Published in Spring of the year following the testing (year 2017) this report provides insights into the health of West Hill Pond and its watershed.
2017 Report on West Hill Pond [Report Size 3.3mb]
Introduction
West Hill Pond is the most pristine of all publically accessible lakes in Connecticut. This status is based on excellent water clarity, low nutrient levels, scarcity of aquatic plants, lack of invasive aquatic plants, and well oxygenated waters. In a 1970s study of 70 Connecticut lakes, West Hill Pond was ranked the 5th cleanest of the lakes assessed. By the 1990s, a secondary study of 56 lakes in the state ranked West Hill the cleanest. This change in rank from the 1970s to the 1990s was due to the fact that Bashan, Mashapaug, Highland, and Billings Lakes deteriorated in water quality within just 20 years, and all four of these previously ‘clean’ lakes became infested with invasive aquatic plants. Today, West Hill Pond is one of only two lakes in the state with public boat-ramp access that do not have aquatic invasive species. It is imperative that residents understand that the preservation of this incredible resource is dependent on limiting invasive species colonization, and on enacting science-based lake management practices in the watershed, specifically lakeshore properties.
