As different studies showed, erosion is one of the biggest threats to our crown jewel, Hamilton Reservoir. Deforestation and development of land are the main culprits causing erosion. Unpaved roads also contribute to the problem and we have many of those here in our town.

The solution to the problem is the treatment of water runoff and storm water management. With a system of catch basins and culverts, sediments and pollutants are captured and separated from the water. It is imperative that these catch basins are emptied on a regular basis. Unless frequently maintained, catch basins don't work and can become a source of pollutants through resuspension.

A concerned citizen called the Holland Blog and reported that one of these catch basins located in the south corner of the parking lot of PJ’s was not working which led to flooding of Mashapaug Road and erosion of the beach opposite PJ’s.
The problem is ongoing as the catch basins notoriously are neglected by the Highway Department under Brian Johnson.

Brian Johnson, elected Highway Superintendent and son of Earl Johnson, one of our selectmen, has a high speed internet connection at his office paid for by the taxpayer at the tune of $79 a month. According to information obtained by the Holland Blog from a town official that does not want to be named here, the expense is “justified” as Mr. Brian Johnson needs to be informed about the weather... (Doesn’t he have a television at home to watch the weather channel during breakfast as everybody else does??)
This image shows the submerged grate of the broken catch basin. According to a witness, the water was rushing out of this catch basin like a fountain, indicating that the water from uphill could not drain through the culvert leading to the other side of the road.

It is obvious that Brian Johnson is either using his internet connection for other purposes (the most likely one starts also with the letter “p”) or is unable, despite being informed about the weather, to connect the dots; more rain - more sediment in the catch basins - neccessary cleanouts more often. The Highway Department has a fancy lift-attachment to their expensive truck for this purpose.
This image shows the discharge pipe of the catch basin. If the catch basin would just be filled up with sediment, the water would still drain despite the filled up catch basin. As there is no water, the discharge pipe must be blocked in addition to a filled up catch basin.

When Brian’s father Earl Johnson answered to a phone call by a concerned citizen earlier today, Earl informed him that the highway department does not work on Fridays.
Brian does well; at the time he was elected to the Highway Superintend, he was a jobless construction worker. Now he is paid by the taxpayer $54,280 a year for part-time work (4 days a week).
In this image the erosion is shown caused by the water flowing over the road instead of through the culvert shown in the third image.

This image shows the large area washed out opposite PJ’s.

The pictures shown here were taken at least four hour after the rain stoped.

Click on any image to enlarge!

This picture shows a spontaneous discharge in the middle of PJ’s parking lot indicative of a broken pipe underground, probably the pipe carrying the runoff from the hill behind PJ’s parking lot that is diverted into the catch basin.
This image is a view from the hill behind PJ’s showing the flooded Mashapaug Road and water flowing over the pavement into the lake.

This image shows a pipe up on the hill behind PJ’s. The pipe is dry and the water rushes through the ground causing more erosion. I noticed the smell of sewage while on the scene.

The Recreation Committee is organizing swimming lessons in the area marked with orange floating markers shown in the last image. Don't they smel the sewage?

Everybody who likes what they see and does not want change is encouraged to stay home during the next elections so a few can re-elect the same people to make sure that nothing will ever change.

Scenes like the one just described can be found all around the lake. Instead of addressing the problem and fixing it, the problem is ignored and in the best case used to blame inconvenient individuals critical of the town government, individuals like James LaMountain, for causing erosion. I have observed and analyzed the situation on the hillside property off Mashapaug Road and noticed that the water would have to flow uphill to cross Mashapaug Road to reach the lake.

Erosion threatens our Lake!