Calling All Lake Residents! We Need Your Help!
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will be visiting Hitchcock Lake, both the north and south basins, on Saturday, April 20th as part of the Connecticut Lake Watch program. Connecticut Lake Watch is a statewide volunteer water quality monitoring program coordinated by DEEP.
How can you help?
Simply volunteer to attend this free training session and help take a few measurements of water quality sometime between May and October. A schedule will be established and you can sign up when you are available.
What will you learn?
Hitchcock Lake residents who volunteer will be trained by DEEP representatives on April 20th using special equipment to take and record water quality. Lake residents will also learn how to identify algal blooms, which may cause the lake to be unsafe for animals or humans. It’s a very simple process and great way to celebrate Earth Day!
What’s the benefit of taking these water quality measurements?
As you know, the Hitchcock Lake Improvement Association spends a substantial amount of time and money on ensuring our lakes are as healthy and algae free as possible. Data collected at Hitchcock Lake can be used to guide local lake management efforts, inform DEEP on quality assessments and evaluate trends in lake and water quality statewide.
What are the requirements to volunteer?
Volunteers will need to be a lakeside resident or have lake rights. Pontoon boats will be available to take participants out on the water to be trained. However, in order to help take water samples during the year (May through October), volunteers will need access to a motor boat, kayak, paddle boat or canoe in order to navigate across the water to the sampling location.
How can I register?
Contact the HLIA. Two sessions will be held- South Lake at 10am and North Lake at 11:30am on April 20th. Indicate which session you are interested in when you email the HLIA.
For more information on Connecticut Lake Watch:
ENVIRONMENTAL
By working together, we can help protect our valuable lake resource!
What You Can Do to Prevent Weeds?
1. Eliminate lawn fertilizer use, or use only natural products. Nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizers promote weed growth.
2. Wash vehicles at a car wash. Driveway washing allows detergents and road salt to enter storm basins that drain into the lake.
3. Keep leaves, grass clippings, animal droppings and other yard waste out of the lake.
4. Rake washed-up weeds out of the lake, drain them, and bag them for trash pick-up.
Water
Please properly dispose of items that do not belong in the lake.
It is against the WLCT Rules & Regs governing Hitchcock Lake & DEEP State Statutes to dump foreign substances into the lake or catch basins that drain to the lake. These foreign substances may include: oil, gas, other fluids used in the maintenance of your car or boat; lawn fertilizers and other lawn maintenance chemicals; car/boat wash products; paint and other painting supplies; lawn debris (grass clippings, sticks, weeds); among others. This can raise the nitrogen and phosphorus levels which allow aquatic plant life and algae to flourish. This in turn increases the need for chemical weed and algae treatments which are very costly for the HLIA. Please be mindful of your actions and those of any contractors working on your property.
DOnate to the renew the lake fund
Contributions to Renew the Lake support maintenance programs, weed treatments, dam repairs, buoy purchases, water testing and other expenses that keep the lake healthy and safe. Please include a note in PayPal that this is a Renew the Lake donation. We greatly appreciate your contributions!!
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