2022 Monterey Town Meeting: Lake Garfield

There were two articles on the town warrant to address the invasive aquatic lake weed—Eurasian watermilfoil—that continues to infest Lake Garfield.

The first, Article 29, was a citizen’s petition to appropriate $50,000 from free cash to pay for the non-chemical control of the lake weed as well as hire a lake scientist to help determine the abundance and distribution of the milfoil in the lake.

Selectman Makuc said this is an increase from the $30,000 appropriated last year and will help to not only continue removing the weed from the lake but begin to make some long-term plans to address the problem. It passed by a majority voice vote. The second petition, Article 30, was a non-binding resolution to prohibit any use of chemical herbicides in Lake Garfield for the next five years.

It was introduced by Bonner McAllister who said the Friends of Lake Garfield group has been working on this effort to protect the lake. She said Lake Garfield is considered a “great pond” in the state of Massachusetts and that means some regulations are determined at a higher level.

“But this is really to give the people in the town the opportunity to stand up and say, we don’t want this,” she said. Not everyone seemed to support the ban on herbicides.

“I just don’t see the purpose of this. Putting herbicides in the lake is not in the town’s responsibility or jurisdiction, so I don’t see why we have this,” said Ron Rothschild.

Tom Mensi said the lake is going through a “sickness cycle” and just like you would go to a doctor for medicine when you are sick, it is possible that some herbicides would improve the lake’s health. As a fisherman, he said the milfoil is damaging the lake and he has witnessed fish kills because of it.

“We have to open our minds to the fact that these herbicides may be a part of the treatment regimen that’s going to help keep this lake an asset to the town,” Mensi said.

Weisz weighed in on the issue in favor of banning herbicides for five years.

“Herbicides will not eliminate Eurasian milfoil,” he said. “We’re never going to win the war.”

The only thing you might do is end up with a lake full of herbicides, he said.

The measure passed with thirty voting in favor of the ban and eleven voting against it.