After a contentious back-and-forth between the Oak Bluffs conservation commission and representatives of the East Chop Association (ECA), a tentative agreement was reached to conduct a pilot program at Crystal Lake for vegetation and water treatment.
Initially, the ECA intended to apply for a large-scale treatment and management plan that sought to eradicate invasive species like phragmites and Japanese knotweed, and kill off low-water milfoil and algae that are choking out the pond and affecting the surrounding habitat.
At the first meeting of the conservation commission, commissioners highlighted a lack of specifics regarding how the treatments would affect the pond, and what alternative solutions might exist apart from chemical applications.
At the most recent conservation commission meeting on Thursday, August 19, those same issues were brought up, and the two groups ultimately reached a compromise that requires the ECA consultants to scale back their original five-year plan, and instead implement a first-year pilot program that will illustrate how peripheral vegetation and in-water algae and plants would be eradicated.
Over the next month, the ECA consultants, including Mark Manganello of LEC Environmental Consultants and Mickey Marcus of SWCA Environmental Consultants, will provide information to the commission regarding a timeline, a list of contractors, a list of available alternatives, and other aspects of the project.
The ECA will return to the commission on Sept. 16 for another hearing, at which point the commission is slated to approve the pilot program (based on the recent agreement). Consultants will work with the commission’s hired consultant, Lynn Hamlyn, to determine any special conditions going forward.
Based on commentary from commissioners at the first hearing, one of the most significant elements of the project — the view corridors that are being obstructed — were removed from the original notice of intent (NOI) application. Those corridors will be handled through a separate application in the future.
Throughout the meeting, questions were brought up related to the content and scope of chemical treatments that will be used for invasive species surrounding Crystal Lake and for in-water treatment.
Some commissioners were concerned that introducing chemicals in the area would have a detrimental impact on wildlife and wouldn’t address the root of the issue, but Marcus stressed that he is one of three wetlands chemical applicators in the state licensed to do this kind of work, and all the chemicals on the treatment list go through a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and an Environmental Protection Agency approval process.
Manganello continued that he believes it’s a well-established truth that phragmites and other terrestrial invasives displacing native plants have a negative effect on the wildlife and habitat.
He added that although birds do eat bittersweet berries and wildlife can be found in the dense stands of phragmites, “the point is that wildlife habitat values would be significantly enhanced if those plants weren’t there and native plants were.”
Commission chair Joan Hughes said she is worried that chemical treatments would destabilize the surrounding area, and wondered what the process would look like from the time of treatment to the time when the area can support a healthy native ecosystem.
Hughes said she would need more information regarding future management before making a decision. “I understand fully the desire to keep Crystal Lake a gem of East Chop, however we may all have different ideas of how to get there. One of my concerns is that I don’t see a serious long-term management goal,” she said.
Manganello said the ECA is already spending thousands of dollars to retain professionals and bring them to Martha’s Vineyard, and if they were to return again, there would need to be some assurance between the commission and the association that they would approve the pilot.
“We can’t spend more money and then come back here and have you say, ‘Well we aren’t going to allow chemical treatment.’ We need some level of assurance that we are moving in the right direction here,” Manganello said.
ECA member William O’Brien said that for years the association has worked to put together a team of the best experts all over the commonwealth in order to support the best interests of Crystal Lake.
He noted that some members of the commission are vehemently opposed to any use of chemicals, but that shouldn’t be a reason to deny the project and forgo the rehabilitation of the pond. “I am satisfied, as a lawyer, that we will have a good case both in the courts and before the DEP, and if your consultant wants to come forward and argue that point, I would like to hear it,” O’Brien said.
Commissioners were concerned that not enough specifics were included in the application for in-water treatment of algae blooms, but Marcus reminded commissioners that algae blooms are random and occasional, based on temperature, nutrient level, and rainfall.
“A month ago there was very little algae — next summer it’s possible it could be a bad year, so it’s really on a case-by-case basis,” Marcus said.
He described the treatment used to kill algae as a copper-based chemical treatment involving copper pellets that reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water.
This treatment is the only kind of chemical that is approved by the state for use in drinking water reservoirs, Marcus said.
As for phragmites, commissioners worried about the past use of glyphosates that are known to cause cancer, and wondered whether that chemical is planned for this project.
Marcus said a herbicide called Clearcast is used to kill the phragmites, and glyphosates have been proposed to eradicate the Japanese knotweed that is intruding in the area. “We have provided you with a report listing each chemical and their pros and cons. Every year we have to go through the DEP watershed protection and obtain a license to apply these chemicals,” Marcus said.
Although a plant list was provided in the original application for replacing trees with shrubs along the view corridors, Hamlyn noted that a list has not been provided for replacing phragmites and other vegetation once the stands die off.
Manganello said the ECA would provide a plant list for that specific purpose.
During the first-year pilot program, the ECA will pick an area of the lakeshore to treat for invasive plant species, along with one area of the lake itself that could be used for an in-water treatment trial.
As part of the pilot, the ECA will also investigate alternative methods to eradicate the phragmites and knotweed, such as cutting the plants and tracing their nutrients to identify a potentially deeper issue, and using black plastic coverings to kill the plants.
Commissioner Rose Ryley was the first to propose a pilot program after saying she doesn’t have enough cause-and-effect information related to chemical treatments. “With the pond management part, I haven’t seen anything that shows what the cause is, or any investigation as to why the pond is where it is today,” Ryley said.
Going forward, the ECA will work with the commission on information gathering, and another hearing will be held on Thursday, Sept. 16, at which point it’s expected that the commission will approve the first-year pilot project.
I grew up on Crystal Lake…myself and several neighborhood friends spent a lot of time in and around the lake. I walked the Chop last week and could not believe how overgrown the edges have become. In fact, I said to my wife, it’s only a matter of time before the vegetation eliminates the lake. Glad to see some progressive work will be underway. Maybe Beach Road in VH could be next…or State Beach along the pondside in OB. in 20 years, the water views and beach grass will be gone, replaced with pine and cedar trees, russian olives and other shaded habitat.