Watershed summit addresses lake management strategy

SALISBURY — Lake Washining and Lake Washinee, Salisbury’s revered Twin Lakes, are a reflection of the waters flowing into them, which is why ongoing watershed management planning is vital.

That concept was front and center during a Zoom meeting inviting the public’s input, held by the Cornwall Bridge-based Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) on Aug. 20 and attended by members of the community, the Twin Lakes Association and HVA staff.

About a dozen members of the public offered their views on the current condition and future management of the lake for the first comprehensive Twin lakes area watershed study in nearly four decades, which is just getting underway.

The Anne and Rollin Bates Foundation has provided $25,000 in seed funding to the Twin Lakes Association for the initial phase of the watershed study, to be conducted by HVA, and the lake association intends to apply for grant funding to complete the study once those funds are spent.

The last Twin Lakes Watershed study was completed in 1987 by limnologist George Knocklein and colleagues.

The intention of the 1987 study was to “evaluate the existing database for the lake and identify problematic components of the ecosystem and potentially effective management methods,” according to Julia Rogers, HVA’s Senior Land Protection Manager, who led the 90-minute Zoom meeting.

Although the TLA has continued to collect data on water quality and aquatic plants within the lakes, a comprehensive study of the inflows to the lakes has not been completed since the 1987 report, and many things have changed since, said Rogers.

“Some are likely positive in nature, like changes in agricultural practices and the upgrading of septic systems around the lake. But other stressors, like increased development and more year-around homes have emerged. Coupled with climate change, the pressures on our natural systems are greater than ever, so understanding these systems is critical for making informed management decisions.”

“Voices of everyone” sought

Public participation is essential to the success of the Watershed Management Plan and the long-term health of the Twin Lakes, said Mike Jastremski, HVA’s Watershed Conservation Director, who gave an introduction to Watershed planning during the Zoom meeting.

“The Twin Lakes and their watershed are resources that provide benefit to lots of people, including residents, folks that visit for recreation, and downstream communities along Schenob Brook and the Housatonic River. It’s important for this planning process to incorporate the voices of everyone that has an interest in keeping Twin Lakes healthy in the face of threats like climate change, invasive species and stormwater pollution.”

Watershed management only works, he said, “if we all understand which values related to the twin lakes are most important for each other, set management goals that we all agree on, and work together to make those goals happen.”

Rogers, along with Jastremski, Tim Abbott, HVA’s regional land conservation director and Rodrigo Pinto, Connecticut watershed manager, led small break-out sessions and 30 minutes later reported on the feedback.

“Overall, we have the sense that this is a fairly healthy lake,” said Abbott.

Jastremski noted that this is the right time to plan for water quality protection.

Potential pollution sources can include aging septic systems (nutrients, detergents, pharmaceuticals), lawns (nutrients and pesticides), roads (road sale, oil/gas, metals, sediment) and agricultural runoff (nutrients, pesticides).

Peter Neely said the lake’s status in terms of recreation is “overall positive.”

“The lake is 80 feet deep at its deepest point. Deep water and cold water makes it the ideal habitat for trout,” said Neely. “It’s a huge resource for the town,” in terms of recreational opportunities. Swimming, he noted, is a popular activity, both off boats and at the lake’s beach club.

It is easier to keep something healthy than to wait for it to degrade and then fix it.
— Mike Jastremski, HVA’s Watershed

Conservation DirectorAbbott cautioned that there are a “few things that could affect the lake….we don’t know the extent of some of them.”

Although one threat to the lake is the presence of an invasive aquatic plant, hydrilla, it was not part of the discussion during the Zoom presentation.

Jackie Blombach said in the 40 years she has lived in the area, she has noticed how development has changed the character of the lake. Small cabins around the lake, which years ago were used seasonally, have been replaced by big houses, many of them used year-round.

Her biggest concern, she said, is that some property owners are unaware that the nutrients they are using on their lawns and gardens, even if labeled “organic,” are hurting the lakes.

“So what do we do?”

Eric Stoer, a newcomer to West Twin Lake, a TLA board member and member of the Twin Lakes Beach Club, said he is concerned that beach sand is eroding into the lake, as evidenced by large ruts after rains at the club.

“We bring in new sand and make it nice again. I imagine that over the past 10 or 15 years most of the sand we brought in is in the lake, so what do we do?”

Lee Greenhouse, who moved to the area four years ago, said he is “really thrilled” lake officials are taking a proactive approach to lake management.

“I have no historical perspective, but I have an understanding of the fragility of the ecosystem, and what strikes me as a new homeowner is that I’ve had a lot of choices to make,” like property maintenance and water runoff from his driveway.

“I have no idea if I’ve made good choices or bad choices,” admitted Greenhouse, who noted that he doesn’t use fertilizer and although his lawn is “brown and not pretty, I’m OK with that.”

He suggested helping other landowners through more aggressive public education so they can make informed decisions on how to become better stewards of the lake, even if it involves some aesthetic sacrifices like not using fertilizers, keeping native aquatic plants in place and periodically checking their septic systems and water runoff.

“Sometimes I feel there is a disconnect between the town and the lakes. I’m not saying we should over-regulate the lakes, but it seems like there are different levels of participation and a willingness to engage and actively sign on and be proactive. It’s such a patchwork and all over the place.”

Blombach credited the town’s Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission for being “pretty strict” with their regulations, “which is a good thing.”

HVA’s Rogers said she was “thrilled” with the positive feedback from the meeting participants and she credited the lake association’s for its “foresight in recognizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the watershed to inform plans to protect this incredible natural resource.”

A working group formed in March

The Twin Lakes Watershed Management Planning process began in March 2024 with the convening of a working group that included representatives from the Town of Salisbury, Salisbury Association and Land Trust, Sheffield Land Trust, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Salisbury School, The Nature Conservancy, TLA and HVA.

The working group is responsible for engaging the public and other stakeholders in the planning process, reviewing and summarizing existing research and drafting the Watershed Management Plan.

Next steps, said Rogers, are to compile the feedback from the meeting to the existing conditions report, “which will provide a summary overview of all available data and research relevant to this watershed.”

The mission of the lake association, TLA President Grant Bogle said, “is to protect this precious resource and the watershed that surrounds and flows into the lakes. We commissioned this study to provide data and insights that will help us shape future initiatives and investments to protect and preserve Twin lakes for generations to come.”

What is a watershed?

The watershed, which comprises all of the land and water areas that drain toward a lake or river, is also called the drain basin. A lake reflects the watershed’s size, land use, soil, fertility, erodibility, vegetation, topography and geology. Land use plays a key role on the quantity, as well as quality, of runoff entering a lake. Runoff from impervious surfaces like driveways, parking lots and roads often contain contaminants, and failing septic systems and fertilizers from property owners within the watershed also threaten a lake’s health.