The water level in Bare Hill Pond is a little lower than usual this year, and weed growth has increased in a few areas, according to the pond committee’s annual report to the Conservation Commission. On the plus side, the water is unusually clear, and the pond has avoided the algae problems that plague many nearby lakes and ponds.
“It’s been a great year in terms of water quality,” said Bruce Leicher, chairman of the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee, who presented the report to ConCom on Sept. 1. Leicher noted that Bowers Brook, which feeds into the pond, has been dry since early summer. Nevertheless, the pond is only a few inches below its normal level for this time of year, indicating that it is getting most of its water from underground springs, Leicher explained.
The water is also “clearer than most years,” Leicher said. The drought may actually have helped keep the pond clear, he said, because there has been less rain runoff to carry soil and silt into the pond, and spring water is cleaner and clearer than the usual stream water.
Wendy Gendron of Aquatic Restoration Consulting LLC prepared the report for the pond committee. She said her measurements showed that phosphorus levels in the water are low, which has helped to prevent the growth of algae.
As for plant growth, Gendron said the winter drawdowns since 2002 have limited the growth of tall plants such as fanwort and milfoil. But this year’s mild winter may have made the drawdown less effective than usual, because patches of milfoil are larger than in 2015. Gendron noted that plant growth has increased in many ponds and lakes this year because of warmer temperatures and a longer growing season. And the very clear water in Bare Hill Pond has allowed more sunlight to reach the bottom, encouraging the spread of shorter plants beneath the surface.
Harvard does seem to be winning the battle against one invasive plant in particular—the rampant water chestnut. In a letter that accompanied the report, Leicher noted that Rick Dickson, who has organized water chestnut pulls for years, did not see a need to call out his flotilla of volunteers this year. But, Leicher wrote, Dickson did ask pond users to remain vigilant and pull any water chestnuts they see.
ConCom Chairman Paul Willard reported that some people near the pond have worried the drawdown this fall might harm their wells. But Willard said the planned 6-foot drawdown would not be deep enough to affect wells. Moreover, Willard said Ira Grossman of the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health had told him no wells are connected to the pond.
On the topic of this year’s drawdown, Leicher said the pond is already down to the usual level for mid-October. So the pond committee does not expect to lower the level any farther until after that date, allowing recreational use of the pond to continue during the early fall. If all goes as planned, the drawdown would be complete by Nov. 30. And refilling the pond would begin no later than Feb. 1, 2017.
Willard did foresee one local population that might be affected by the annual drawdowns—the animals that come to feed on the areas exposed by the lowered water. “You could argue that we have created a whole generation of welfare raccoons,” he said with an almost straight face.
