Invasive Water Chestnut Pulls

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
LFSWS funded The Farmington River Watershed Association’s effort to carry out a series of invasive water chestnut removals on Barber’s Pond in Bloomfield, CT. Invasive water chestnut is an issue in many areas of the CT River watershed, and so far has only been reported in the Farmington River watershed in Barber’s Pond. Invasive water chestnuts reproduce proficiently, each plant producing 20-30 spiked seeds that can lie dormant for 12 years. Each seed has the potential to produce 5- 10 plants. Barber’s Pond is located on Mill Brook, a tributary to the Farmington River. The pond is the result of the Barber Pond Dam. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) is in the process of permitting the removal of the dam. The dam removal would allow the water chestnut to move into the Farmington River itself if the problem in the pond were not remediated beforehand.

These water chestnut pulls were done to reduce the likelihood of plants making their way downstream once the dam has been removed. FRWA staff, interns, and volunteer groups participated in 4 pulling events throughout the summer. Participants went out on kayaks and canoes with burlap bags, baskets, and gloves to collect plants manually, which were then disposed of in Blue Earth bins to be composted appropriately.

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