This green Coleman canoe has been found in the second basin. It can be picked up by the owner at 126 North Shore Drive.

Once again, the Lake Boon Association is sponsoring a discount septic pumping program this spring. The program will run beginning the week of June 1st. Deadline for sign up is Saturday May 18th. The program is open to anyone living within the Lake Boon watershed or within a mile of the lake.

To register please email David at lbaseptic@gmail.com or call Dave Siewierski at 978-562-2203.

Since the inception of this program many tanks have been pumped at the discount price, saving money for individual homeowners while preserving property values and helping reduce nutrients, algae and weed growth in the lake.

The more frequently a system is pumped (recommendation every 2 years depending on family size), the longer it will last and work well. The LBA sponsors this program spring and fall each year, and so far Rich Casaceli continues to give us a lower price than other area companies for an excellent job!

Please spread the word to your neighbors on Lake Boon so we can continue to do everything we can to clean up the lake and keep our septic systems running well.

When it rains, do you know where the runoff from your yard goes? It is likely that much of it will find its way to Lake Boon and the Assabet River. Why is this important? Fertilizers and insecticides are harmful to wildlife, particularly insects. What can you do? You can use your yard, no matter its size, to protect native plants, insects and birds, and to ensure cleaner water. This is ecological landscaping.

Find out more at an online talk on April 24 at 7PM focusing on OARS’ ongoing watershed restoration efforts. Learn how you can make a difference! Speakers will be Matt Brown, Executive Director of OARS, and Heather Conkerton, OARS’s Ecological Restoration Coordinator. Wednesday, April 24. Register to get the zoom link here: https://bit.ly/3wgddNS

This (presumably spare) trailer wheel floated ashore in the first basin and is now residing at 12 Pine Point Road. If it’s yours, leave a comment to arrange pick-up.

Earth Week Clean-up Days: Opportunities to join our communities picking up Lake Boon neighborhoods from winter’s littering. Anything you can do any time is appreciated and there is coordination in each town.

Hudson: April 20 (rain date Apr 21) see https://greenhudson.org/town-wide-clean-up-day/

Stow: April 27-28 see https://allevents.in/stow/15th-annual-stow-town-clean-up-april-27-2024/200026253527020

Lake Boon Association Annual Meeting: June 9th, 7 pm at Pompositticut Community Center, 509 Great Road, Stow

Lake Boon Dam Info: The project permitting schedule is available here, indicating no work is likely to begin this year.

Progress on planning and permitting for the Lake Boon dam rehabilitation, including the 233-page Environmental Notification Form submitted to the State, is available at: https://www.stow-ma.gov/lake-boon-dam-project.

There will be an official 20-day comment period from April 10th to April 30th. Comments can be submitted to the Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge St, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114, Attention MEPA Office – Lake Boon Dam Project. It may also be possible to submit comments online once the project is posted at: https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/MEPA-eMonitor/home

With the ice now gone, the boards will be replaced in the dam outfall in the next few days. Depending on rainfall (and maybe snowfall?) the lake level will rise about a foot over the next few weeks. This interim period is the last opportunity to do any waterfront maintenance at low lake levels.

The 2023 Lake Boon Commission’s annual report can be accessed here.

The Lake Boon Association has continued our Healthy Lake Boon (HLB) program beyond the State grant period, including its Science Advisory Committee. The prolonged algae blooms last fall spurred a recommendation from the Committee to look into the feasibility of nutrient deactivation in the lake sediment–a major source of phosphorus in late summer/fall. To that end, LBA officers have approved funding an independent expert algae consultant to review data from the HLB program for a recommendation on possible sediment treatment options.

The LBA HLB Science Advisory Committee has also pursued greater understanding of PFAS (Per- and polyFluoroAlkyl Substances, aka forever chemicals). See https://www.mass.gov/info-details/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas. There is significant PFAS contamination from the Mass Firefighting Academy’s use of firefighting foams over recent decades which is showing up in ground and surface waters migrating in the direction of Lake Boon. See Sept 20, 2023 presentation to LBC at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYgM2AZbYs4.

We are gathering additional information on testing (and treatment, if necessary) of private well water and if/how funding may become available to residents. We will keep you apprised of findings on this. The primary concern is ingestion of drinking water. External contact (swimming, bathing, etc.) is of considerably less concern.

The Lake Boon Commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21 via Zoom. Public participation via calling in or using your computer is encouraged. For connection information, see the posted agenda on the Town of Hudson website, here.

Agenda:

• Welcome opening remarks
• Past Meeting Minutes – Review/Approve
• Updates from David Gray on LBA and Health Lake Boon Initiative
• Review of weed treatment for this year by Red Aylward
• Dock conditions and follow-up
• Winter Lake Rules
• Law enforcement engagement
• Spring tasks–a) Location of buoys; b) Lake refill; c) LBC boat
• Bills to be approved
• Review and approval of annual report
• New Business
• Date of Next Meeting
• Adjourn

The Lake Boon Commission Meeting scheduled for Friday January 26th, 2024 has been postponed due to the investigations on-going by local authorities. The enjoyment of the lake at all times of the year, while ensuring the health, safety and well-being of the community is the highest priority of this joint group. Thank you for your patience.

Lake Boon Commission