AMESBURY — With new information from a recent study done at Lake Attitash now available, a town board and the lake association are plotting a course of action in combating the lake's invasive weeds and high levels of bacteria.
Some 100 acres of 360-acre Lake Attitash are currently infested with prolific and highly invasive Eurasian water milfoil, which has germinated on the lake's bottom. Lake Attitash and Meadowbrook Pond, which flow into each other, are both in the process right now of having their water levels lowered in an effort to combat the spread of milfoil, which entered the bodies of water by clinging to trailers and boats coming from other infested locations.
It can reach 6 to 9 feet in height with its feather-like stalks and can grow to form dense beds that choke out native plants, degrade water quality and reduce the habitat for native fish and wildlife. It also hinders boating, swimming and fishing, promulgating through fragmentation as it gets caught up and spread by boat motors — floating to other areas of the lake and taking root.
The drawdowns are an avenue to keep up with the weed spread, but they will not eradicate them. Water is drained out of the lake and pond, bringing water levels down to expose much of the milfoil. The frigid temperatures of winter will freeze the weeds, which are then ripped out by the rising water levels in the spring.
"I don't think we'll ever get rid of the milfoil. It's something we'll always be contending with," said Cindy Roberts of the Lake Attitash Association.
Right now, the culverts through which water drain are small, and levels aren't dropping as quickly as Gregory Roy, chairman of the Lakes and Waterways Commission, would like.
"It's a Band-Aid, and it's hard to say how effective the drawdown will be. Its success will be gauged this summer when we can take a look at where things stand," he said.
As drawdowns attempt to keep the weeds at bay, Roberts and her fellow association members are taking a long, hard look at a survey of Eurasian milfoil at Lake Attitash, done by Aquatic Control Technology Inc. to gauge what the options ahead are. ACT recently brought their findings back to the association in the form of a vegetation management plan.
While just a draft in its earliest stages, the plan does recommend that, because of the infestation's size, chemicals be used to treat the thriving weeds. A chemical treatment would get the weeds under control, and the remaining milfoil could be pulled by hand. The details of the chemical treatment will be looked at closely, as Lake Attitash is a source of drinking and surface water for the town.
"We're well aware of what that body of water is used for, and we'll be working with the town, the Conservation Commission and Merrimac to be cautious on what approach we take. I drink that water; my kids drink that water. We're not trying to put anything in the water that will damage it," Roberts said.
The lake's other problem is cyanobacteria, a toxic algae bloom that is the result of nutrient overloads in the water. Its presence in the lake is a consequence of runoff from fertilizers, the salt and sand of the streets, and animal waste. For part of this past summer, as well as the previous one, Lake Attitash was closed after high levels of toxic algae cyanobacteria were discovered in water samples, collected weekly because of ongoing problems.
"This has been going on for a long time. The lake is dying, both because of the cyanobacteria and the weeds. They're totally separate issues that have to be looked at separately," Roy said.
While there is no quick fix for cyanobacteria, there is hope that the situation is already improving.
As a result of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Lake Attitash Association against Sargent Farm on the Merrimac side of the lake, the farm was ordered in July to stop composting gelatinous materials, believed by many to be a root cause of the algae blooms.
Whatever steps are taken next in both the cyanobacteria and milfoil battles, the public's knowledge of and role in the situation will be a factor.
This summer, Roberts said volunteers of the Lake Attitash Association will be stationed at the boat ramps of the busy lake on weekends to check for milfoil as boats go into the water and show owners what to look for. Residents around the lake have been encouraged to test their soil needs before fertilizing their lawns, the runoff of which is a leading contributor to the phosphorus the algae bloom feeds off.
"A good amount of volunteer hours have been and will be spent to educate the watershed on everyday things people do and how it impacts the lake. We have a really active board right now that's focused on visitors and homeowners being able to enjoy the lake for years to come," Roberts said.
How to help
The Lake Attitash Association will begin its 2011 fundraising on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at Flatbread Co. in downtown Amesbury. A portion of the price of each pizza sold from 5 to 9 p.m. that day, including take-out orders, will go to association's efforts to restore and protect the lake.
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