The non-profit Lowell Friends of the Flat met Monday, April 7, at City Hall to discuss the impending clean up of invasive plants in the Flat River.
The first application of chemicals to treat plants in the river will begin in late April. An exact date has not yet been set. The group hired Solitude Lake Management to do the job.
Lowell resident Rich Perry is a representative with the company and will be working directly as a liaison for the group. Solitude plans to strategically administer chemicals to the river as a treatment to get rid of the plant growth. According to Solitude representative Mitch Hiler, the products that will be used are chelated copper, diquat dibromide, flumioxazin, and copper sulfate pentahydrate.
After officially organizing as a non-profit in October 2024, the group has been raising awareness of the need for a river clean up as well as fundraising to pay for it. Donations will pay for chemical treatments to parts of the river where an overgrowth of the invasive species Eurasian Milfoil has developed, most notably in the last three years.
The group has run into problems with the Venmo account set up to receive donations, though. It was hoped they would raise funds at the Lowell Expo last month, however, the Venmo account was “frozen” and unable to take donations. It was also reported on the group’s Facebook page by a potential donor that the Venmo account was not working as recently as April 7.
Board member Nancy Raymor who was in charge of setting up the Venmo account said it was sporadically working as some donations did make it into the group’s bank account, but there have been ongoing issues. The account is currently working properly.
Craig Fonger, president of the group, presented data from an ongoing Google survey for Lowell residents. It asks their opinions and experiences with the Flat River and how the growth of weeds has affected their perception of the river and their activities in and around it.
The survey currently has 57 responses that overwhelmingly say they have noticed the overgrowth of weeds (94.5%). Half of the respondents said they noticed an odor in association with the weeds, and 93% said they would use the river if it was in better condition. The main activities for which respondents said they would utilize the river were fishing and boating.
Treasurer Diane Smith reported that the current balance in the group’s account is $8,587.52. Fonger said the first application of the chemicals will be approximately $4,000 – $5,000.
The group is planning to have a “boat parade” during the Lowell Riverwalk Festival in July with the hope that the treatments to the river will be successful.
The next Friends of the Flat meeting is May 5 at 5:30 pm on the second floor of City Hall. Meetings are open to the public.
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