine whether remediation is a town responsibility, a watershed issue, or requires state or partner involvement. No specific remediation plan or cost estimate was presented at the meeting.
