Wayland water committee awaits state decision on Heard Pond herbicide

WAYLAND -- April 15, 2025, Wayland's Surface Water Quality Committee waits on the state as Heard Pond herbicide plan slips another month. Chair Thomas Klem told the panel Tuesday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through regional representative Stephanie Koch, has confirmed in writing it has no concerns about applying ClearCast to the pond or its impact on the abutting Sudbury River, but the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has not yet signed off. The Conservation Commission hearing was continued to May. Member Thomas J. Largy warned the delay could mean "tens of thousands more seeds" dropped into the pond. Town Meeting approved the committee's first standalone $30,000 budget on the consent calendar, plus $250,000 under Article 34 for organics-and-metals cleanup at 195 Main Street, work that does not address PFAS. The committee also approved a roughly $5,000 contract with Aquatic Restoration Consultants for two Dudley Pond flora surveys.