Pond restoration to begin

BENNINGTON — Restoration work will begin at Sucker Pond in early June after the Bennington Select Board granted approval for the project.

Sediment buildup caused by ATV and off-road vehicle use around the pond, formerly known as Lake Hancock, could lead to serious water quality concerns, including algae blooms and loss of water clarity, according to Josh Gorman, with the Agency of Natural Resources' Water Quality Division.

Gorman appeared before the Select Board twice, along with representatives of the U.S. Forest Service and the Bennington County Conservation District, seeking permission to complete a restoration project. The project aims to restore vegetation in the heavily impacted areas around the lake. Gorman said when completed, the project will have reduced sediment and phosphorous inputs to the lake and provide safe low-impact access to the shoreline.

In addition, access to the shoreline will be removed by placing a large boulder at the top of the project site, and all trash will be removed from the area and a sign erected to inform visitors about the project and its goals, according to Gorman.

Although Sucker Pond is located in Stamford, the town of Bennington owns a buffer zone around the water, which once served as Bennington's water source.

BCCD District Manager Shelly Stiles said the work is scheduled to take place June 2-4. Burgess Bros. Inc., hired to help with the project, will
be walking an excavator up the mountain side on June 2 and working on the site that day. Students with the Career Development Center's forestry and heavy equipment program will assist with the work on June 3.

Stiles said the class instructor, Dave Dence, expects as many as 30 students to participate.

"This army of young people will dig up trees and shrubs from the nearby forest and transplant them to the newly graded and protected shoreline site, then seed and mulch the replanted area," Stiles said.

The project will be funded with grant money through the Vermont Clean and Clear program and the Green Mountain National Forest.

Source: http://www.benningtonbanner.com/local/ci_12418155

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