Pillings Pond underwent its first round of treatments for its brittle naiad growth at the end of August, Northeast at Water & Wetland Northeast Director of Business Joe Onorato said.
Water & Wetland, a pond-treatment company hired by the town, has been treating Pillings Pond for numerous years, he said.
Onorato clarified that residents have confused spiny naiad with brittle naiad in the past, and the current Pillings Pond treatment is for brittle naiad.
Brittle naiad, scientifically known as najas minor, is banned from most New England states because it is considered a “potentially noxious” weed, according to the Native Plant Trust.
The state’s website describes the weed as rapidly growing and reproducing and often displaces native species, reduces biodiversity, decreases real-estate and aesthetic values, and limits recreational use.
High density of brittle naiad “may greatly hamper fishing, boating, swimming, and other activities and the loss of recreational and aesthetic value can cause a decline in surrounding lake property value,” the website states.
It is on the Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List, which was last updated by the Commonwealth’s website in January 2023.
While they are similar, spiny naiad, scientifically known as najas minor, is not on the updated Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List. It is a submerged aquatic plant that typically grows in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, or slow-moving rivers and streams. It also spreads rapidly, and can be a nuance in high densities.
Onorato said the company only treats the pond once a season, in July, for the weed, but was not able to earlier in the season due to state ban on Pillings Pond.
The treatment for brittle naiad is to use a pump system on a boat to mix a gallon of herbicide per acre of water into the pond, Onorato said.
Brittle naiad can spread rapidly through fragmentation, he said. The treatment should react within one to two weeks.
“Looking forward to this year, we’ll just continue to work closely with the Conservation Commission,” Onorato said. “I would assume it would be a very similar treatment for the control of this specific target because it does work well once we treat it.
“We’re treating later than we hope, but it’ll work. It’ll work well, for sure,” he said.
“We try to do the best we can, and communicate. It’s always a work in progress,” Onorato said. “We’ll continue to put the health of Pillings Pond front and center.”
Antonio Sordillo, founder of the Pillings Pond Foundation and founder of the recently dissolved Pillings Pond Subcommittee, said the foundation plans to provide additional funding after the pond is treated to further its cleaning.
He said the long-term goal of the foundation is to fund dredging the west side of the pond, which will cost approximately $20 million for permits, disposal, and the work itself.
“By doing that, it’s going to eliminate a lot of these problems, because sunlight will not hit the bottom of the pond. And if the sunlight doesn’t hit the bottom, you don’t get this growth,” Sordillo said.
“It’s a big bill for the town, and there’s always been pushback because not everyone in the town values having the pond or uses it. They see it as resources that should go elsewhere in the town,” he said. “We also aim to raise funds to help supplement the Conservation Commission’s annual budget for proper maintenance and treatment of Pillings Pond.”
The Pillings Pond Foundation has its first meeting Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Town Meeting House.
