By Debra Parkhurst
The ad hoc Fawn Lake Committee presented evaluations and options for the restoration and preservation of Fawn Lake at the Selectmen’s meeting on January 19. The committee will also present their findings to the Community Preservation Committee on January 26.
Committee member Bill Simons presented evidence showing that the accumulation of soft sediment has reduced the lake depth, increased floating and submerged vegetation, decreased recreation opportunities, and caused fish kill.
Click here to read Fawn Lake Presentation to the Selectmen on January 19, 2016
According to the committee, this situation will accelerate until there is no open water, and Fawn Lake would eventually become a swamp. An aerial photo from 2014 indicated that floating vegetation covered 60 to 70 percent of Fawn Lake. He asserted that the lake, originally eight feet deep, is now approximately four feet deep, and the exponential change appears to be rapid.
Simons recounted the long history of Fawn Lake, which has provided open space, environmental diversity, and recreation for more than 100 years.
Simons also discussed the evaluation criteria and methods used to arrive at their recommendations. The committee used “Pair-Wise Analysis” to arrive at “longevity of treatment” as their highest priority goal. The analysis also included environment impacts, recreation uses, overall costs, logistics and neighborhood impacts as part of the criteria. The Committee also evaluated available restoration options, including hydro-raking, various methods of dredging, excavation, aeration, and herbicide use, among others. Hydro-raking, used in the past, was found to be non-effective and would be costly over the long term.
The Committee recommends that the Town dredge 60 percent of Fawn Lake down to its original eight foot depth, while leaving 40 percent for eco-diversity. This would restore open water in the northern area, improve recreational uses such as small boating and fishing in the summer, and ice-skating in the winter, provide environmental diversity, and preserve the historic nature of the area.
The Committee further recommends using wet hydraulic dredging, as it has a limited negative environmental impact and would allow more incremental staging if necessary. The predicted timetable includes design funds for this year with funding for the project in 2018-19. Selectman Margot Fleischman, liaison to the committee, noted that it could take 18 to 24 months for permitting, given the various agencies involved. Selectman Caroline Fedele asked if there was an interim method available given the time- frame and the urgency. Noting that hydro-raking was used in the past with little benefit, the Selectmen agreed that there was no value to going back to a short term failed method.
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