CHELMSFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has approved the use of herbicides to combat nuisance weeds in Freeman Lake, despite a petition from Chelmsford residents urging measures that are more environmentally friendly.
"Freeman Lake has never been treated and I just never wanted to see it happen," said Wanda Dunn, who filed the petition alongside her neighbor, Alan Severance.
The lake is a popular spot for fishing and boating, but its water has become a tangled nest of invasive weeds.
"The purpose of the project is to control non-native nuisance vegetation and algae within the Lake resulting in improved fish habitat, water quality, and slowing eutrophication," Mass. DEP Wetlands Program Section Chief Jill Provencal and Environmental Analyst Tyler Ferrick wrote in a notice addressed to Severance.
The Town of Chelmsford and the Mass. DEP favors herbicides in part because they tend to be relatively cost effective, but Dunn said herbicides could harm the environment and might not solve the weed problem in the long run.
Dunn and Severance suggested other methods, including the use of a harvester to pull the weeds up by their roots.
"Yes, it was going to be more on the expensive side," Dunn said. "But we were looking more long term."
The Mass. DEP is also allowing divers to pull weeds up by hand and letting the town use mats to prevent weeds from growing by blocking their access to sunlight. The Town of Chelmsford will be required to notify residents prior to herbicide treatments in the lake.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.