Lake Waubeeka, Danbury - 2019

2019 Aquatic Plant Survey Map of Lake Waubeeka

Transect Data | Water Data

Lake Waubeeka is a 36-acre man-made lake located in Danbury, CT. It has a maximum depth of around 21 feet (4 meters). The average depth is about 9 feet making nearly the entire lake bottom suitable for the growth of aquatic vegetation.  A dam on the east shore and associated outlet provides the option of lowering the lake for maintenance and nuisance vegetation control. The Waubeeka Lake Association provides beaches on the western and northern sides. Access is restricted to residents, who are members of the lake association. Excessive nuisance vegetation, including Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), resulted in the introduction of 450 plant-eating, sterile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in 1998 and another 550 in 2008. The first CAES IAPP aquatic plant survey of the lake occurred in 2005. Fifteen plant species were found in the lake with coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) covering nearly the entire lake bottom. Invasive Eurasian watermilfoil was present in small patches particularly in the southwest arm. Coontail is known to be one of the least preferred plants of grass carp and this could explain its abundance.  Records of the pre 1998 aquatic plant community would be of interest but were not available. 

Our 2019, CAES IAPP survey of Lake Waubeeka found only seven sparsely situated aquatic plant species. Phragmites (Phragmites australis) was found in the lake and is considered an invasive wetland plant. The other seven species were all emersed native aquatic plants.

  The most abundant species found in 2019 were yellow water lily (Nuphar variegata) and swamp loosestrife (Decodon verticillatus), restricted to the shoreline of the lake. The lack of aquatic plant species in Lake Waubeeka could be a result of the grass carp added to the lake in 2008. Grass carp are added through permitting with CTDEEP to control aquatic vegetation. Below is a graph highlighting the decline in aquatic plant species frequency of occurrence in Lake Waubeeka. The black line indicates the time when grass carp were introduced in 2008.