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Commission reviews water‑quality monitoring plan and remaining warrant funds for Ice Pond
Summary
The commission reviewed approximately $13,000 remaining from a warrant article for lab testing, discussed focusing monitoring on Ice Pond, and debated whether to seek a 2027 warrant article without a full year of new data.
Conservation Coordinator Brianna Hagan briefed the commission on the water‑quality monitoring kickoff and remaining warrant‑article funding of about $13,000, which can be used for lab testing related to Ice Pond and other monitoring needs.
Hagan said the commission already owns monitoring equipment — a Secchi disk, dissolved oxygen sensor and view scope — and that the current contracted work with GEI covers four lab samples; additional lab testing could be funded if the commission structures spending to fit the warrant article language. Members discussed sampling frequency and locations: volunteers expressed willingness to perform monthly monitoring, but members noted access challenges at Grist Mill Pond/Niles Brook Pond and suggested focusing on Ice Pond for now.
Commissioner Robert Fox urged collecting at least one year of data (including winter and fall turnover) to identify trends; others suggested early spring sampling before lily pads dominate. Hagan said she would obtain per‑sample lab costs and consider prepaying a lab if funds cannot be spent by 2028. The commission also discussed the possibility of using office test kits for nitrogen and phosphorus as a lower‑cost alternative to some lab tests.
No formal vote to allocate additional funds was taken; the commission discussed whether to prepare a 2027 warrant article without a full year of new monitoring data or to wait until 2028 and pursue grants in the interim. Hagan will report costs per sample and remaining GEI contract time to help the commission decide how best to use the funds.
