Middle Bolton Lake, Vernon - 2005
2005 Aquatic Plant Survey Map of Middle Bolton Lake
Middle Bolton Lake is a 121-acre artificial impoundment with both a concrete and earthen dam. It is connected to Lower Bolton Lake by a spillway and is fed by Upper Bolton Lake. The lake is drawn down 3 feet each winter. The maximum depth is 20 feet and the mean depth is 12 feet. Residential structures can be found around the entire shoreline with the exception of the southwest side. The state owns a boat launch on the northern shore and motors are limited to 6 hp. Public access to the shoreline is via the boat launch.
Most of the vegetation was found at depths less than 9 feet around the edge of the lake. Variable-leaf watermilfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum), an invasive species, was found along the western side of the lake and to a lesser extent along the eastern side. Charaphyte (Chara) was found in a large patch in the northern section of the lake, as well as a few medium sized patches on the western side. Slender naiad (Najas flexilis), ribbon-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton epihydrus) and spotted pondweed (Potamogeton pulcher) were found in numerous small patches around the entire lake. Spineless hornwort (Ceratophyllum echinatum), marsh primrose-willow (Ludwigia palustris), white water lily (Nymphaea odorata), yellow water lily (Nuphar variegata), bur-reed (Sparganium species), and common bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza) were found in small patches only in the northern end of the lake. The northern portion of the lake also included watershield (Brasenia schreberi), small waterwort (Elatine minima), needle spikerush (Eleocharis acicularis), western waterweed (Elodea nuttallii), golden hedge-hyssop (Gratiola aurea), large-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton amplifolius), floating bladderwort (Utricularia radiata), and purple bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea). The western side of the lake was rocky with scattered vegetation including Charaphyte, watershield, needle spikerush, ribbon-leaf pondweed, pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), arrrowhead (Sagittaria species), humped bladderwort (Utricularia gibba), and purple bladderwort. Vegetation along the eastern side of the lake, which included watershield, small waterwort, needle spikerush, western waterweed, spiney-spored quillwort (Isoëtes echinospora), snailseed pondweed (Potamogeton bicupulatus), pickerelweed, arrowhead, humped bladderwort, and floating bladderwort was more intermittent than the western side. The south section of the lake had large patches of arrowhead and needle spikerush, and smaller patches of small waterwort, needle spikerush, golden hedge-hyssop, spiney-spored quillwort, large-leaf pondweed, and snailseed pondweed.