Twin Lake North, Simsbury - 2013

Transect Data | Water Data 

Twin Lake North is a public, man-made lake located in Simsbury, CT. It is 13 acres with a maximum depth of 2 meters. The lake is located in the Nod Brook Management Area, land owned and maintained by the DEEP. Various field trial competitions are held on the area's land and the lake is used yearly for hunting dog field trials. The lake was built for these competitions, using various channels of water to create a course for the field trials.

The CAES IAPP 2013 vegetative survey of Twin Lake North was a resurvey from 2012 in order to monitor changes in plant communities after an herbicide treatment was applied in June 2013. The 2013 survey found 12 species growing in the lake, including two invasive species: Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and minor naiad (Najas minor). The invasive species Eurasian watermilfoil remained the most dominant species in the lake. However, after treatment the patch in the northern portion of the lake appeared to have decreased slightly and the channels were reduced to small patches along the shoreline. In 2012, Eurasian watermilfoil was present on 85 percent of the transect points, which reduced by 20 percent to this year (65 percent). The few patches of curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) that were found in last year's survey were not found this year. Although the survey did not find curlyleaf pondweed this year, does not necessarily mean the plant was never present, as it usually grows in the early spring and dies back in the summer. The invasive minor naiad was found in the lake for the first time, being present in 5 small patches along the western shoreline.

Native coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) was the second most dominant plant. The plant was found in thick bands along the shoreline and a few small patches in the channels. In the northern portion of the lake, the patch of coontail was smaller than the previous year. Of the 20 transect points, coontail was present along 9 of them, compared to 10 points the previous year. Great duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) was only found in one large patch in the southeast corner of the lake. Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) was found growing again in long patches making shoreline access difficult. This year the shallow channels decreased in the amount of plant species present and were overall less crowded.

Other Twin Lake North Surveys: 2018, 2012