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Town pauses routine chemical treatments; conservation director proposes new RFP for waterbody management
Summary
The Conservation Director told the commission the five‑year treatment cycle has ended and that the town paused chemical treatment in 2026 per EPA guidance; he recommended issuing an RFP to restart a management cycle and identified Chartley, Winnicottic and North Reservoir as priority sites.
The Conservation Director briefed the commission on the town’s aquatic vegetation treatment program. He explained that the five‑year program concluded and that the town did not apply chemical treatments in 2026 in keeping with EPA guidance that cautions against repeated consecutive treatments to avoid resistance and benthic nutrient releases that can fuel algal blooms.
"When you use ProcellaCore twice in a row ... the breakdown of those natural weeds releases a lot of nitrogen and phosphorus into the benthic layer," the director said, adding that this can encourage algal growth in the months after treatment. He said staff circulated a seven‑page technical memo to the town manager and recommended issuing an RFP to select contractors for the next management cycle.
The director said the contractor recommendations — and any work at Winnicottic Ponds in particular — will require careful permitting because of natural‑heritage and ACEC constraints. Commissioners asked whether treatments would be targeted or town‑wide; the director said the approach is targeted (Chartley Ponds, Winnicottic Ponds and North Reservoir) and that contractors advise rotating methods by species and by year.
No formal vote was required; staff will proceed with outreach and an RFP to define methodology, timing, and permitting steps.
