Lake Beseck Living

~All things Lake Beseck brought together in one informative space~

MIDDLEFIELD, CT

Whether you are interested in family activities in the area, efforts being made toward issues such as weed control and algae of the lake, becoming a volunteer, or you want to stay on top of crime events in the area, this is the place to be.

Lake Bottom Blankets for Aquatic Invasive Species Control

May 02, 2019  /  Amy Poturnicki

On Saturday April 27, the Lake Beseck Environment Committee invited people out to learn more about the “Lake Bottom Blankets” that are being trialed at the swim area at Lake Beseck Beach.

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.

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. The blankets come in a variety of sizes.

New research is finding that in less than 4 weeks you can eliminate weeds for the entire season - this is a game changer for the swim area since we can apply them early and remove them prior to swim 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. This particular 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 with good results. To learn more, you can check them out for yourself, here: https://lakebottomblanket.com/

Due to Beseck being a State owned lake, permitting is required for us. Permitting takes time, and can sometimes be challenging, that’s why we have professional consultants that can navigate us through the process. If this is something that you are interested in, please contact us right away so your application can be submitted with the required maps, and plant survey results.




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