RLPPA purchased a benthic barrier product called a “Lake Blanket,” which is laid on the bottom of the lake and held in place by rebar which is placed in slots to hold the blanket at the bottom. If the first use of a benthic barrier is effective, we will plan for additional approvals from the Conservation Commission to cover more areas of the ponds in 2025 where macrophytes have been removed.

The first section of the benthic barrier, was placed into very frigid waters in February. A series of connected 10 foot wide barriers with a total length of 240 feet were placed over a portion of the area that was cleared in July 2023 to prevent regrowth in part of the area where we cut and removed macrophytes. The barrier will cover an area basically from the point where the new dock was installed, headed north but not reaching the sandy beach, constituting about 1% coverage of Lake Elizabeth.