Tiverton To Hold Public Hearing On Stafford Pond Fishing Tournament Regulations

The Tiverton Town Council is making moves toward protecting Stafford Pond - a major drinking water source for north Tiverton residents - and it wants the public to weigh in on how best to do so.

On April 22 during a public hearing at 7 p.m., Tiverton residents will get the chance to share their thoughts on a set of proposed regulations intended to limit the scope of the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM)-sponsored fishing tournaments (and other hazardous recreational activities) on Stafford Pond.

The public hearing was suggested by Councilor William P. Gerlach in the wake of a meeting with DEM, state Department of Health officials, town leaders and East Bay legislators. 

"It was a productive discussion, we made our case clear and in the next steps coming out, we were to told to follow up on the discussion on how to move forward - on how best to protect the water quality of Stafford Pond," said Gerlach. "However, it was the feeling of many of us at the meeting that the town shouldn't necessarily wait for DEM to take the lead on this."

Gerlach outlined the multiple issues facing Stafford Pond - starting with the DEM-sanctioned fishing tournaments that allows boats with large combustion engines to fish the pond after stocking it with fish. Gerlach also noted that the pond is an official Federal Aviation Administration seaplane landing location, has a public boat ramp and has continually battled contamination from failed septic systems, cesspools, and runoff from roads.

To safeguard Stafford Pond's water quality, Gerlach proposed amendments to Chapter 15 of Tiverton's ordinance dealing with drinking water "in the short term."

By Jan. 1, 2014 Gerlach said Tiverton's goal should be to impose a moratorium on any such potentially hazardous activities.

A tournament, which is defined as more than six boats, would now require a town permit - for a fee of $50 - from the town clerk to allow for the use of the Tiverton boat ramp.

Any group scheduling a tournament would also be required to pull a $1 million liability insurance policy that would cover any possible damage to the environment and water resource and the clean-up.

Applicants would be required to install Porta-Potties and trash receptacles 24 hours prior to DEM events and remove them no later than 24 hours after.

Applicants would also be required to hire a police detail for the two hours before the event, throughout the event and until one hour after the event.

Penalties are provided in the amount of up to $500 per instance.

The pond's waters serve as a primary drinking water resource to thousands of residents in the Stone Bridge Water District. The district's treatment plant is reportedly not capable of handling any kind of spill of gasoline, oil, or other inorganic substances.

"If I am reading this for the first time, it's as if you are trying to make it impossible almost to make fishing tournament [in Tiverton]," said Councilor Jay. J. Lambert.

He urged Gerlach to instead focus on closing Stafford Pond's waters to these types of potentially hazardous activities.

"The proposal that we have would be cost prohibitive," said Lambert.

"Those would be very expensive fishes," Lambert added. "I don't think anyone would ever have one there."

A separate public hearing, also scheduled for April 22, would restrict parking on both sides of Old Stafford Road if approved by the council.