Herbicide Treatment of Dudley Pond on Friday

The Wayland Surface Water Quality Committee is asking residents to avoid swimming in Dudley Pond until Saturday, June 29.

The WSWQC announced on its Facebook page that the pond is being treated Friday, June 28, with an herbicide to control the invasive Eurasian watermilfoil growth.

In addition to not swimming, the announcement warns residents to avoid drinking or using the pond water for irrigation until orange signs placed around the pond have been removed.

Already this season, 41,000 plants have been hand pulled, according to the Facebook page.

The WSWQC announced earlier this month that the year's early milfoil counts were "ominous" with more than 10,600 plants counted prior to June 1.

The good news for Dudley Pond so far this summer is that E.coli counts have remained largely below the state Department of Public Health maximum. The most recent count returned 64 colony-forming units (CFUs) per 100 mL. The state maximum is 235 CFUs.