Witches Woods Lake
Woodstock Valley, CT
Information regarding the waters of
Witches Woods Lake
Geese on Witches Woods Lake
As many of you may already know, geese can cause a myriad of issues for our lake. We would like to initiate a lake-wide effort to discourage geese from staying on our lake. As part of this effort, The Witches Woods Lake board will be looking into what can done for the common areas, such as the dam and beaches. Below are some of the issues geese can cause along with some recommendations from CT DEEP and The Last Green Valley on how to discourage geese from your property.
The key to implementing any plan to discourage geese is to start in early spring. The longer geese call a site home, the harder it will be to get them to move. In addition, Geese are more willing to relocate before they establish nesting territories in early spring.
Please email any questions or ways you have successfully discouraged geese from coming on your property to the following: lake-dam-beaches@wwlake.com
Issues Geese Can Cause:
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Algae Blooms: Goose waste is high in phosphorus, which can cause excessive algae growth. This can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, which can harm aquatic plants, insects, fish, and other wildlife.
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Plant overgrowth: Goose waste can lead to an overgrowth of aquatic plants.
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E. coli bacteria: Goose waste can increase levels of E. coli bacteria in the water, which can be dangerous for swimmers. We test for E. coli twice a year (in July and August) and a bad test can result indicates unsafe conditions that could require us to close the lake to swimmers.
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Fish population decline: The reduction in oxygen levels can harm fish populations.
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Shoreline erosion: Goose waste can contribute to the erosion of pond shorelines.
Recommended Ways to Discourage Geese
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Do Not Feed Waterfowl: One of the easiest, and most effective methods is a simple one – stop feeding the geese. Feeding not only attracts birds but keeps them there. Feeding also conditions the birds to lose their fear of humans.
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Site Aversion: harassing or scaring geese away so they learn that your site is not a safe place works better before geese become strongly attached to a site. The longer geese have used a site, the harder it will be to get them to move.
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Visual Deterrents and Barriers: Full-bodied swan or coyote decoys sometimes work because geese perceive the decoys as threats. It’s important to move decoys periodically or the geese will realize the decoys aren’t real.
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Chemical Repellents: Chemical repellents are topical treatments to grasses that make the turf unpalatable to grazing geese. While they can be effective, chemical repellents are expensive and must be re-applied after it rains. Please contact the Lake Board before applying any chemical repellent.
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Habitat Modification: Installing fencing as a barrier to geese movements from a waterbody to a feeding area is effective during the flightless molt period. Planting shrubs and small trees along the water’s edge or interspersed throughout a feeding area can also be effective. Allowing grass to grow to a height of one foot or more will make an area less attractive to feeding geese.
7/23/26
Lawn Fertilizer And The Health Of Our Lake
Lawn Fertilizer on Our Lake
As a follow-up to the email sent to residents and the associated discussion at the all-residents meeting, we have done some additional investigation on recommendations for applying lawn fertilizers around lakes. Some of the groups we’ve gotten input from included: CT Bureau of Water Protection & Land Reuse; CT DEEP; UConn CAHNR (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources) and The Last Green Valley.
One recurring theme that has appeared in most of the information we’ve gathered is that fertilizing lawns in July and August provides little value. Since the grass is growing more slowly, it absorbs less fertilizer. This increases the likelihood of fertilizer running into the lake when it rains.
We are therefore encouraging residents to refrain from applying lawn fertilizer for the balance of August. We feel this to be the most reasonable first step we can take at this time as part of our commitment to keeping our lake clean and safe. We prefer to start with a phased, volunteer approach, rather than implementing a stricter requirement in our Rules and Ordinances.
Please email lake-dam-beaches@wwlake.com with any questions or concerns.
8/8/25
The following is currently contained within the Rules and Ordinances for our lake.
“It is strongly recommended that homeowners refrain from using chemical fertilizers, weed killers, and pesticides on their properties. These chemicals eventually leach into the lake and damage the quality of the water, and can encourage unwanted plant life. Only natural ‘lake friendly’ organic materials in moderate amounts should be utilized.”
Not only chemical lawn fertilizers affect lakes. Any source of excess nutrients, whether chemical or natural, can contribute to a dense growth of plant life and the death of animal life from a lack of oxygen.
1. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from lawn fertilizers wash into lakes through rain or irrigation runoff.
2. These nutrients fuel excessive growth of algae (algal blooms), especially harmful cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
3. Excessive nutrients also reduce oxygen levels for fish.
Best Practices to Reduce Impact:
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Use slow-release or phosphorus-free fertilizers.
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Cut the grass a little higher. Taller grass supports deeper, stronger root systems, which improve soil structure and infiltration, meaning more water soaks in instead of running off.
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Leaving your lawn clippings improves water infiltration rather than letting it run off.
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Maintain a buffer strip of native plants between lawns and lakes.
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Avoid fertilizing before rainstorms, which can increase runoff.
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Don’t fertilize in July and August since grass grows less in the heat. Since the grass is growing less, it isn’t able to take in as much of the fertilizer, which can then easily be picked up by rainwater and washed into lakes and ponds.
Resources:
CT DEEP Phosphorus Strategy https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/water/water_quality_standards/p/pa12155fullccreportpdf.pdf
CT DEEP information on cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). https://portal.ct.gov/deep/water/water-quality/blue-green-algae-blooms
This is an article that explains the impacts of fertilizers on lakes and how to pick more lake-friendly ones, from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
Here is a fact sheet from Oklahoma State University. The article recommends soil testing. UConn has several options available.
Thanks to Cassidy Plaud, Outdoor Educator & Program Coordinator, The Last Green Valley, Inc., for providing much of the information included here.
Thanks to John Barber for his research on fertilizing and its effect on our lake.
7/1/2025
What's the story with lowering the lake?
The Witches Woods lake drawdowns are scheduled to start on the last Sunday in October.
The lake stays initially lowered until there is a significant frost or freeze. This usually happens mid to late November, depending on the weather. This accomplishes two things: weed kill and people are able to work on their waterfronts.
During the winter, we try to keep the water level about two to three feet below the normal level. We do this to prevent ice from forming on permanent structures such as stone walls at the water’s edge.
The lake is slowly brought up to full level once the threat of it freezing has passed. This usually happens in early March.
Overall, keeping such a large body of water at a particular level is not an exact science. It involves trial and error on the valve setting. One major factor is how much Lake Bungee is emptying into Witches Woods.
Please send any questions to: lake-dam-beaches@wwlake.com