Ginger Costen
Webster Times
Anxiously awaiting the results, the members of the Webster Lake
Association (WLA) gathered at Point Breeze on Thursday afternoon
July 3, 2003, for the first report from the firm of GeoSyntec
Consultants.
"This survey is the first step in our long range goals to
improve the quality of Webster Lake," said WLA President Richard
Cazeault. "As the largest great pond in Massachusetts it is
important that we provide a more secure resource for future
generations."
Robert Hartzel, Senior Water Resources Scientist with
GeoSyntec, identified the aquatic vegetation found throughout the
South Pond area earlier that morning. "Knowing what we're working
with is a critical component of long-term lake management
planning."
Although encouraged by the preliminary findings of mostly
beneficial plants, Hartzel cautioned the group not to let the low
levels of milfoil in one area to cloud the overall picture of the
true issues that lie beneath the surface of Webster Lake.
Information from the vegetation survey will (1) serve as a
baseline from which to track future changes in the Lake's
plant community, and (2) provide the basis for identifying and
prioritizing short- and long-term aquatic plant management
actions.
"Aquatic vegetation survey information is particularly
important for Webster Lake, given the known presence of invasive
non-native species such as Fanwort and Eurasian Milfoil and the
severe impacts that these species can have on lake ecosystem
health, recreational uses, and property values," said Hartzel.
The WLA began formal fundraising activities earlier in the year
to help pay the anticipated $20,000 expense for the vegetation
survey.
"We have several projects planned this year including a summer
raffle for an environmentally safe PWC Kawasaki SeaDoo GTX 4-Tec,
a fall 'junk and treasure' sale, and our first annual Webster Lake
calendar sale," said Jeanne Rossetti, Chairman of the Fundraising
Committee.
Tickets for the Kawasaki SeeDoo are available at Yetta's Bagels
on Rt.16 or the Colonial Restaurant on Rt. 193. The drawing will
held at the August 12 WLA meeting at Point Breeze.
The association is also looking to apply for funding from the
$600,000 grant earmarked to help with environmental issues from
last year's state budget.
On September 17, 2002 Webster was informed, for the second
time, that they would be receiving a grant to help clean up
Webster Lake when State Rep. Paul Kujawski, D-Webster, and Robert
Durand, then-secretary of the Executive Office of Environmental
Affairs, announced a $4.3 million grant for a program designed to
rid the lake of sediment.
Mr. Kujawski presented a mock check at the September event to
the Town of Webster in the amount of $600,000 to begin the
permitting process. The funds were to help install 16 outlets in
the lake with silt drains, which the town would maintain. Other
work would include dredging and weed cutting and it would take two
to three years to finish the project.
A similar announcement was made in 1996 by Mr. Kujawski on a
$3.65 million grant to rid the 1,200-acre lake of sediment.
However, when that announcement was made, the state Senate had yet
to approve it. Mr. Kujawski said the Senate did approve it, but
Andrew Natsios, then-secretary of administration and finance,
refused to release the money.
To date the new state administration has not reauthorized the
funds to honor the $600,000 check. "I continue to work with both
the present and past administration in hopes of getting money
released," said Mr. Kujawski. "The new administration is doing a
comprehensive study of all funding commitments and in July they
will be releasing a priority list of when people can expect those
projects to be funded."
