About LMLMC

Long Meadow Lake Committee was established as a town agency in 1951. At that time the lake was a very different body of water from what it is today. Probably the most visible and audible difference was that back then powerboats were allowed. A set of ordinances was established that set the speed limit at 15mph, limited the use of motors to certain hours, and prohibited water skiing.  The committee’s most important responsibility then was to manage the public beach, build and maintain old wooden docks and bathhouse, hire a lifeguard, etc. We would also purchase and apply weed killer to areas around the town beach and Kasson Grove beach.

With increased state supervision of environmental issues it became problematic for the committee to continue the weed control. New regulations and permit applications made it necessary to retain a commercial applicator. The old wooden docks and floats were replaced with aluminum products.  This reduced much of the maintenance and made the annual installation and removal much easier.

The most meaningful change for the committee occurred in 1999 when the responsibility of the beach area and the lifeguard were turned over to the Bethlehem Parks and Recreation Commission. This is when we “morphed” into the Long Meadow Lake Management Committee with our major goal and responsibility being the long-term health of the lake. We changed from being focused on what was happening on the lake to what was happening in the lake.

Ever Wonder??
Long Meadow has all new water about every 71 days.  The lake's water supply is approximately 40% from springs and about 60% from runoff and our largest source of pollution entering the lake is storm water runoff!  Our largest source of fecal coliform bacteria comes from the Canadian Geese when they migrate in the fall.

Understand the Law:
In 2004 the State Legislature passed a law that states "...no person shall import, move, sell, purchase, possess, transplant, cultivate or distribute any of the following invasive plants: Curly Leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus); Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana); Eurasian Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum); Variable Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum); Water Chestnut (Trapa natans); Egeria (Egeria densa); and Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillate); {Any person who violates the provisions of this subsection shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars.

Bethlehem Code 93-7 states that "Homeowner private docks may be no more than six feet wide by twenty feet in length. Private floating rafts are prohibited". Any person violating this code shall be fined $100 per day for the duration of the violation.