WORCESTER — Several residents expressed concern Monday night to the Green Worcester Advisory Committee that the city is using what they believe are harmful chemicals to remove invasive plants in local lakes and ponds.
Elsie Uffelmann didn't hesitate to speak out. Last week, she submitted a letter to city officials signed by more than 30 residents who oppose the use of chemicals.
“We need to continue the conversation, unfortunately,” Uffelmann told the committee, adding that the city's response to residents' concerns was inadequate. The response came in the form of a letter dated Monday from John Odell, the city's chief sustainability officer, and Katie Liming, the lakes and ponds program coordinator.
Research highlights concerns
Uffelmann and others said the research is clear that some of the chemicals the city is using, like fluridone, are harmful to humans and the environment.
They want the city to consider nonchemical alternatives and Uffelmann has proposed a few. They include drawing down water levels during cold winter months to kill invasive weeds. Another is diver-assisted suction harvesting, a method of pulling out invasive plants while underwater and sending them through a chute to a boat floating on the surface. It keeps plants from breaking apart and taking root elsewhere.
Other residents told the committee the city needs to improve programs to educate the public about the potential harm caused by chemicals in addition to reaching out to residents to get more community input into managing lakes and ponds.
Realities at play
Committee member Ted Conna acknowledged that residents need to understand the realities of what the city is dealing with. It has limited staff and money to manage water bodies, said Conna, so going cold turkey on chemicals is likely not possible. However, Conna said the city should collaborate with the residents who expressed concerns so their opinions are heard.
Conna made a motion to that effect, but withdrew it after not receiving support from his fellow committee members.
Odell told the committee the goal is to minimize the use of chemicals, whenever possible.
“These are concerns we think about all the time,” said Odell. “I concur and agree with the premise of using chemical treatments as little as possible, at all times.” Short-term goals are balanced with long-term ones, he said. That means the immediate work must get done at a reasonable cost. The long-term goal, said Odell, is to hopefully get chemical use down to zero.
On the collaboration front, Odell said the city is already doing it, as local watershed programs regularly meet with city staff to discuss the best ways to manage lakes and ponds. Odell stressed that any resident with concerns about how water bodies are managed can contact city officials and they will be heard.
City's response: Many facets
The city’s response letter noted limited staff to manage over 20 lakes and ponds. It also touted the participation of dozens of volunteers that help the city monitor its water bodies.
In addition, the response said the city strongly disagrees with two criticisms by residents. One is the city doesn’t give adequate attention to potential threats of herbicide treatments to human and aquatic health. The second is nonchemical alternatives aren’t sufficiently considered.
In particular, the city responded to four questions in last week's letter from residents. One asked why is the city spending money on chemical treatments without having information on nutrients flowing into lakes and ponds that help fuel the growth of invasive plants. Also, why spend money without having a comprehensive lakes and ponds management plan?
The city has collected data for years on nutrients that informs its management strategies, the city said. It also uses short term-strategies to fight invasive plants including water drawdowns, hand pulling and chemical treatments. Those steps are necessary to reach long-term solutions.
Meanwhile, money recently became available for a watershed management plan and staff is working on a document to solicit proposals from companies to help develop a plan.
Another question in last week’s letter asked why nonchemical methods aren't prioritized since the city doesn't have a full understanding of chemical risks. Nonchemical alternatives are a priority, said the city, but they're not suitable in every situation. When herbicides are used, they’re applied by trained professionals and only products approved by state and federal regulators are used at concentrations at or below recommended levels.
As for fluridone, it doesn’t kill fish, based on decades of studies, the city said. But fluridone can impact the reproductive health of fish. That risk is weighed against taking no action and allowing invasive plants to harm Worcester's water bodies when nonchemical options aren't practical.
When fluridone is applied, the city said there are no restrictions on swimming, boating and fishing but the prudent step is taken to close lakes and ponds on the day of treatment.
Another red flag
Clearcast, another herbicide that is a red flag for some residents, has been found by state and federal studies to be practically nontoxic to animals and rapidly degrades in water, according to the city. In Worcester, Clearcast is only used on dense and wide patches of invasive water chestnut.
Residents also asked in last week's letter about the the long-terms costs of chemical treatments versus alternatives, and whether the city had evaluated them.
On that question, the city gave two examples of the challenge of managing water bodies. One is Coes Reservoir, where mechanical harvesting to remove water chestnut failed. But after years of herbicide treatments, the water chestnut is now managed through hand pulling by volunteers.
Herbicides are also cheaper, in some cases, according to the city. Since water chestnut often returns, the cost of using mechanical methods can run $2,800 daily to cover an area of one to two acres, compared to $570 per acre for Clearcast.
At Indian Lake, water drawdowns and diver-assisted suction harvesting failed to remove Eurasian milfoil. Herbicides got the job done in 2022.
Conflicts of interest?
The fourth question in last week’s letter asked who is making management decisions about invasive plants and if they have the necessary expertise, and if those making the decisions are free of conflicts of interest.
The city said Worcester is the first Municipal Lakes and Ponds Management Program in the state to have two full-time employees. Both are aquatic and environmental scientists with advanced degrees and have years of experience. In addition, the city's water-quality monitoring program is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and management decisions are approved by Worcester's Conservation Commission.
“None of our staff have any conflicts of interest with private companies,” the city's response letter said. Staff also consult with state agencies and certified lake managers at consulting firms that have no conflicts of interest.
The city's letter echoed Odell's point that staff regularly meet with community watershed associations and dozens of volunteers to collect data and review the health of lakes and ponds. The findings are published in monthly reports and are included in annual presentations to the public.
“We agree with the overall premise that chemical treatments should be used only when necessary and that nonchemical treatment options should be prioritized,” reads the city's letter.
Concerns remain
Uffelmann and others repeatedly told the Green Worcester Advisory Committee that potential health risks from chemicals must be fully understood before they're put in Worcester's lakes and ponds. Anything short of that, they said, is irresponsible.
“We have a lot research, but if the city is opting to use chemicals to poison our younger generations, then I will be opposed to that,” one resident told the committee.
However, not all residents sounded the alarm.
Worcester resident Dan Giza, who described himself as a watershed volunteer, said there is a lot of good work being done by city staff and volunteers to manage lakes and ponds. He encouraged those interested in helping to visit the city's website for more information and sign up to volunteer.
“Get involved,” he said.
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.
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