The primary issue for Center Pond is invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM), which was controlled by hand pulling until 2017, minimized by fluridone treatment in 2018, but resurged in 2020 and 2021. The 2022 treatment with Procellacor has again minimized EWM. The resurgence after fluridone treatment was almost certainly a result of regrowth of plants not killed by treatment, mostly from root crowns, since the focus of treatment was on areas with substantial milfoil growths and not the entire pond. A certain amount of survival is to be expected even in target areas and continued hand pulling was expected to be needed to maintain control. The limited hand pulling in 2020 and 2021 allowed milfoil abundance to increase to near the levels that prompted treatment with fluridone in 2018. While retreatment with fluridone could have been successful, a new herbicide, Procellacor, is known to be particularly effective against EWM and has fewer impacts on non-target species, including plants and animals.

The existing permit under the Wetlands Protection Act was still active and was modified to allow use of Procellacor, which was applied in June 2022. While there may have been some temporary impacts in the summer following treatment, the fall 2022 and 2023 surveys revealed conditions much like most past years, except that EWM was virtually absent. Now the task becomes maintaining desirable conditions.

A hand pulling program is still recommended as a follow up to herbicide treatment, The permit that facilitates hand pulling should be renewed before it is due to expire. The effort put in during 2022 and 2023 did not have to be as extensive as in past years, given the effectiveness of Procellacor, but divers did remove other invasive plant species, and did find a few EWM plants that survived treatment. An organized hand harvesting program, focused on detecting and removing any invasive plant species, is recommended. At least two weeks of diver effort should be contracted, with more as warranted by initial findings. Record keeping should mirror what was done in 2010-2017, providing hours of effort in several categories and quantification of removed plants.

While there is no apparent need for herbicides in the near future, keeping the permit active through renewal prior to expiration is also recommended, and the existing permit has already been extended.

Annual plant surveys should be conducted in late summer or early fall, but it may be possible for members of the community to conduct such surveys and WRS would be willing to train volunteers to help achieve some level of self-sufficiency within the program at Center Pond. The relatively few plants that attain any real abundance in Center Pond are easy enough to identify and the focus is on detecting EWM while documenting a healthy native plant community, tasks that can be completed by committed volunteers. Recent confusion between milfoil and purple bladderwort is an example, however, of why training and support are needed for valid plant surveys.

There is interest in conducting a shallow drawdown, although there does not appear to be a need for such drawdown to control invasive plants, prevent flooding, or minimize ice damage to shorelines. The primary purpose of a drawdown would be to facilitate shoreline maintenance. The outlet structure will support drawdown in accordance with the current provisions of the GEIR, and a drawdown of 2 feet would be relatively easy to conduct. To permit a drawdown, a Notice of Intent would be filed with the Becket Conservation Commission and the MA DEP. As Center Pond is a Great Pond under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a Chapter 91 Waterways Permit from MA DEP is also required to conduct a drawdown. Acquisition of both permits can be expected to take at least 2 months. A permit for drawdown would not automatically confer approval for shoreline maintenance activities, however, and additional permitting would likely be necessary for each property intending to conduct maintenance activities.

It would be advantageous to remove the accumulated coarse sediment at the mouth of the unnamed brook that drains much of the Center Lake Estates area. This may be applicable for other inlet points as well, but the inflow near the Center Lake Estates beach is the most obvious problem point. Drawdown would support such sediment removal, but it may be possible to remove the sediment without a drawdown, sequestering the work area with silt fence to avoid impacts to the lake. A permit under the Wetlands Protection Act will be needed, and a Notice of Intent would be filed with the Becket Conservation Commission and MA DEP. If more than 100 cubic yards of material were removed, this activity would require a Chapter 401 Water Quality Certification and a Chapter 91 waterways permit. These permitting processes can be expensive, arduous and protracted, with required sampling of the material to be removed and possible disposal restrictions.

However, if <100 cubic yards of material are removed, the Notice of Intent appears to be the only necessary permit. No detailed survey of the amount of material to be removed has been conducted but removing up to 100 cubic yards as a maintenance measure, repeated as needed, should be adequate. Consultation with the MA DEP to ascertain the most appropriate permitting approach is recommended.

Watershed management is recommended to minimize impacts to Center Pond. This includes erosion controls on slopes, proper maintenance of roads, limiting the use of fertilizers and pesticides on properties, and encouraging infiltration of rain rather than generation and routing of runoff to streams and Center Pond. An education program, perhaps a flyer that can be mailed to all watershed residents, would be appropriate. The Town of Becket should take the lead in managing public roads, while road associations should address issues for their respective byways. The two large summer camps have a large role to play in watershed management, occupying substantial shorefront space and having intense use for a brief period each summer (about 7 weeks). Management of lawn areas, impervious surfaces, and wastewater are particularly important for these properties.