Wayland committee moves to authorize herbicide on Herd Pond after chestnut explosion

WAYLAND — September 11, 2023 — Wayland committee moves to authorize herbicide on Herd Pond after water chestnut explosion. The Surface Water Quality Committee voted unanimously Monday to begin amending its conservation order so contractor Solitude Lake Management can apply Clearcast to Herd Pond in 2024 if needed. Member Thomas J. Largy reported roughly 37,000 chestnut plants harvested this year against fewer than 1,000 in 2022, calling the season "quite a disaster" driven by seeds dormant in sediment since the last major bloom in 2016. Crews exhausted all 17.5 authorized harvesting days and abandoned the South Cove. The committee also approved a $7,200 partial invoice to Solitude and $54.98 reimbursing Largy for laundry baskets, and voted to pursue a separate notice of intent to remove yellow iris from North Pond at Lake Cochituate.