Lake Quassapaug Association

Welcome to Our Website

Welcome to the Lake Quassapaug Association website. The mission of the lake association is to preserve the
lake’s high water quality and promote responsible enjoyment of the lake.

$60,000 RAISED to DATE FOR 2016 PRESERVATION EFFORTS

Generous contributions from organizations around the lake and many individuals have been received for LQA’s lake preservation efforts. The Give Local campaign exceeded our $10,000 goal for a total of more than $32,000.

Special thanks to:

Salem Foundation Fund at the Connecticut Community Foundation for the Give Local Campaign match and additional funds.
Middlebury Swim Club for their $2500 donation and assistance with the Give Local Campaign.
Sportsman’s Club for their $3000 donation
Tylers Cove Association for their $3,000 donation.
Town of Middlebury for its assistance with the DASH Boat
Quassapaug Sailing Center for their club fundraiser and donations
Quassy Amusement Park, Sandy Beach Club, Flanders Nature Center , Middlebury Land Trust & White Deer Rocks Corporation for their continued support.

Your donations have made our milfoil control efforts using non-chemical methods possible!!

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US RAISE OVER $32,000 AND EXCEED OUR GOAL ! LQA WAS ONE OF THE TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS THROUGH GIVE LOCAL.

NEW DIRECTORS ELECTED AT ANNUAL MEETING. OFFICERS REELECTED

The following residents from around the lake were elected at the June annual meeting: Mary Ann Daukas from Tyler's Cove, Mitchell Quain from East Shore and Rose Marie Tormo from West Shore.

Officers George Frantzis, President; Ingrid Manning, Vice President; Melanie Ricci, Secretary; and Jack Starr, Treasurer were reelected for additional two year terms.

NEWS AND EVENTS

At the celebration for the launching of LQA’s new suction harvesting boat, the boat was christened the “Anti Millie” by Thyrza Whittemore who won the Name the Boat Contest. Many creative names were received by the committee that selected the winner.
George Frantzis, president of LQA, thanked the Invasive Weed Team: Jack Starr, George Nybakken, Paul Anderson, Matt Holloway and Dave Marshall for their tremendous efforts in purchasing the used pontoon boat and designing the layout for the suction harvesting equipment.

LQA EFFORTS ON INVASIVE WEED CONTROL SHOW PROGRESS

After completing his annual weed survey in early October 2015, LQA’s consultant, George Knoecklein, indicated that LQA was making good progress with its milfoil removal program. He found only one plant of Eurasian milfoil and the variable milfoil areas that were suction harvested had little regrowth. With this positive assessment, LQA’s Board of Directors has voted to redouble its efforts in 2016. ( See Knoecklein report under Publications)

D.A.S.H. BOAT FOR HARVESTING MILFOIL IS LAUNCHED

After many months of effort on the part of the LQA Weed Team, the new DASH boat was launched in mid-July. The hard-working team members, led by Jack Starr, include George Nybakken, Paul Anderson, Matt Holloway and Dave Marshall. They purchased a used pontoon boat, designed the layout of the suction harvesting equipment and ordered the equipment which was mounted onto the boat by Nutmeg Welding. Testing by the team then ensured that the boat and equipment were in perfect order before the suction harvesting team from A& E Diving Services in Vermont arrived. The dive team has noted that the equipment is excellent, allowing significant amounts of milfoil to be harvested daily. A trailer to haul away the milfoil has also been purchased which eliminates the cost of a dumpster.
Funding for the boat and equipment was provided by a $11,500 State of Connecticut DEEP Invasive Weed grant matched by a grant from the Salem Fund at the Connecticut Community Foundation. By owning its own boat, LQA is able to save $8,000 this year in suction harvesting expenses.

(See video link of DASH Boat launch -
Republican-American)

MILFOIL CONTROL PLANS FOR 2016

Using the new DASH boat, divers from Vermont will suction harvest Eurasian and variable milfoil for six weeks this summer. The priorities for suction harvesting are:
- Ensuring that no Eurasian milfoil plants remain in the lake. Very few plants have been found to date in 2016 indicating that our efforts to eliminate this extremely aggressive invasive weed are successful.
- Clearing out all milfoil from the main part of the lake.
- Clearing channels for boat traffic in both Dam and Tylers Coves.
Funds for a containment boom across Big Cove to reduce fragments entering the main part of the lake were included in the State of CT and Salem Fund grants. After receiving a permit from DEEP, the boom will be installed either in late summer 2016 or early in 2017. The boom will have an opening in the middle to allow boat access to the cove.

Water Quality

Lake Quassapaug water quality will continue to be monitored monthly for most of the year by our volunteer Invasive Weeds Committee.

1. Monitoring includes measuring temperature and dissolved oxygen from top to very bottom.

2. Water samples from 5 depths (1, 6, 12, 16, and 19 meter water depths), are taken for analysis of total phosphorus concentrations.

3. Locations of storm water input to the lake will be identified and samples taken to test for phosphorus from four storm water inputs around the lake.

Education and Prevention

Preserving Lake Quassapaug is as much about preventing problems as it is about addressing issues after they have occurred. Although our phosphorus concentrations currently are within the recommended limits, we are on the borderline (See Knoecklein report) and need to do all we can to limit phosphorus input to the lake. Native plant gardens can limit degradation of the lake. Storm water run off can be checked for excess phosphorus.

Deterring other, even more detrimental, invasive weeds from entering the lake requires education for boat owners and lake residents in spotting and eliminating such invasives. Anyone interested in serving on the Education and Prevention Committee or helping with these innovative projects, please send a message on our Contact page.