Lake residents organizing winter cleanup at the cove

WINSTED — Highland Lake residents are requesting a 5-foot drawdown of the lake this fall to allow a group of volunteers to roll up their sleeves and remove by hand the muddy island of debris that now litters much of the floor of Resha Beach Cove.

“This would hopefully render the beach, Resha Beach, much more usable for next year,� Claire Stevens, chairman of the town’s ad hoc water level committe, said during the Board of Selectmen’s meeting Monday, Aug. 16.

Lake drawdowns, which can be at varying depths, are conducted every year in the early winter. The action is used to discourage the growth of aquatic weeds, lower the risk of springtime flooding and prevent possible ice flow damage to the shoreline.

Last year’s Highland Lake drawdown was one of the town’s scheduled “deep� drawdowns, in which the water is lowered several feet. In addition to killing weeds, the more extensive draining also allows lake residents to work on stone walls and docks along the shoreline without being impeded by water.

But the deep drawdown, as well as the heavy rains this spring, led to the development of a large muddy bog of debris in March, as ice floated from the lake bottom to the surface along the northeastern shore. The floating mass included tree stumps, wood, rocks and other items such as empty cans and bottles.

Concerned about the unsightly new formation, as well as about lake safety, Highland residents and other volunteers teamed up with the town’s recreation and public works departments to remove much of the mud mass throughout the month of April.

During the cleanup, four truckloads of debris were removed.

But Stevens, who also serves on the board of the Highland Lake Watershed Association, said much of the bog remains — including sharp objects, logs and roots — at Resha Beach.

“The cove had formerly been colloquially known as ‘stumpy cove,’ and many of the stumps and trunks of the trees still exist there,� Stevens said, with the debris sinking into the bottom of the cove.

“Consequently, the Water Level Committee has spent three meetings mulling over what could be done and then came to the conclusion that we would open the door to the possibility that a cleanup could take place,� she said.

Stevens said the committee’s proposed plan is to begin a drawdown of Highland Lake beginning on Oct. 15, until the lake reaches 5 feet under its normal water level, exposing as much of the debris at the cove’s bottom as possible. Once the lake reaches that mark, the gates would be closed. Stevens said the drawdown would have a Dec. 1 deadline, and so even if the lake did not reach the 5-foot mark, the gates would still be closed on that date.

Once the water reaches the required level, volunteer clean-up crews would begin their work.

According to Stevens, it is the youngest swimmers who would benefit the most from the cove cleanup, as the lake’s other public beach, Holland Beach, drops off and becomes deep “very rapidly.�

“So, people with smaller children generally take them to Resha Beach. And we’ve seen a dramatic drop-off in the usability of the beach this year,� she said.

Although the commission had explored the possibility of using town Public Works crews to assist in the cleanup, Stevens said James Rotondo, the department’s director, said budget constraints would not allow for the time and manpower needed to assist in the effort.

“What he did agree to is a crew to come and pick up whatever debris is removed during this kind of a drawdown by volunteers placed on the beach,� Steven said. “And it would just be a matter of a dump truck or payloader removing whatever debris could be retrieved.�

The selectmen unanimously approved a motion supporting the proposed plan at their meeting Monday.

Before the plan can be put into action, however, it must still be reviewed and approved by the town’s Inland Wetlands Commission.