Local Yacht Clubs Close for Spraying of Aquatic ‘Weeds’
Spraying Postponed to Monday, September 13
Riverside, Mystic Wellington, Winter Hill Yacht Clubs to Close for Day
The herbicidal treatment of overgrown aquatic vegetation at the three area yacht clubs originally scheduled for August 30 has been postponed until Monday, September 13.
On that day, Groundwork Somerville will oversee the spraying of selected patches of water lilies that have begun to impede safe navigation on the Lower Mystic River around the Riverside Yacht Club and the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club in Medford, and the Winter Hill Yacht Club in Somerville. The application will be conducted by Aquatic Control Technologies, which specializes in the removal and management of aquatic plant species.
The spraying project was rescheduled for after Labor Day, when recreational boating activity will be significantly reduced.
For the treatment to be effective, there must be little to no water-surface disturbance near the application sites, allowing ample time for the herbicide to be absorbed into the plant tissue and then into the roots of the water lilies.
In support of the project goals, the three area yacht clubs have agreed to remain closed September 13. The DCR public boat launch adjacent to the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club will also remain closed on that day.
Groundwork Somerville is urging all recreational boaters to refrain from any boating on the Lower Mystic River on September 13. If this is not possible, boaters should maintain a “no-wake” speed limit near the three yacht clubs. Boaters’ cooperation will be crucial to the success of the herbicidal treatment.
A rain date of Tuesday, September 14, has been set for the application.
The herbicidal treatment is part of Groundwork Somerville’s Mystic Invasives Removal Project, a multiyear effort to eradicate invasive water chestnut plants for the Lower Mystic River, and to address overgrowth of the native water lily around area yacht and boat clubs.
Funded largely through a Massachusetts Environmental Trust grant, the project is made possible through an ongoing collaboration with the Mystic River Watershed Association, the Friends of the Mystic River, the Riveside, Mystic Wellington, and Winter Hill Yachts Clubs, and the Medford Boat Club, as well as countless community volunteers.
All aspects of the herbicidal treatment have been approved by the City of Medford and the City of Somerville, as well as state authorities, namely the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
For more information, contact Brad Arndt, Mystic River Projects Manager, at (617) 455-1127 or brad@groundworksomerville.org.
– Information from Groundwork Somerville