http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/01/22/state_seeking_ok_to_treat_invasive_plants_in_cochituate/

January 22, 2006

Boston Globe

State seeking OK to treat invasive plants in Cochituate

By Emily Shartin, Globe Staff  

The state is asking the towns of Natick, Framingham, and Wayland for permission to use a combination of chemicals and other methods to clear invasive plants from Lake Cochituate.

In the latest step in an ongoing battle over how best to combat Eurasian milfoil, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation has submitted notices of intent to Natick and Framingham, and is slated to submit one to Wayland next week.

Each town's conservation commission will decide whether to allow the state to move forward with plans to attack the plants.

Natick, where several residents have strongly opposed the use of herbicides, will hold a public hearing Feb. 2, said conservation agent Bob Bois. He said the board is ready for the discussion.

Framingham will open its public hearing Feb. 1, said conservation agent Michele Grzenda.

The state is filing two separate notices in each town, one that authorizes the use of chemicals, and one that authorizes nonchemical methods such as hand pulling or the use of weevils, beetles that feed on milfoil.

Vanessa Gulati, a spokeswoman for the state's Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, said the state wants to use the herbicide Sonar in Natick, where milfoil has been a particular problem, and would use the nonchemical methods to maintain the lake afterward. The state is not yet sure whether it would use chemicals in the parts of the lake that border Framingham and Wayland, Gulati said.

Although the state's plan is to use the herbicides in tandem with nonchemical methods, Gulati said it is possible that towns could approve one part and not the other since the plans are split into two pieces.

Environmental officials have insisted that herbicides are safe when used properly, but many residents are still concerned about their possible impact on drinking water.

Carole Berkowitz, who lives on the lake and chairs a group called Protect Our Water Resources, said last week she had not had a chance to review the state notices and could not comment on them.

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