Jun 5, 2009 7:59 am US/Eastern
Some Concerned About Herbicide In Lake Cochituate
NATICK (WBZ) ―
On Lake Cochituate, one Metrowest town is at odds with two others.
It's all over an invasive foreign weed called Milfoil.
It was brought to the area by boats and water foul about five years ago.
Since then, it has taken over some 50 acres of the lake.
"Swimmers can get entangled," says Tom Flannery with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
"It obviously stops boat traffic. You can not physically boat through these dense beds."
The North Pond section of the lake runs through three towns.
In Natick, officials voted to forbid the DCR from using chemicals.
The problem is, most of the pond is in Wayland and Framingham.
Those towns gave the state the go-ahead to treat the water with an herbicide called
triclopyr.
Crews have been out this week dropping pellets from fan boats.
It has residents like Ann Karnofsky concerned about her drinking water.
"Why do this unnecessary step of throwing all these herbicides in there and tainting the water, tainting the shore. What about the little ducklings that are just born? What about all the wildlife? We should have respect for that," she says.
State Conservation officials insist the chemical is safe.
At this point they are using more old-fashioned methods on Natick's side of the town line.
Divers are pulling the plants by hand.
Flannery says the herbicide is much more effective and less expensive.
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