ROGERS LAKE AUTHORITY
~MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
A meeting of the Rogers Lake Authority (RLA) was convened at the Rogers Lake Clubhouse at 7:30 pm on September 11, 2013.~ The following members were present: Robert Recor, Richard Smith, Tom Baher, Tom Mondelci, Mike Secord and Dennis Overfield. Liz Sunshine, Secretary, and approximately twenty five attendees were also present.
The meeting was called to order at approx 7:32 pm. A motion was made by Rob Recor to approve the minutes of the previous meeting as written with no changes. It was seconded by Dennis Overfield and approved by unanimous vote.
Memorial Bench:
All work has been completed on the Fred Holth Memorial Bench at Haines Park. Plans for informational signage and a dedication are underway for the spring of 2014.
Police Patrol:
The season has ended and the launch attendant will not be posted at the launch again until spring 2014. Periodic monitoring will be done on the lake for the remainder of the boating season. There is currently a fishing tournament scheduled for the September 14th weekend. If the tournament is not canceled due to low water depth, Mike Secord will ensure the launch is monitored that day.
There have been several reports of boaters damaging their boats when stern drives bottom out in low water areas. Buoys have been placed to warn boaters of dangerous low water areas.
Mike showed a picture to all present of a new species in the lake. It looked as if it were a jelly substance, it had attached itself in a large mass around a tree branch that had fallen in the water. The mass looked similar to a pollywog egg mass except 10 fold the size. It was removed from the water and sent to DEEP for identification.
Weed Control:
Dick Smith passed out a listing of weed management options attempted over the past ten years as well as the cost of each. (copy attached). He went through the list of weed management methods tried and the results attained by each year's efforts and expenses. He began with the comprehensive lake study done in 2003, followed by Mechanical Harvesting which actually exacerbated the problem by fragmenting and re-rooting plants in new areas. He spoke of more studies in 2010, and the deployment of mats and finally suction harvesting done in 2012. Dick explained that we have spent more than $170,000.00 over the past 10 years combating the weed problem in our lake that has only gotten worse.
Dennis Overfield expressed that he has had good luck with using the benthic mats and it had cleared an area for recreation in front of his house. Others did not have good results with the use of the mats, stating that the weeds grew back almost immediately after the mat was removed.
Other options that have been explored by the board, but not tried in the lake were Grass Carp and introduction of weevils. These options were dismissed for a number of reasons; from permitting and inability to secure these fish in the lake to the fact that the weevils like to eat a different kind of weed than we have in our lake.
Tom Baher gave a preliminary report on his findings regarding dredging. He stated that he had just begun his research but suggested that dredging was more of a long term fix and would require more studies; testing on soils for possible uses of waste product, drying areas identified, permitting done and the involvement of the Army Corp of Engineers and DEEP. He will continue his research and report back to the board.
Tom Mondelci discussed the costly and ineffective measures that have been tried and failed in controlling aquatic weeds in Rogers Lake in the past and made a motion that "The RLA board make a recommendation to the selectmen of Lyme and Old Lyme to initiate the process of an ongoing herbicidal treatment program to restore Rogers Lake to its full recreational capacity for all residents of Lyme and Old Lyme. The motion was 2nd by Mike Secord and passed by a vote of 5 to 1. Tom Baher voted against the motion and stated that he was against the use of herbicides in Rogers Lake.
A resident suggested that an "ongoing herbicidal treatment program" is a very broad recommendation to make to the towns. A request was made for a long range, more specific plan to be submitted to the selectmen, with a comprehensive plan to use multiple methods of weed control in the areas in which each method works best.
Concerns regarding well water contamination, and whether any study information had been found on results of testing wells near chemically treated lakes. An excerpt from the last months minutes regarding DEEP response to that question was read and another resident mentioned that Premiere Laboratories will do testing on well water specifically for pesticides, herbicides and PCB, they are one of only three in the state that tests for these items.
Tom Baher made a motion that the board buy a copy of "Diet for a Small Lake" for each member as it has a tremendous amount of information regarding the needs and of the watershed and small lakes. Mike Secord 2nd the motion and it passed by unanimous vote.
Dam Repairs:
Bonnie Reemsnyder gave an update on the dam repair progress. She first thanked all for patience and understanding regarding the low water issue and unfortunate timing of the dam repair project but stated that the project was overseen by DEEP and the time of the work was mandated and not within our control.
The construction crew is currently working on the four bay area between the slide gate and the lake. She explained that the pipe or sluthway and the spillway were not expanded in the repair because the "math" (how much quicker the lake could be lowered with a bigger pipe) did not support massive structural changes. In addition even with a bigger pipe only so much water can be released from the lake without causing issues downstream . This unfortunately works both ways, even though the lake is very low, we are required by DEEP to continue to allow water to flow down the stream to support wildlife in the creek below the lake. The construction should be finishing up by October 1, 2013.
Some expressed concerns that the fish ladder and the expected alewife coming into the lake eat zooplankton. This may worsen our weed problem because zooplankton eats weeds, therefore if the zooplankton are gone the weeds may grow more rapidly. Bonnie noted that the fish ladder was a DEEP initiative, we would need to work with them.
New Business:
Some residents are concerned as to how to get their boats out of the lake with the water so low. Dave Evers mentioned that he may be able to open one of the right of ways to assist trapped residents.
Old Business:
A motion to adjourn was made by Dennis Overfield, seconded by Rob Recor and was passed by unanimous decision. Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:49 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
 ~Elizabeth Sunshine
Secretary for RLA
elizabethsunshine@sbcglobal.net
The next meeting of the Rogers Lake Association will be on October 9, 2013 at 7:30pm at the Rogers Lake West Shores Clubhouse:
Agenda for 10/9/13 Meeting:
- Budget
- Police Patrol
- Weeds
- Benthic Mats
- Boat Launch
- Dam Repair
New Business
Old Business
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