The Long Pond Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving and protecting the water quality of Long Pond, will hold its Annual Meeting Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at the Lakeville Public Library, 4 Precinct Street.
Doors open at 10:00 a.m. and the meeting begins at 10:30. The agenda will include election of the Association’s new board members, and there will also be an update on the Association’s efforts to battle invasive weeds in the water, including milfoil.
The Association works closely with SRPEDD (Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District) and APC (Assawompset Pond Complex) in the battle against invasive weeds. According to the president of the Executive Board of Directors John Worley, “We are pleased to say that progress is being made on the invasive weed removal issue.” Past and potentially future efforts have included harvesting the weeds from the water, as well as employing divers to help manually remove the weeds.
Recently, the Association purchased an underwater camera to help the divers in their efforts to find and remove weeds, as well as a trailer that will be used to transport the weeds that are removed from the Pond. Worley further noted that the Association has discovered a beneficial use for the removed weeds, in that when they are properly dried out, they can be used as compost. Their plan is to transport the weeds to an off-site location where they will be dried and available for use.
The Association dues are $25 annually, and the Association is looking for new members to help support these efforts. While they have received several grants over the years, Worley believes that the grassroots support of the community is necessary as they continue their efforts to preserve the water for recreational use.
Among the Association’s goals is to purchase its own harvester at some point in the future, so that the Association will have more control over how frequently it can engage in harvesting in the efforts to keep the water clean.
Long Pond is a huge, shallow, warm water pond, covering 1,780 acres. It is the largest, fully recreational, natural pond in Massachusetts. The pond is fed by numerous small streams and drains via Long Pond River (also known as the Snake River) into Assawompset Pond (a water supply for Taunton and New Bedford) which in turn feeds into the Nemasket River. Average depth is six feet and the maximum depth is only 15 feet.
Worley encourages all members to attend the meeting, and urges anyone who has an interest in Long Pond to consider joining the Association and potentially becoming a sponsor. Additional information can be found at https://longpondassociation.org/donate. Interested parties can learn more about the Association by visiting its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.longpondassociation.org
