Dear Friends of Lake Waramaug,
I feel that I must start my last letter as Chair of the LWTF with a sincere “Thank You” to every donor for your genuine concern for the lake and your financial support of the Task Force’s efforts to keep the lake in the cleanest and healthiest condition possible.
During these three years, I have witnessed how important the lake is to those who live on it, those who live near it and those who live miles from its shoreline. Lake Waramaug is at the heart of a very widespread community and when the lake faces challenges – be it climate change, erosion, invasive weeds, algae blooms – I have seen the community come together to help and step up to provide the funds for projects needed to combat the ongoing list of water issues.
At this time, I would like to add another note of thanks and acknowledge all my fellow Board members. Each one of these men and women care deeply for our lake and demonstrate their passion for it by working throughout the year to maintain its superior water quality. Through their hard work and vigorous debate, as well as the counsel of our many consulting scientists, the Board of the LWTF continues to find innovative ways to help the lake survive the ever-changing environment and everincreasing human interaction it is subjected to each year.
It should be noted that the winter of 2023-24 represented the second consecutive year in which the lake did not have a solid ice cover. This is a clear indication of how our climate is changing. With the help of our scientific team, the LWTF is exploring what this new normal means for the lake:
How will water quality be affected as we move through the year?
Will the lake lose clarity, will it experience more algae blooms?
Will we see more invasive weeds because they are not killed off by the winter’s cold temperatures?
Will the increase of heavy rain storms with extreme run-off damage water quality?
And one of the most important questions:
Will the thermocline be affected in the lake?
(The thermocline is a boundary layer that sets up during the summer and separates the cold- stagnant-nutrient-rich bottom water from the upper layers of the lake. Our Layer Aeration System works to keep that boundary layer as low as possible in the water column as summer heat can attack and even erode the thermocline, moving it closer to the surface of the lake. Suppressing the thermocline is key to controlling cyanobacteria blooms. This is because cyanobacteria can control their buoyancy and float down to this nutrient rich bottom layer at night and feed, and then floatback to the sunlight to produce food. Our aerations system’s most important effect is to “push down” the nutrient rich bottom water to make cyanobacteria’s food source out of reach for their daily commute. We worry about water temperature rise as this will bring the thermocline closer to the surface. Once this happens the lake can begin to experience some cyanobacteria blooms which can become more and more common as summer progresses in to fall).
Finally, it has been an honor to be Chair of the TF these last three years. It was a great experience working closely with Sean Hayden, our Executive Director, and such a pro-active and committed Board. I feel that the organization is stronger than ever and ready to meet the lake’s challenges head on.
Thank you, again, for being such a critical part of the Lake Waramaug community and for your assistance in keeping the lake one of the most pristine lakes in the state.
Mike Guadagno
Chair, Lake Waramaug Task Force