Dodge Pond, East Lyme - 2004
2004 Aquatic Plant Survey of Dodge Pond
Transect Data | Water Data
The 29.9-acre Dodge Pond is located in East Lyme and has a maximum depth of 51 feet and a mean depth of 24 feet. Houses have been built on two-thirds of the shore, and the southwestern shore remains forested. A large U.S. Navy sonar laboratory sits in the deepest part of the lake, connected to the shore by a dock. Motors are prohibited in the pond because the vibrations interfere with the sonar research. The Connecticut Department of Public Heath has issued a fish consumption warning because of high mercury content.
White water lily (Nymphaea odorata) was the most abundant floating-leaved species recorded during a July 2004 survey of Dodge Pond, and large-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton amplifolius) was the most abundant submerged species. They were among 15 aquatic plants recorded during the survey, all of which are native to Connecticut.
Large-Leaf pondweed was especially abundant in water less than 6 feet deep near a boat ramp on the southern end of the pond. The muddy substrate in the area also supported large patches of white water lily and western waterweed (Elodea nuttallii) and smaller patches of Robbins' pondweed (Potamogeton robbinsii) and watershield (Brasenia schreberi). One large patch of spiral pondweed (Potamogeton spirillus) also was observed in the area.
The rocky substrate on the eastern side of the pond supported a few patches of white water lily and one patch of watershield. Watershield, large-leaf pondweed, and western waterweed were abundant in shallow water at the northern end of the pond. A patch of Robbins' pondweed also was observed in the area.
On the western side of the pond, white water lily was restricted to shallow water. Patches of western waterweed, large-leaf pondweed, watershield, and yellow water lily (Nuphar variegata) also occurred along the western edge of the pond. White water lily was abundant in a cove where a stream flows into the northwestern part of the pond. Patches of floating-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton natans), watershield, and yellow water lily also were found in this cove. Small patches of slender watermilfoil (Myriophyllum tenellum), sevenangle pipewort (Eriocaulon aquaticum), and small waterwort (Elatine minima) were observed in clear, shallow water on sandy substrate near the southern end of the western shore.
Other Dodge Pond Surveys: 2015