![]() ![]() ![]() The possibility of dredging Miacomet Pond to remove existing nutrients in the sediment had been proposed as long ago as 2005, when it was among the conclusions of a study of the pond by then-town biologist Keith Conant. “By removing the benthic layer that causes the nutrients to recycle into the pond, you’re removing that source front the pond itself and kind of resetting the pond to some degree,” Carlson said. The accumulating muck has leached those nutrients back into the water, Carlson said, fueling the harmful algal blooms and invasive species that have plagued Miacomet Pond. The $4 million dredging project could represent a reset for Miacomet Pond by removing a thick benthic layer full of nitrogen and phosphorus from years of fertilizer use and septic systems around the pond. “You’d get mad and hit the reset button and start over.” “It’s like playing Nintendo in the old days,” Carlson said. But the analogy he used to break it down in layman’s terms seemed to hit the mark for those of us not trained in biology. Jeff Carlson, town of Nantucket’s Natural Resources Department director, can talk about the science behind dredging material to improve the health of the pond. Nantucket voters may soon be asked to spend up to $4 million to dredge Miacomet Pond and remove as much as 100,000 cubic yards of material from the 46-acre pond. ![]()
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