When Covid-19 hit Bedford on March 10, 2020, many things changed and we are now writing about some of the planned and unplanned changes we have been experiencing.
Taking time to do this writing project is also one of those changes.
Another one of the planned changes was dredging Fawn Lake and reconstructing the dam. The town has been talking about this project for roughly ten years. It was scheduled to start earlier this year but it had to be postponed due to coronavirus.
The town has been trying to clear the lake with herbicides and hydro-raking because dredging was over-budget. The reason the town started the dredging project this year was that they had the money saved for this year.
The [dredging] machine works by lowering the bottom of a dredge to the bottom or side of the body of water. They then rotate the outer bar’s teeth to loosen the material as the pump removes muck and waste.
For the safety of the public, the town had to close the trails. They had to meet with the people living on Springs Road to inform them about what is going on.
The goal of the dredging is to restore the lake to 8 feet deep. White water lilies create sediment that is now overgrown.
In 1989, a study said that unless fixed, Fawn Lake’s open water would be gone within 10 years. The dredging will make the lake clearer so the public can fish and ice skate in the winter.
Dredgit, the contractors, have to work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day to finish by the end of the year. The original plan was for the workers to work 5 days a week but the [schedule] had to be increased so they could finish in time.
If Dredgit does not finish the project by the end of the year, the price will increase by 20% or 50%. The cost of this project was about $1.8M. The sediment from the lake will be brought to Lexington to be composted.
Select board member Margot Fleischman was very involved in the planning of the project. When we asked her why it was so important to keep the lake clean, she answered, “What was really special about Fawn Lake was that it is one of the prettiest, most utilized open spaces that we have in Bedford.”
She added, “people have been using Fawn Lake for a very long time. For recreation, for boating, for fishing, for ice skating in the winter. In fact, one of the first places that I ever went in Bedford when I moved here was ice skating on Fawn Lake”.
It is important for the town to complete the project so everyone can have experiences at Fawn Lake like Margot Fleischman.
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