Dear Friends of Lake Waramaug,
Spring is here and like many of you I am looking forward to another wonderful season on Lake Waramaug. As the trees bloom and families return to the lake, I can’t help but think how lucky we were to find a little cottage for sale on Arrow Point twenty-two years ago. Owing property on lake Waramaug has been one of the best decisions my wife and I have ever made.
But here is a question: “Who owns Lake Waramaug?”
Ownership of the lake actually falls under the concept of the Public Trust Doctrine which states that natural resources be preserved in perpetuity for public use and enjoyment. Over the last 50 years, the state strengthened its “clean water culture” and created laws and regulations to protect and improve lakes. But the reality is that the state can only do so much to see that lake water is protected and water quality improves. The bulk of the job of preserving Lake Waramaug falls on our local community.
The Task Force is strongly committed to its mission to protect the lake and we are able to do so because of the wonderful people involved in the stewardship of the lake and the generosity of its many patrons. It is because of these donors, especially those who made or renewed a 3-year pledge, the Task Force has been able to create a multi-year strategic plan to limit negative effects on our lake from the ever-changing environment.
To improve water quality at the lake, the Task Force, in partnership with the Mullen family, has recently contracted with New England Aquatic Services to dredge a new channel out of the delta at the mouth of Sucker Brook. This will allow cold water to flow to the lake even when water levels drop over the summer. Cold, oxygenated water is the life blood of a healthy lake. Currently, the size of the delta prevents this vital exchange.
The Task Force has also begun the process to remediate one of the largest sedimentproducing erosion sites in Sucker Brook along the Rte. 45 corridor. Once permits are issued, the Task Force, with the guidance of engineers and consultants and with the permission of the adjacent landowners, will put into place a remediation structure to prevent further erosion. The completion of this effort, along with the repair work promised by the State to a Sucker Brook erosion site under Rte. 45, should greatly reduce sediment flows to the delta for years to come. The work of securing additional erosion sites along Sucker Brook will continue, but this current work is a big step in the right direction.
On behalf of the Task Force Board and the many partners and volunteers who assist us each year. I would like to thank you, the caretakers of the lake, for being active stewards and for helping us make many of these improvement initiatives possible. Your continued support is vital to our efforts.
Mike Guadagno Chair
Lake Waramaug Task Force