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A boater prepares to launch from O’Hara’s Landing at East Twin Lake this past summer, near the area where hydrilla was first discovered in 2023.
By Debra Aleksinas
SALISBURY — After three years of mounting frustration, costly emergency responses and relentless community effort, 2025 closed with the first sustained signs that hydrilla — the aggressive, non-native aquatic plant that was discovered in East Twin Lake in the summer of 2023 — has been pushed back through a coordinated treatment program.
The Twin Lakes Association (TLA) and its coalition of local, state and federal scientific partners say a shift in strategy — including earlier, whole-bay treatments in 2025 paired with carefully calibrated, sustained herbicide applications — yielded results not seen since hydrilla was first identified in the lake.
The arc of the problem
The Connecticut River strain of hydrilla at East Twin Lake, first detected near O’Hara’s Landing Marina, is an unusually robust variant that quickly triggered emergency removals, diver searches and spot treatments, as TLA officials scrambled to contain fragments capable of rapidly sprouting into new beds.
By 2024, the cost of fighting the invader had grown significantly, straining both community and association budgets as managers moved from isolated spot treatments to serial applications and broader planning efforts. Monitoring and repeated partial treatments that year helped prevent larger outbreaks but failed to eliminate the plant.
“It became pretty clear that the Whack-a-Mole strategy wasn’t going to work,” said George Knoecklein of Northeast Aquatic Research, the TLA’s limnologist.
A strategic pivot in 2025
Drawing on lessons from earlier seasons, TLA leaders and limnologists adjusted their approach in 2025. Instead of reactive, site-by-site responses, the association began the season with a planned, sustained dosing of the northeast cove of East Twin Lake and the lake’s full littoral zone beginning in late May, maintaining low, permitted concentrations of the systemic herbicide fluoridone throughout the growing season.
Operationally the work involved close tracking of application tracks, repeated water sampling to confirm target concentrations, and diver-assisted surveys in deeper water to find any remaining pockets.
The payoff: hydrilla retreated in 2025
By mid-summer and into early August, field surveys and association updates reported a dramatic decline in visible hydrilla within the lake.
At the TLA’s annual August meeting, association leaders described the season as “the first good news we’ve had in three years,” while cautioning that the victory is fragile and requires continued monitoring and rapid response to any new fragments or regrowth.
At the annual meeting, it was announced that the final two planned applications of the herbicide Sonar would not be needed. The slow-release pellets currently in the water are expected to remain effective, reaching the target duration of 120 days.
TLA officials reported that East Twin Lake is closer than ever to achieving a functional eradication of the invasive plant infestations.
They emphasized, however, that this progress has been made possible through continued funding, permitting, and close coordination with state partners. The success of this effort could also provide valuable insights for addressing similar challenges in other lakes affected by the Connecticut River strain.
Why this year’s approach mattered
Several elements distinguished the 2025 season: an earlier start to herbicide applications, sustained low-level dosing, frequent monitoring, and data-driven coordination among the TLA, its limnologist, state and federal agencies, and contractors.
The payoff came at a price: three years of repeated interventions had driven lake management expenses sharply higher, and the 2025 season required continued fundraising and justification to town and state stakeholders.
The wider use of herbicides in waterways remains controversial in some quarters, and TLA officials stressed that the treatments used in East Twin were done under state permits with scientific oversight — and that results would be shared cautiously as case studies for other affected lakes.
What comes next
TLA and partners made clear the 2025 results are cause for cautious optimism, not celebration.
The next steps include diver-assisted surveys of deepwater areas to check for any surviving turions or isolated plants; continued low-level surveillance and rapid spot treatment to snuff out any reappearance and sharing methodologies, and monitoring data with neighboring lake groups and state programs to refine best practices for tackling the Connecticut River strain.
The lake association’s Fall newsletter reported that while treatment costs are expected to be moderate in 2026, “the heightened level of surveillance will continue.” The TLA predicted $400,000 will be spent on lake management next year.
By the end of 2025, what began as an emergency discovery in East Twin in 2023 had evolved into a test case for a new, more intentional treatment model. The TLA and its partners achieved the first season in which hydrilla substantially receded in the lake — a breakthrough that shows the combination of early action, sustained dosing and disciplined monitoring can work against this particularly aggressive strain.
That success, however, comes with an explicit rider: vigilance, funding and science-backed management must continue if the Twin Lakes are to remain hydrilla-free.
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HVRHS wins Holiday Tournament
Jan 02, 2026
Housatonic Valley Regional High School's boys varsity basketball team won the Berkshire League/Connecticut Technical Conference Holiday Tournament for the second straight year. The Mountaineers defeated Emmett O'Brien Technical High School in the tournament final Dec. 30. Owen Riemer was named the most valuable player.
In May, Cornwall residents gathered at the cemetery on Route 4 for a ceremony honoring local Revolutionary War veterans.
Lakeville Journal
CORNWALL — The year 2025 was one of high spirits and strong connections in Cornwall.
January started on a sweet note with the annual New Year’s Day breakfast at the United Church of Christ’s Parish House. Volunteers served up fresh pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee and real maple syrup.
February brought a focus on housing, as legislators, local officials and affordable housing advocates gathered on a cold morning Feb. 7 on Town Street to celebrate the launch of a regional affordable housing program.
State Rep. Maria Horn, D-64, said, “What better than a cold, windy day to remind you of the importance of having a warm home,” she said.
Two new homes were completed later in the year on Town Street, and the Cornwall Housing Corporation invited the community to an open house celebration.
On the housing front, the Planning and Zoning Commission also worked throughout 2025 to address regulations that may have been restricting new home construction in town.
In March, a heroic effort by bystanders likely saved the life of a driver in a one-car accident on Route 7. The car had struck a utility pole and was surrounded by live wires when nearby residents rushed to help.
“The woman was pulled from the car with, by my estimate, 90 seconds to spare before the flames would have reached her,” said Kent Volunteer Fire Department Chief Alan Gawel.
Two of the responders, Niya Borst and Emil Urbanowicz, both students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, were recognized in front of the student body. Borst said she and her aunt used a sledgehammer to break the rear window in an attempt to free the driver.
In April, Cornwall Consolidated School’s 7th graders completed a research project honoring Naomi Freeman, Cornwall’s first Black female landowner. As part of the project, a portion of Great Hollow Road was renamed for Freeman on an honorary basis.

In May, Cornwall held a powerful ceremony to honor local veterans of the Revolutionary War and replaced 10 refurbished grave markers in the cemetery on Route 4.
Cornwall’s Manny Matsudaira earned valedictorian honors at HVRHS.
The Village Green was the destination for summer fun with July Fest, Taste of Cornwall in August and the Agricultural Fair in September.
In the fall, Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department launched a major fundraising campaign to replace two outdated firetrucks. The effort was a huge success and CVFD successfully met its goal of $600,000.
At the fire department’s open house in October, Resident Richard Schlesinger spoke of his experience being rescued by the volunteer ambulance corps after experiencing cardiac arrest about four years ago. “They saved my life because they had the right equipment and the dedication and the skill.”
December saw the addition of a new event in Cornwall: The Parade of Lights. The illuminated procession brought cheer and joy as Cornwall concluded another trip around the sun.
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