By Sarah Opdahl

On Wednesday, April 9, the Candlewood Lake Authority (CLA) had a lengthy discussion about zebra mussels, which will be a big topic of interest this year given the explosion in the population. Director of Ecology and Environmental Education Dr. Neil Stalter said the CLA is hearing that residents are “very concerned about the state of the zebra mussels in the lake,” which are in the “initial peak” stage. “The current status of mussels in the lake is not the ‘forever status’ of the zebra mussels in the lake. This is the initial invasion. This is something where every lake that gets a new invasive species often sees this initial spike in population, where they are very obvious, and it seems as if they are going to kind of take over the entire ecosystem forever.” He went on to say, “after a number of years, they begin to compete with each other, and actually kind of go down in population size. You see a subsequent crash.” He stressed, “we are not at all in equilibrium with the ecosystem right now,” which will happen in the future. He suggested lake residents and visitors watch the webinar on zebra mussels, which is available on their website, Candlewoodlakeauthority.org, for more information.

Stalter remarked that the lake’s “calcium levels have gone down a little bit since the zebra mussels have arrived, and that is because a lot of that available calcium has been integrated into the actual biomass of the zebra mussels. So, we are losing calcium because the zebra mussels started using it, but we will never reach a point now where the calcium will dip to a level that prevents the zebra mussels from surviving. We were kind of hoping that it would be at a level where it would be difficult for them to arrive and initially invade, but that obviously was not the case.” He went on to ponder, “what is curious is that we have yet to see any zebra mussels in Squantz Pond which is interesting for two reasons. Obviously, you would expect to see them there. It is the same water as Candlewood, but Squantz has much lower calcium…it’s something we’ll keep an eye on, but ultimately I expect zebra mussels to arrive in Squantz Pond, just from its connection to Candlewood, as well.”

CLA members were reminded that a “new kind of field work” is going on this summer on the surface and groundwater inflow into Candlewood Lake, i n an extension of ongoing “nutrient budget” work. It will require a third-party contractor who will conduct important sampling. The process will involve drilling shallow wells in six sites, four in highly developed areas and two in lesser developed areas, and monitoring to capture groundwater information. Potential locations for the six well sites are being considered. They will be low-profile wells and will be temporary for this project.

Executive Director Mr. Mark Howarth explained that the staff are “working hard planning for the start of the start of the season.” The buoys were expected to be deployed in mid-April, plus all docks were placed and their Ark ship, the CLA’s “workhorse,” is also in the lake. There was agreement to move forward with the purchase of a back-up hoist which is used to deploy buoys, but mor e importantly to buy a new tow vehicle, which will be a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado.

Howarth said, “we think this will meet all of our towing needs, the towing of our new science vessel, which will be delivered next year, is right on the cusp of a three quarter ton versus a half ton.”

There was a brief update on the Lake Steward Program, with Stalter explaining “we have nine stewards right now that are confirmed, including one supervisor. So, we are feeling good about the number of stewards that are already excited to be a part of the program this year.” They are aiming for a dozen stewards, with a start date of Memorial Day weekend.

Treasurer Mr. Will Meikle was “happy to report that we are now starting to track ahead of budget,” following “some unexpected expenses early in the year, which were causing us to be behind.” He went on to say, “the fiscal things we put in place to monitor and keep controls on spending have been playing out, and we’ve been doing well on the income side, thanks to donations from the community, which we very much appreciate.” The CLA also continues to see growth on the upside on interest, which Meikle remarked “has continued to be a positive sign overall.” In all, he declared that the CLA’s finances are “in good shape for the year, and I have no concerns that we will not be on, if not slightly ahead of, budget into the full year.”

It was noted that there are two potential marine patrol officers who are going through training and there is hope they will complete and stages and be accepted by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at the end of their training.  Secondly, it was explained that an updated policy and procedure manual is almost complete and is currently with the CLA’s lawyer for review. Fin ally, Marine Patrol Chief Mr. Nick Mellas is hoping there will be surplus in the budget to fund inexpensive, but meaningful, recognition plaques for the patrol officers.

CLA members discussed their annual cleanup, which is slated for Saturday, May 17 and is based at New Fairfield’s Town Beach. Howarth encouraged all delegates to attend and said, “It’s a great day. It’s a long-standing tradition, and we can always use help there. And it’s great to show all the community all of the delegate support we have as well.” In addition, there will be a CLA booth at the upcoming Sherman Community Expo, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 3.

The next Candlewood Lake Authority meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 p.m.