What We Do

 It is important to note that all of these efforts are 100% funded by voluntary contributions from individuals , member associations, Towns of New Hartford, Barkhamsted, and all who enjoy this beautiful lake .

Summertime Weed Mitigation

One of WHPA’s most visible responsibilities is to minimize the weed growth near the shoreline that impacts our enjoyment of the lake. Each year, our budget has increased as we increase the number of days we bring divers out to eliminate this unwanted, though non-invasive, vegetation.

We have moved this effort up to mid-July so that we minimize weeds during our most active lake season. Before this can happen, each year, the lake is surveyed to detect the most troublesome areas.

Water Quality and Aquatic Vegetation  

WHPA, in collaboration with its member partners, has invested significant resources in              monitoring water quality. This includes annual professional limnological studies and professionally monitored volunteer work. The objective is to better understand the optimum water quality monitoring needs, as well as the impact over time of the natural and man-influenced aging of the lake. The hope is to better understand the relationship between land use and changes to water quality.

Closely coupled with water quality is the monitoring of aquatic vegetation. We’re learning the habitat for aquatic vegetation is significantly influenced by both water chemistry and the availability of suspended, dissolved and deposited nutrients. Nutrients find their way into the lake via stormwater, groundwater and atmospheric deposition. These nutrients, typically phosphorus and nitrogen, dramatically influence the plankton and macrophyte plant communities. Monitoring the aquatic plant populations can provide warning of changes in the landscape as well as the presence of aquatic invasive plants or animals that would require quick response to mitigate. Of course, mitigation is always problematic. The best defense against aquatic invasives is to prevent their arrival as aquatic hitchhikers on boats and trailers or as bait. The Aquatic Invasive Inspector Program is our first line of defense against the appearance of any of these aquatic invasives.

These dual areas of focus – water quality and aquatic vegetation – are both areas where there is a large financial investment for the purposes of understanding where and how we can take preventative measures, provide proactive and pragmatic solutions, and monitor our progress.

Water Level Lake Management 

West Hill Pond has a single outflow through the dam structure on the north end of the lake. The purpose of this page is to focus on emergency planning related to potential water flow from the lake in the event of catastrophic circumstances.

The West Hill Pond Association owns, regulates and controls the water rights to West Hill Pond. Those rights include, without limitation, ownership of the dam, the gatehouse located on the dam, all appurtenances thereto, and rights of way to and from the dam. The amount of water passing through the outflow becomes a product of both the lake water policy and stormwater flow with a significant impact related to watershed practices which impact that flow.

What is the Current Water Level Policy?

The current policy is to lower the Pond each fall 24 inches below the 10-inch spillway board, which is located in the gatehouse. The 10-inch board controls the maximum level that the Pond is allowed to reach, as specified by State regulators. When the maximum level is exceeded, water must be let out.

At the end of the summer the lake is usually below the 10-inch board. How much depends on how dry the summer has been. Two to three inches below is normal for this time of year.

Water lowering generally begins around mid-October and, typically, the lake reaches its lowered level by no later than mid-November. The lake will be held at the lowered level until it freezes over, or January 15, whichever occurs first. The lake will then be allowed to start its recovery. The major concern is to assure a full lake for the coming summer season. Every five years (next will be Fall 2022) the lake will be lowered up to 36 inches below the 10-inch board so that work on docks and walls can be accomplished. The timing of the lowering and closing will be the same as noted above.

Maintain and Comply with Local, State and Federal Regulations Regarding the Dam  

In recent years this aspect of WHPA’s role has increased dramatically. It ranges in its simplest form of coordination with State’s Department of Fisheries regarding the annual draw down of water and its collection of fish in the fall to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection concerns over impact of a dam breach in a superstorm, to required inspections of the dam and necessary repairs and as you’ll read below , submission of an Emergency Operations Plan if there was a dam breach.

It is relevant to note that only four years ago, the WHPA raised well over $100,000 from our lake community for essential repairs to the dam.