KENT, Conn.—Selectman Lynn Harrington stoutly refused to endorse a selectmen’s budget of $5,91,163 for 2026-27 that was to be presented to the Board of Finance Wednesday, March 11, when the Board of Selectmen met in special session Tuesday morning.
The vote to present the budget was approved two-to-one, with Harrington “highly opposed.”
She balked at the inclusion of about $23,000 as the town’s portion of funding for a decontamination program designed to prevent the spread of invasives—particularly hydrilla—into Lake Waramaug.
The stepped-up prevention program would be shared by the three towns bordering the lake—Kent, Warren and Washington—with the latter towns bearing 40 percent of the cost each because they have longer shorelines. Kent’s portion amounts to 20 percent of the cost.
Harrington objected that the selectmen do not have a final number for the budget. “I am not voting on it,” she declared. “The Lake Waramaug figures are not accurate, and we are rushing through it too quickly.”
Harrington objected to the added cost of inspections and decontamination, saying that aggregate salaries could be $52 an hour for two workers to decontaminate eight or 10 boats each day. “The cost could be $700 or $800 a day,” she argued.
She also contended that having one of the Washington selectmen as supervisor of the decontamination team at $30 an hour would be a conflict of interest.
Selectman Lynn Worthington said she did not feel $22 an hour for one worker and $30 an hour for a supervisor “is all that outrageous” when the minimum hourly wage is now $16.94.
“There is no job description, nor did they put it out to bid,” Harrington said. “If it’s put in [to our budget], it’s fiscally irresponsible.”
Worthington noted that the selectmen slowed the budget process last year and that the Board of Finance specifically asked for proposed budgets to be submitted on schedule this year. She added that any figure for the Lake Waramaug line item can be reviewed and changed as the budget process continues.
First Selectman Eric Epstein noted that the General Assembly has raised House Bill 5525, introduced to create a rapid response program for the immediate control of Hydrilla verticillata and other aquatic invasive species. The bill mandates DEEP to expedite permitting and establish protocols for treatment by Sept. 15 to prevent further spread of the super invasive.
Harrington said she had no problem with decontamination, only with the salary structure. “This is a huge nut for everybody,” she insisted. “The Washington treasurer has not been able to put in the figures for workmen’s comp or sick time.”
“We have two months to get more data,” argued Worthington. “Then we can have a dialogue with them.”
Harrington had taken her questions and her opposition to a Lake Waramaug invasive hydrilla informational q & a in Washington March 5.
There, several experts on the threat presented facts about hydrilla and the potential threat to Lake Waramaug. Greg Bugbee, an aquatic invasives specialist from the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station, reported that he has been involved in assessing the threat for about 10 years.
He said that in 2016, a new, more robust, strain of Hydrilla was identified in the Connecticut River. “It had never been found before,” he revealed. “Hydrilla has been in the state since the 1970s, which was worrisome, but it was more diminutive than the river hydrilla, which is very, very robust. We thought it was only in Connecticut, but it is now found in [Asia and Europe].
He said it is spread by turions, seedlike growths on the stem that break off and can float downstream or be carried along by boats. They are hard to see.
In June 2023, hydrilla was discovered in East Twin Lakes in Salisbury and by the end of that year it had been identified in many other ponds and lakes in the state, all of which had boat launches. “There are no occurrences where there are no boat launches,” he reported.
Sean Hayden of the Lake Waramaug Conservancy reported during the q& a what that agency is doing to preserve the lake’s health. Four times a year, an aquatic specialist take samples around lake, mapping beds of native vegetation and using GPS to locate invasives. When the areas have been identified, divers are sent out to suction harvest invasives that are hand-pulled. “We have been able to eradicate almost all invasives with this technique,” he said.
Another key to keeping the lake clean is to inspect every boat that is admitted to the water at the boat launch. “They get a thorough inspection by someone who knows what they are looking for,” Hayden said.
The conservancy is working to educate the public about its “clean, drain, dry” campaign and is also removing invasives from “upgradient ponds.” The latest, and most advanced diagnostic tool in use at Waramaug is eDNA sampling to look for invasives in the water even before they can be spotted visually.
“Hydrilla is a very formidable foe,” he said. “It’s all around us. It’s a matter of time if we are not vigilant. Twin Lakes in Salisbury has spent close to a million dollars over three years trying to control an outbreak in just their eastern bay. That gives you an idea of the cost. It’s a stark picture.”
The next level of protection would be the decontamination unit, which would be stationed at the New Preston firehouse. Two inspectors would still be stationed at the Washington boat launch as they have been for many years. If they detect plant life clinging to a boat or its trailer, or if it has parts such as ballast tanks that cannot be examined by eye, the boat owner would be directed to the decontamination base.
The site was located in New Preston because it is away from the lake with no danger of wash getting into culverts and finding its way into the lake.
The boat and trailer would be sprayed with at high pressure with 140-degree water that effectively kills the plant life. While hydrilla is the main target, all other potential invasives would receive the same treatment.
“We’ve been very lucky, but we don’t want to press that luck,” said Dean Sarjeant of the Lake Waramaug Authority. “This process uses no bleaches, no toxins, no soaps, no chemicals—just high-pressure hot water. In the past, we thought the boats were safe; now we will be 100 percent sure.”
After decontamination, a seal will be placed so that it is attached to both boat and trailer. If the seals are intact, indicating that the owner has not taken the boat off the trailer for any reason, owners can put their crafts directly into Lake Waramaug.
Sarjeant added that the seal also makes the boat “ready for the road.” “If you have a weed on your boat, that is highly illegal,” he explained. “If you have a zebra mussel, you are breaking the law. We’re going to educate people about that.”
At the meeting, Harrington again raised her concerns about cost.
“I shared your concern,” said Washington First Selectman Jim Brinton, “but I changed my mind when I saw what it cost when in East Twin Lakes. I would rather pay $40,000 than a million.”
