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ILWA Annual Public Meeting Thursday, April 11th from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
The Indian Lake Watershed Association's annual meeting is open to the public and is designed to give you an update on all the great things the association is involved with including lake management, public spaces around the lake and how you can get involved.
Next week's agenda includes:
- Indian Lake Management Update: Jacquelyn Burmeister, City of Worcester, Senior Environmental Analyst, Lakes and Ponds
- State Stormwater Improvements & Programs: Henry Barbaro, Supervisor of Stormwater Programs, MassDOT
- Shore Park Summer Programming: Christina Puleo, Executive Director, YMCA of Central MA Greendale Family Branch
- How Can You Help? Beth Proko, President, Indian Lake Watershed Association
Please join us at the Bancroft School Field House
100 Shore Drive in Worcester
on April 11th!
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2nd State of the Lakes a Success
Congratulations to Jacquelyn Burmeister on the success of the 2nd Annual 'State of the Lakes' presentation! A tremendous effort was also demonstrated by all the volunteer groups that work tirelessly to advocate for our lakes and ponds in the City.
While there is more work to be done, consistently collecting and analyzing data and making adjustments for the short and long term, will move our waterways forward and that's good news for all our residents and visitors!
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District 1 Councilor Sean Rose Secures Alum Dosing Station for Ararat Brook Inlet!
Indian Lake, like many urban waterways, has faced many challenges with nutrient rich storm water entering the lake. Nutrients can come from fertilizers, roads, development and a variety of other sources. The nutrients combined with a shallow water body which heats up quickly are at the root of the algae issues that have caused many challenges at Indian Lake.
Since the lake's summer long closure in 2014 due to a cyanobacteria (blue green algae) bloom, we have taken a management path that includes an application of aluminum sulfate (alum) in late spring.
Alum is a nontoxic material commonly used in water treatment plants to clarify drinking water. In lakes, a low dose alum treatment is used to strip the water column of excessive nutrients.
The practice of using alum in surface waters has been around for 50+ years and has been utilized successfully on numerous projects in Massachusetts and around the country to help reduce the frequency and severity of nuisance algae blooms.
Research over the last few years has demonstrated the success of the spring alum application for Indian Lake.
In recent years, the City of Worcester has made great strides in installing various devices that reduce nutrients and sediment from entering Indian Lake. As an association, we have also worked diligently to educate residents in the watershed about how they can play a positive role in the health of the lake and surrounding water bodies, from protecting storm drains to using landscape techniques as a natural way to reduce manage stormwater.
The inlet at Ararat Brook is known to be the largest source of nutrients entering Indian Lake. While research is ongoing to help pinpoint areas for long term improvement in Ararat Brook, it is important to remember that this inlet receives water from well beyond the City of Worcester.
Recently, a proposal was brought forward to evaluate an Alum Dosing Station for the Ararat Brook inlet. In Wellesley, MA, this device has been pivotal to reducing nutrients and problematic algae blooms at Morses Pond. In fact, lake clarity has increased from approximately 5 feet to 16 feet throughout the summer. It has reduced the need for algaecides and reduced the cost of overall lake management. The Ararat inlet will be studied to
determine the intensity of flow that is problematic and based on that data, the pump will adjust as needed.
We are very, very grateful to District 1 City Councilor Sean Rose for taking the time to learn how valuable this tool will be for Indian Lake and quickly supporting the effort. Evaluating and moving forward new ideas in lake management is a huge win for the City of Worcester!
Thank you Councilor Rose and we look forward to providing updates as this project moves forward!
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Join the Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative!
The Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative is a wonderful opportunity for all ages to learn and have fun while contributing to a nationwide study to understand local water quality challenges.
Volunteers are needed to collect water samples this summer at all the City lakes and ponds. It's just a couple of hours once a month. No experience necessary.
Join us for an Informational and Training Session
Tuesday, April 23rd at 6pm
Bancroft School Field House, 100 Shore Drive in Worcester.
We graciously thank Preston O'Connor who volunteered to help with the Indian Lake samples!
For more information and questions, contact
Jacquelyn Burmeister,
City of Worcester
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Indian Lake Spring Cleanup Saturday,
May 11th
Please join us on Saturday, May 11th from 9 to 12 for our annual fall cleanup which is focused on Indian Lake and the public spaces that surround it.
Projected locations are shoreline cleanup, Morgan Park, Clason Road beach, Shore Park, Frostholm Memorial, Hapgood Brooks Memorial, Little Indian guardrail and Sears Island Causeway.
As always, list is dependent on the number of volunteers. Torrential rain attributed to our fall cleanup cancellation so there is much work to be done.
Please meet at Morgan Park at 9 am on May 11th.
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Membership Renewals
It's membership renewal time and we hope we can count on your continued support! As you know, mailing costs are constantly going up which makes it increasingly challenging as a small non-profit. If you could kindly consider printing the membership form below and sending it in with your dues, it would be a great help.
Not a member yet? We would be honored to have your support!
Membership Form |
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Monthly Neighborhood Watch
The Indian Lake Neighborhood Watch meets the third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 pm at the training room at Harr Toyota, 100 Gold Star Boulevard. At every meeting we receive an update on the neighborhood crime statistics from the previous month from Worcester
Police Officer Lisa Carlson. Officer Carlson also shares other updates with the group including trends in crime around the city as well as important tips regarding general safety, home security and how to identify illegal drugs and drug use behaviors.
This meeting is also about quality of life issues in the neighborhood such as missing street signs, graffiti, illegal dumping, pot holes, abandoned vehicles, abandoned houses, etc. The meeting is typically attended by one of the City of Worcester Code Enforcement employees who is also available to answer questions about city ordinances.
The next neighborhood meetings is: Tuesday, April 16th.
http://www.worcesterma.gov/calendar
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Welcome S-P-R-I-N-G !!!
The Department of Public Works & Parks closed the gates for the lake to refill. If you are a waterfront property owner, kindly take a few minutes to pick up trash along the shoreline while the level is still down.
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*** PUBLIC SAFETY ***
Worcester Police Department
Emergency 911
Non Emergency 508-799-8606
Massachusetts Environmental Police
Dispatch: 800-632-8075
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Indian Lake Watershed Association, Inc.
PO Box 60244, Worcester, MA 01606
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