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Commission authorizes temporary board insertion at Greenough Pond to enable water chestnut pulls
Summary
To allow volunteer water chestnut removal this summer, the Commission authorized temporary raising of Greenough Pond water level by inserting boards and sealing leaks at the dam, contingent on confirmation that the action will not interfere with an ongoing hydrologic study; motion passed 5–0.
The Carlisle Conservation Commission authorized temporary measures to raise Greenough Pond's water level so volunteers can carry out scheduled water chestnut removal this summer.
Jonathan DeKock told commissioners the pond is approximately 18 inches below its historic level due to drought, leakage past the dam's boards and the existing spillway configuration, which has prevented canoe and kayak access and imperiled the planned volunteer water chestnut pull. DeKock warned that without a successful pull this summer the water chestnut population could multiply substantially, potentially requiring herbicide use next year.
DeKock proposed adding roughly one foot of boards and sealing leaks at the dam, with monitoring and a return to existing conditions after the July and August pulls; he compared the technique to beaver board insertion. Sullivan and DeKock noted the downstream control structure is leaking and that upstream beaver dams maintain levels upstream.
Commissioners expressed concern that temporary manipulation could affect data collection for an ongoing hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) study being conducted by Weston & Sampson. The Commission conditioned approval on Sullivan confirming with the H&H study engineers that the temporary work would not interfere with their measurements. Chris Spinney asked that the dates and times of any board insertions be communicated to engineers so they could calibrate data.
A motion to allow Jonathan to install boards and seal leaks, contingent on Sullivan's confirmation that the work will not interfere with the H&H study, was made by Navneet Hundal, seconded by Melissa Webster, and carried by roll-call vote.
