Southwick Lake Panel Unanimously Approves $67,754 Hydrilla Grant Contract

SOUTHWICK -- May 28, 2026, Southwick Lake Management Committee approves $67,754 hydrilla grant in year three of invasive-plant program. The nine-member committee voted unanimously at its May 28 meeting to approve the proposal, which includes a newly added Task 4 for data stratification that member Dick Grannells called "well worth it because it is paid for by the grant." Before voting, member Paul Murphy raised a concern about Task 2, which uses dead alewives as a controlled DNA source, saying "I just want to make sure we're not walking ourselves into a problem that we're going to regret later on"; the committee approved the proposal while directing that outside consultant Ken Wagner weigh in on the DNA protocol before Task 2 proceeds. The committee also voted unanimously to add roughly 10-pound weights to 25 leaning navigation buoys, resolved a long-running Turtle Cove dock dispute by concluding the committee has no standing because no permit application has been filed and the land falls under Connecticut jurisdiction, and closed out a noise complaint over early fishing tournament launches by citing the town bylaw's 7 a.m. noise threshold.