http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/01/22/state_seeking_ok_to_treat_invasive_plants_in_cochituate/
January 22, 2006
Boston Globe
State seeking OK to treat invasive plants
in Cochituate
By Emily Shartin, Globe Staff
The state is asking the towns of Natick, Framingham, and Wayland
for permission to use a combination of chemicals and other methods
to clear invasive plants from Lake Cochituate.
In the latest step in an ongoing battle over how best to combat
Eurasian milfoil, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation
has submitted notices of intent to Natick and Framingham, and
is slated to submit one to Wayland next week.
Each town's conservation commission will decide whether to
allow the state to move forward with plans to attack the plants.
Natick, where several residents have strongly opposed the use
of herbicides, will hold a public hearing Feb. 2, said conservation
agent Bob Bois. He said the board is ready for the discussion.
Framingham will open its public hearing Feb. 1, said conservation
agent Michele Grzenda.
The state is filing two separate notices in each town, one
that authorizes the use of chemicals, and one that authorizes
nonchemical methods such as hand pulling or the use of weevils,
beetles that feed on milfoil.
Vanessa Gulati, a spokeswoman for the state's Executive Office
of Environmental Affairs, said the state wants to use the herbicide
Sonar in Natick, where milfoil has been a particular problem,
and would use the nonchemical methods to maintain the lake afterward.
The state is not yet sure whether it would use chemicals in
the parts of the lake that border Framingham and Wayland, Gulati
said.
Although the state's plan is to use the herbicides in tandem
with nonchemical methods, Gulati said it is possible that towns
could approve one part and not the other since the plans are
split into two pieces.
Environmental officials have insisted that herbicides are safe
when used properly, but many residents are still concerned about
their possible impact on drinking water.
Carole Berkowitz, who lives on the lake and chairs a group
called Protect Our Water Resources, said last week she had not
had a chance to review the state notices and could not comment
on them.
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