The Westford Healthy Lakes and Ponds Collaborative is a collaborative of interested parties that have come together to help improve and maintain the health of Westford's Lakes and Ponds. The "Healthy Lakes and Ponds Collaborative" has a common goal to preserve Westford's important natural resources and protect our bodies of water. As a community we can reduce our impact of nutrient overload to our water bodies by making some simple changes.

How You Can Help

• Overfeeding your lawn can green our rivers and ponds. Calibrate your spreader to avoid overfeeding.
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn to lessen the need for fertilizer.
• Use fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides sparingly. Sweep any overspray back onto the lawn.
• Mow 2.5-3 inches high with a sharp blade to encourage dense growth and deter weeds.
• Never discard yard waste down storm drains or into waterways.
• Water deeply and infrequently, and time watering to avoid evaporation and runoff.
• Reseed bare areas with drought-tolerant varieties of grass.
• If you hire a lawn care contractor, speak with him or her about their application practices. Overfilling seed hoppers in driveways and in the street can run off into the storm drains and will end up in the lakes and streams.
• Do not discharge laundry, car, or boat washing detergent into a storm drain or to a body of water.
• Maintain your septic system regularly by having your septic tank pumped every 2-3 years.
• Keep a watchful eye on your septic system leaching area to make sure there is no discharge to the surface of the ground or into a lake or pond.
• Please do not dispose trash or waste near storm drains and water bodies.
• Do not discharge chlorinated pool water to a storm drain or a body of water.
• Remove all plants from your boat motor, trailer, anchors, fishing gear, dive gear and dispose of them on dry land, well away from the water or in a trash can.
• Never release non-native animals or plants into a body of water.
• Never empty aquariums into a water body.
• Please keep all animal waste away from the storm drains and water bodies.
• Extra nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen that are found in fertilizers can cause blue-green algae blooms and the blooms can have major impacts on animals, aquatic life, our water bodies, wells, humans, and our recreational lifestyles. Consider using phosphorus-free fertilizer and detergents.