Littleton Conservation Commission Approves Forge Pond Herbicide Plan, Flags Blood Road Risks

LITTLETON — May 19, 2026 — Littleton Conservation Commission unanimously approved an herbicide treatment plan for Forge Pond and raised sharp concerns about heavy equipment access on Blood Road during a lengthy Zoom session May 19. The commission voted 4-0 to authorize the use of ProcellaCOR to treat roughly 60 acres of Eurasian milfoil and 24 acres of variable milfoil at Forge Pond under a nearly finalized memorandum of understanding with Westford that caps Littleton's cost at $40,000; treatment of approximately 14 acres of fanwort using flumioxazin remains under consideration pending funding and compatibility review. A separate 4-0 vote issued a Certificate of Compliance with minor modification for a fence within the buffer zone at 18 Pleasant Street. The commission opened three public hearings — for a rare-species habitat enhancement at 0 Taylor Street, a five-unit cluster redevelopment at 359 King Street, and lily pad treatment at Cobb Pond — and continued all three pending DEP file numbers or site walks. The most contentious exchange came during the continued hearing for New England Power Company's transmission line rebuild (DEP #204-1033), where Co-Chair Chase Gerbig and Co-Chair Sarah Seaward pressed consultant Alison Milliman of BSC Group on whether Blood Road — a private dirt road immediately adjacent to wetlands — could sustain heavy construction traffic without causing resource-area impacts; Milliman agreed to bring stabilization options back to the applicant, and the hearing was continued to June 2.