Indian Lake Watershed Association Update 11/10/2021
Thursday, November 11th 7-8pm: Blue-Greens in our Blue Spaces presented as part of the Urban Green and Blue Space Exhibition and Speaker Series

Join the City of Worcester’s Senior Environmental Analyst, Lakes & Ponds in the Department of Sustainability and Resilience, to learn more about what causes cyanobacteria blooms, how we are responding, and how you can get involved to help keep our blue spaces beautiful.

This is a free online event. Pre-registration is required and can be found at the link below:


All New ILWA T-Shirts Now Available!

Be the coolest in the neighborhood with this newly designed ILWA t-shirt! All proceeds support the association's efforts in and around Indian Lake! Shirts are dark blue with white lettering. Sizes are Medium, Large and X-Large. Cost is only $20 each for this invaluable treasure!

There is a separate link for each available size. Please note that a Paypal account is not needed to purchase. Once you click on Paypal, it will give you the option to use a credit card if you prefer.


Any questions, email indianlakeboard@charter.net.

Thank you for your support!
KNOW YOUR LAKE:
MONTHLY UPDATE ON INDIAN LAKE WATER QUALITY

Upon the establishment of the Lakes and Ponds Program in 2016 with a staff of one, important relationships were fostered with the volunteers that had been managing our city's recreational waterways for many, many years. The program brought critical expertise and a budget for short term management along with dedicated resources to analyze a variety of data and conditions which help garner plans for the long term. The lake and pond associations such as the ILWA, Tatnuck Brook Watershed Association and Lake Quinsigamond Watershed Association had the local knowledge and history of their respective waterways and therefore moved from advocates for the program to important partners.

The Lakes and Ponds Program has put Worcester on the leading edge of managing its recreational waterways. The staff has recently expanded to two! The successes and challenges of each recreational waterway under the program - Indian Lake, Bell Pond, Lake Quinsigamond and Coes Reservoir - are presented in great detail to the public each spring at the State of the Lakes. Community engagement and interest continues to grow and that can only be a win for the future of our lakes and ponds.

We are grateful to work hand in hand with the Lakes and Ponds Program as it continues to grow and thrive.

At our monthly board meeting, we receive an update on water quality which is shared in various ways throughout the year. However, we felt it may be helpful to also begin sharing this information in our newsletter.


Remember, there is much more information on the dedicated web page for the Lakes and Ponds Program.

Limited Drawdown in Progress

The City of Worcester opened the gates for a 3 feet vertical drawdown (as opposed to the 6 ft drawdown we have used the past 5 years) on November 2nd.

The drawdown was established in the early 1990's as a tool to manage the nonnative, invasive plant, Eurasion milfoil, which had few management options at the time. Other options have since become available and ultimately the drawdown is not in the best interest of the lake long term. As consistent communication has expressed since the start of the drawdown, the purpose was solely a tool for managing this invasive species. The original drawdown was only about 2 feet. It has varied between 4 and 6 feet vertical for the last 10 years.

Please see the communication from the city at the link below.


A public meeting was held to answer residents questions. If you missed it, you can find it here.
Neighborhood Vision

The ILWA Board of Directors recently put together a collection of suggested improvements to benefit our neighborhood and waterways based on the projects we have been involved with over many years, which are ultimately driven by feedback from our members. Most are centered around improving Indian Lake, Little Indian, the public spaces and access around them.

Please consider reviewing the list and helping advocate for these valuable neighborhood improvements:


The Indian Lake Watershed Association is now accepting memberships and donations online!
Please click on the following link to submit your membership and/or donation: 
Worcester Police Department
Emergency 911
Non emergency 508-799-8606

Massachusetts Environmental Police Dispatch
Indian Lake Watershed Association, Inc PO Box 60244 Worcester, MA 01606
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