SOUTHWICK – The Lake Management Committee discussed the importance of dock stickers on Congamond Lake during their meeting on Thursday night. The Committee talked about making sure all docks on Congamond Lake are registered and have the proper sticker.
According to the committee, in years past, there was a major lack of stickers on docks on the lake.
“In 2010, compliance was zero,” said Committee Chairman Dick Grannells. “There were maybe half a dozen docks that had Chapter 91 licenses.
But, that all quickly changed when the Town of Southwick was able to make a big leap forward. As the State of Massachusetts was usually responsible for handling any matters on Congamond Lake, the Town of Southwick was able to create their own LPP (Local Permitting Program).
The program essentially allows the local town to make the decisions about all water structures on the lake, as the permit was approved by Mass DEP (Department of Environmental Protection).
Members of the Lake Management Committee are looking over the minutes from past meetings before they officially start their meeting. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Grannells emphasized how having the Local Permitting Program directly benefits Congamond Lake.
“The state money doesn’t come back to the town, when the state collects it, the state owns it,” said Grannells. “When we collect it, it stays in the town.”
The local permitting program was activated for the 2010 boating season. It still remains only a $10 fee for a resident of the lake to get a sticker for their dock. It is $40 for someone out of town to dock out of the marina.
Both Grannells and Lake Management Committee Chairman Eric Mueller pointed out that it is also no longer legal for people to build a new pressure treated dock. Existing docks are grandfathered in, but having new docks can cause chemicals to seep into the lake. The recommendation is to have aluminum docks since they last longer and are easy to remove.
When docks on the lake are broken or don’t have stickers on them, letters are immediately sent out to the owner of the dock.
The harbor master will issue the letter and will sign it, along with the Conservation Commission and the Lake Management Committee. All docks have to be gone by December 1, unless they have a variance that says otherwise.
With all of the enforcements that several members of the Town of Southwick have made in recent years, there are also the positive steps forward to go with it.
“There’s a visible increase in compliance,” said Mueller. “You’re seeing more and more docks where you’re seeing stickers on them.”
