Danville selectmen discuss invasive milfoil, consider dredging for fire-safety access

Shawn O’Neil, vice chair of the Town of Danville Board of Selectmen, led a discussion on Feb. 9 about invasive aquatic plants and the condition of several town ponds, focusing on fire-safety access to the fire pond near Colby Road.

Stacie O’Connor, who reported she had researched the 2019 warrant article, said the current language “states, ‘all bodies of water’ and nothing else,” and noted that a former fishing pond near Colby Road has become overcrowded with plants. She tied some of the pond decline to debris washed from roadways and said the warrant article title now explicitly mentions invasive species.

Carsten Springer said the Long Pond Association had done “many great things,” but warned the state has jurisdiction over larger water bodies and that, to his knowledge, the state has approved only one company to treat milfoil; he said a recently allowed second vendor is more expensive. Springer urged officials to consider dredging a pond if the primary objective is restoring it for fire-department use, saying that would prioritize resident safety above other uses.

Shawn O’Neil asked staff to contact the state-approved milfoil treatment vendor for a quote and asked Stacie O’Connor to remind the Board about a related warrant article later this year. Board members agreed that if the town pursues action for one pond, it should consider care for all town ponds, and noted potential state oversight if chemical treatments are applied to public waters.

The Board did not take a formal vote on treatment or dredging at the meeting; members asked staff to gather quotes and additional information for future consideration.