LMPA held its first full membership meeting on November 15, 2005 at the Mishnock Barn. The public was invited.  Despite the rainy weather we had an audience of more than 50 people to listen and ask questions of our highly qualified speakers. The quantity and quality of the information provided was impressive. Guest speakers were: Marc Bellaud, Aquatic Control Technologies; George Loomis and Holly Meehan, Director and Graduate Research Assistant respectively, New England Onsite Wastewater Training Center @ URI; and Geoffrey Marchant, Director, East Greenwich Community Development Consortium.

Marc Bellaud  reviewed this past summer's treatment of the lake.  We made good progress in eliminating much of the invasive milfoil and the excessive waterlily growth, though there will be more to do this coming year. LMPA has a three-year contract with ACT.  Satellite views of Lake Mishnock taken in 2003 show frighting growth of invasive weeds, especially in Little Mishnock. There is no doubt that if a picture were taken now we would see excellent progress.  Mr. Bellaud commented that we may want to consider mechanically raking designated areas of the lake where leaves and sediment have been collecting for years. At one time the lake was so clear the bottom was visible everywhere in the lake. Though it is unlikely we'll ever get back to those pristine days, improvement is feasible. Next year's treatment should produce better and faster results. The heavily stalked milfoil has been vastly reduced, though there will be new growth from its remnants.  

Holly Meehan provided an examination of  the area's geology and soils. In short,  the water in our area moves through the soil very quickly. This is not helpful for wastewater treatment. Some interesting facts from Ms. Meehan: Twenty-five percent of the U.S. population use onsite wastewater systems and the number has remained unchanged for the last 30 years. Thirty-one percent of Rhode Islanders rely on onsite systems, and an estimated 40 percent of these systems are substandard. There is pending legislation to phase out all cesspools in RI. The concern is how to do this without draining the pocketbooks of the owners. One idea is to connect cesspool replacement with house sales. Houses could not be sold until cesspools were replaced.

There are many choices for onsite wastewater treament according to George Loomis. The old days of giant earthen mounds are over.  Even small lots in environmentally sensitive locations can have effecient systems that are not unsightly or land hungry. Rhode Island is one of the leading states in advanced technology for onsite wastewater treatment. You can find out more at www.uri.edu/ce/wg.

The question of additives frequently comes up at meetings about septic systems. The answer is Don't Use Additives. There is no credible evidence they do any good, and there is reason to think they can do harm. The additives work counter to the principles employed by a good system. Loomis says to save the money you would spend on additives and apply it to maintenance and pumping. You need to be careful what you put in your system. Don't overdo bleach, for example, and don't use a garbage disposal. Have your system inspected and pumped as appropriate to your risk level. One surprising fact for many was that gray-water is not as benign as once thought; it should not be dumped into the ground water. It needs to go through the treatment system just like the black-water.

Everyone remembers the excessive rain in October 2005, when flooding ocurred in many areas of the state. It so happens that the bacteria count (Fecal Coloform Colony-forming Units per 100 ml.) was taken on Lake Mishnock on October 15, the day the rains ended. On that day the count was 483. That compares to 2 in July! At 200 water is not safe for swimming. This tells us that when it rains, our lake increases its bacterial content significantly. It is reasonable to assume that a lot of this comes from inadequate wastewater treament systems.

The last topic covered was expense. Wastewater treatment systems are not cheap. Geoffrey Marchant was informative about low interest loans and state grants. There are federal programs available to local governments, who in turn can loan to individuals. Interest rates on such loans are favorable. Grants up to $7,500  are available to some individuals. You can learn more from Mr. Marchant at marchant@eastgreenwichwichri.com

The meeting ran to near 10 pm. There were many questions and only a small part of what was discussed can be covered here. If you missed the meeting, you missed a lot.

We are grateful to our speakers and to those who took the time to attend and participate. Clearly, many people are interested in keeping our lake and our watershed clean and healthy.  There is much to do.