On 11-5, our lake reached a 3' drawdown level, half of what it should be by Nov 1: Per CT Statute Title 22a - Environmental Protection Chapter 446i - Water Resources. Invasive Plants Section 22a-339h - Lake Beseck. Water level draw downs shall be six feet during odd-numbered years achieved by November first of such year. Problems achieving our drawdowns on time and maintaining it occur annually. CTDEEP staff claim this due to a flow restriction preventing them from opening the gate valve more, that the threaded gear rod that opens the gate valve will come out if they turn it too far, the drain pipe is too small to handle rainfall amounts.
The ongoing battle to get permitting to remediate small areas that will allow better recreational access and quality of life for lakefront homeowners. Dense vegetation gets tangled in propellers, overheats jet skis, and limits recreation such as swimming.
Lake Bottom blankets were tested in a 100’ x 40’ section of the 200’ x 100’ swim area at Beseck Beach in April 2019. The barriers were removed 2 months later, in June. Aerial footage of barrier placement was taken during the install and again at the end of summer, 3 months after their removal. After stacking the photos for before and after comparison, this is the result. Do you see the defined weed-free area where the blankets were in place?
The Lake Bottom Blanket is an effective chemical free option for the control of the aquatic weeds that have detrimental effects on water quality and the recreational use of Lakes and Ponds. It was created for lake front property owners who wish to rid their waterfront of aquatic weeds.
The Lake Bottom Blanket is an effective chemical free option for the control of aquatic weeds that have detrimental effects on water quality and the recreational use of Lakes and Ponds. The blankets were created for lake front property owners who wish to rid their waterfront of aquatic weeds. They come in a variety of sizes that will best fit your needs. New research is finding that in less than 4 weeks you can eliminate weeds for the entire season. Here, with the assistance of CT Agricultural Experiment Station and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, we are installing several 10' x 40' barriers in the swim area. The barriers have sewn pockets that rebar slides into to weight them to the lake bottom. The company suggests using 3/8" rebar, with an option of using 1/2" on the ends if you need additional weight. Due to storm events that create water turbulence from our outfalls, we used 1/2" rebar on the ends and also added a couple more pieces toward the middle of the mats - (6) 10' x 3/8" pieces and (4) 10' x 1/2" pieces for 40' length mats. The barriers in the swim area will stay down for 1 month and be removed prior to Memorial Day. We've heard good things about these particular weed barriers. CT Ag Station has also used them for some time now and has had good things to say about them as well. To learn more, you can check them out for yourself, here: https://lakebottomblanket.com/
In the spring, Bald Eagles perform amazing aerial courtship displays. The eagles can be seen performing high speed roller coaster dives, do impressive barrel rolls, fly upside down with their talons facing the other. This can also be seen when young are in training for adulthood during mock battles and mock mating flights, as well as when an eagle is defending its territory. You may also see the eagles lock talons, causing both to spiral downward in a cartwheeling motion and release before they hit the ground.
Terrestrial growth as a result of the lengthy draw down of Beseck Lake for dam repairs, that began in October of 2013.
CTDEEP began lowering Beseck Lake in October of 2013 as a result of a needed dam repair. Many people had concern about what would happen to the fish population with the 16' draw down. Eight months later, with the lake still significantly drawn down, fishermen were seen reeling in a variety of fish near the dam, birds were seen grabbing fish in their talons, and fish were seen spawning along the banks.
Follow me on a journey of the unveiling of Lake Beseck. A 16' drawdown for the purpose of a dam repair did not only reveal a fascinating 1920's trolley bed, but a lake congested with silt, invasive plants and years worth of garbage in need of our attention.
Follow me on a journey of the unveiling of Lake Beseck.
A 16' drawdown for the purpose of a dam repair did not only reveal a fascinating 1920's trolley bed, but a lake congested with silt, invasive plants and years worth of garbage in need of our attention.
As the drawdown progressed, nature began its course. A variety of birds are seen wading in the vegetation stalking their prey, diving from the sky carrying fish away in their talons and standing in the shallows waiting for fish that are trying to escape to deeper water.
A month of captivation embracing a variety of perspectives.
