Lower Bolton Lake, Bolton - 2018

2018 Aquatic Plant Survey of Lower Bolton Lake

Transect Data | Water Data

  Lower Bolton lake is a 179-acre waterbody with substantial residential development near its shoreline. The maximum depth is 20 feet, the mean is 11 feet. There is a town beach and a state-operated boat launch on the southeastern shore. The lake has two dams, one on its northern end bordering Middle Bolton Lake and another along the southeastern shore where water drains over a causeway. There are hiking trails along the northern shore for recreational use.

  This 2018 survey is a repeat of CAES IAPP surveys performed 2005 and 2011 racks changes over a 13 year time frame. Seventeen aquatic plant species were found in 2018, compared to 21 in 2011 and 15 in 2005. Neither of the previous invasive species found in 2011 and 2005, variable-leaf watermilfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum) or fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana), were found in 2018. Curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), however, was found in five small locations around the perimeter of the lake for the first time. This invasive may have been present in the lake previously, but is often only visible in late spring/early summer and we surveyed in late July and August in previous years. Mudmat (Glossostigma cleistanthum) was found in 2011 and 2018 and is a nonnative species; it is not listed as an invasive species in the state and rarely causes a nuisance.

  Compared to 2011, the lake had significantly less vegetation. Nuisance southern naiad (Najas guadalupensis) was found in almost the entire lake in 2011, but was not found at all in 2018. The most abundant species in 2018 was slender naiad (Najas flexilis), the majority found along the eastern shoreline of the lake. Overall, Lower Bolton Lake has a high diversity of native non-nuisance aquatic plant species that is limited to the shoreline of the lake. Improvement from our 2011 survey is dramatic and likely related to effective management practices.

Previous Lower Bolton Lake Surveys: 2011, 2005