Lake Wyola Advisory Committee

The purpose of the Lake Wyola Advisory Committee is to advise the Select Board and the Town to promote these goals:

  • Preserve, maintain, and enhance recreational use of the lake;
  • Plan for continued quality maintenance, including (but not limited to) water quality monitoring, nuisance weed and sediment removal, erosion control, and dam safety;
  • Develop a long-term sustainable plan for sewage disposal; and
  • Provide guidance for road maintenance to reduce runoff.

Beach water testing

Testing for bacteria is performed weekly on the three beaches of the Lake Wyola Association as well as the state beach at Lake Wyola State Park.  Samples are taken on Mondays as bacteria counts are likely to be highest after weekend use.  Results are not available before Tuesday afternoon.

The LWA beaches, under the jurisdiction of the Shutesbury Board of Health, test for E. coli. The limit is 235 colonies per 100 ml.  The results are sent to the Board of Health and reproduced in the table below.  When a sample exceeds the limit, the Board of Health closes the beach by posting a sign prohibiting swimming.

The indicator organism at Lake Wyola State Park is Enterococci.  The Board of Health does not have jurisdiction at the state park, which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Health.  We do not presently have access to the test results.  Park personnel are instructed to put up the red flag when bacteria counts are high, but they are not told the readings.  LWAC and the BOH hope to remedy this situation in the future.

 

  RESULTS OF BACTERIAL TESTS FOR LAKE WYOLA ASSOCIATION BEACHES, SUMMER 2021
  Measured number of Colonies (235 is maximum allowable)
               
               
  East West  North  Comments
  E. coli total coliforms E. coli total coliforms E. coli total coliforms  
8/30 17 3110 <2 690 15 1540  
8/25 39 2830 6 922 6 615  
8/16 >2 372 2 651 >2 775  
8/9 21 2830 8 870 17 1450  
8/2 2 2600 8 870 4 731  
7/26 4 1030 8 3470 8 >4840  
7/21         40 2600 Retest
7/19 221 >4840 232 >4840 288 >4840 Beach closed 7/19-7/21
7/12 6 1540 2 3110 4 2600  
7/6 10 >4840 4 977 8 1160  
6/30 45 2240 32 >4840 4 >4840  
6/22 32 2240 13 3110 24 1630  
6/15 4 4840 <2 3970 6 3970  
6/7 8 922 6 1450 2 1160  
6/1 8 977 13 1160 6 420  
5/25 2 870 <2 1300 4 2600  

Upcoming Meetings

LWAC meets at 9am on the third Saturday of most months.  The most recent and up-to-date meeting notices are available on the Town Calendar.

All meetings will be held virtually until the Stay-at-home COVID-19 mandate has been lifted.  The zoom meeting link is provided in the meeting's posted agenda.  All of our meetings are public and the public is always welcome.

 

Water Test Data — 2001 to 2021

Management Plan for Lake Wyola_NEE 1995

Lake Wyola Inventory and Evaluation_NRCS 2005

Stormwater Improvement Study_Campbell DCR 2007

 

 

Info and Resources