View source for Memo from Forest Lake Association

Dear Mayor Manzi:

I am sure you are aware of how great a resource the citizens of Methuen have in Forest Lake, which is the city’s sole source of summer water recreation.  While neighboring cities and towns have lakes, ponds and swimming pools, we have Forest Lake.  If we ever lost Forest Lake, it is estimated that a “city pool” would cost the town upwards of $2,000,000 plus extensive cost of maintenance.

In the mid to late 1980s, the City of Methuen and the Massachusetts DEP jointly supervised two studies of Forest Lake and it’s water quality.  The City and the DEP expressed concern then about pathogens in the water, which could make swimmers very sick or chronically ill.  The two studies have come to be known as the Cortell study (1983-1985) and the Lycott study (1985-1989).  Lycott was required because the DEP insisted upon more detail than that provided by Cortell.

The Lycott study expressed concern about the eutrophication of the lake, which is brought about by excess nitrogen and phosphorous seeping into the lake by human and animal activities, resulting in unnaturally high rates of plant production and accumulation of organic matter that can degrade water and habitat quality.  

In the past few years the number and variety of plants growing in Forest Lake have reached an alarming rate, and in the past 2 summers the lake has been closed just when it was most needed by Methuen residents, when we experienced a “heat wave” and Forest Lake bacteria levels rose to unhealthy levels and our children complained of “duck itch”.

Lycott suggested 5 important steps to improve the water quality of Forest Lake:

#City sewer connections.  This was mostly accomplished in the 1980s but there are still sewage odors which make it appear that not all homes are connected.  This may also be a matter of sewage pipes now 25 years old showing stress and leaking.
#Dam drawdown.  Drawdown of the lake in mid-October will allow plant life at the lake’s shore to freeze and die.
#Installation of a deep hole pipe in the deep part of the lake, to bring dead, low-oxygen water out from the bottom of the lake.
#Lycott was concerned then about the abundance of weeds growing in the lake, and long-time members of the Forest Lake Association estimate that the density of weeds have grown 10-fold since the 1980s. Lycott suggested a combinations of:
::a.Harvesting weeds.
::b.Hydro raking (typically using a backhoe on a barge).
::c.Chemical controls, either on the whole lake or a partial control.
:5.  Lycott also was concerned about the chemical balance of the lake, and their report suggested more than the testing now being done by the City.  The report suggests testing for the following, among other testing suggestions:
::a.	Secci disk
::b.	Chlorophyll
::c.	Phosphorous
::d.	Nitrate Nitrogen
::e.	Ammonia Nitrogen
::f.	Ph	
::g.	Alkalinity
::h.	Chloride

The Forest Lake Association would like to see the following steps taken to assure the continued availability of Forest Lake, given the findings of the 2 studies cited above:

#Sewer Connections.  The Association would like to have a formal septic survey done for Forest Lake abutters and for all homes in the Forest Lake watershed.  It is important to determine whether all homes on the lake and in the watershed are connected to City sewage, and for the City to mandate connection where there is none.
#Sewer Inspection.  Over 25 years, pipes may have settled or they may have otherwise been disturbed, and the Association requests that the City begin an inspection program around the lake
#We would like to assure timely dam drawdown in October
#The deep hole pipe suggested by Lycott has been installed by the City, and we are thankful for that, but the pipe should be inspected to assure its efficiency 
#We would like to have a Lycott-type study updated to tell the City of Methuen whether the deterioration we see on the lake is worrisome, and whether the hydro-raking and chemical controls are still appropriate
#We would like to see more detailed testing of the water.  Since the difficult part of testing – collecting samples – is being done, additional testing should not be labor intensive.  Members of the Association would be pleased to volunteer to assist in this effort.

The Forest Lake Association recognizes that money is “tight” these days, but if swimmers get sick or if a child gets tangled in weeds while swimming, shutdown of the lake and replacing this valuable resource will be much more expensive than the maintenance we are requesting.

It is our wish that the City explore federal and state grants which may be available to supplement the City’s resources.  Federal stimulus funds may be a possibility.  There are 2 members of the Forest Lake Association who are particularly familiar with the Cortell and Lycott studies, Gerry McCall is a retired (2003) DEP water supply Director, and David Aufiero knows more about the lake than the fishies, and both of these men can assist in exploring grant money.