By-Laws (pdf)

General Rules

Andover Lake is a private lake for use only by its members and their guests. Use of the Lake by other people should be reported to Lake Security or to an ALPOA or ALMA Board Member.

Andover Lake does contain some underwater physical hazards, therefore swimming at any location other than the beach is at ones own risk.

ALMA maintains right of ways for members to have access to the Lake at points other than the beach area, but swimming at these areas is at ones own risk.

The Dam is NOT a designated right of way. Therefore, this area cannot be used for swimming, fishing or boat launching. The land behind the dam that makes up the spillway (rock, concrete and a good portion of the concrete apron) is on private property, not ALMA property. The landowner's do not want anyone trespassing on their property. This is a dangerous area and serious injuries are possible. For your own saftey, please respect our neighbors and keep out of this area.

All members must prove membership and present their membership card at the beach, upon request of a board member, lifequard or Lake Security person. Upon arrival to the beach members must sign the Membership sign-in book. If accompanied by a guest(s) members must sign the Guest sign-in book with their guest(s) name. When a guest comes to the beach unaccompanied by a member, they need to present the member card and must sign both sign-in books. *Caregivers of member children (in place of an adult in the household) are not required to use a guest visit.

One visit allows up to as many as 5 guests. A visit consists of an entire day (you may come and go as you please).

If more than five are desired, the member must contact the head lifequard (Gretchen Olson) and arrange for extra coverage at a cost per hour.

Children under 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult (a person 16 years old or older). There is a limit of no more than 4 children under 10 per adult over 16 years of age.

For fishing regulations, anglers should refer to the Statutes of the State of Connecticut. A fishing license is required and may be obtained at the Town Clerks Office at the Andover Town Hall.

No guns, including air guns, are allowed on ALMA Property.

The Lake is the property of ALMA, therefore before erecting a dock, altering the waterfront, or launching a float, consent must be first obtained from ALMA.

BOATING RULES AND GUIDELINES

It is the responsibility of the ALPOA member to make these General Application Rules and Water Safety Guidelines known to the member's family and guests for those family members and guests who seek to boat on Andover Lake.

A. Rules of General Application

All boats must display the current ALPOA boat sticker, placed on both the right and left front areas of the boat and be clearly visible. Membership number must also appear on the boat.
Boating within the roped swimming area at the beach is not permitted.
NO MOTORS of any kind are allowed on the Lake. This includes, but is not limited to, boat motors (gas or electric), snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, motor vehicles and gas powered ice augers.
No sail boating within 50 feet of the raft or between the beach and the raft is allowed at any time.
Lake front property owners may moor boats in the lake directly off their property, but must be no more than 25 from shore. No boats can be moored off any right of way.

B. Water Safety Guidelines

Compliance with these Water Safety Guidelines is the responsibility of the member, the member's family and guests who seek to boat on Andover Lake. Non compliance with these Water Safety Guidelines, accidental errors or poor boating judgment may possibly cause property damage, serious injury or death and the boater and the ALPOA member permitting such boating who does not comply with these Guidelines, solely and personally assume the risk of any property damage, injury or death caused by or contributed by such noncompliance. In fact all boating on Andover Lake is at the risk of the operator of the boat and member permitting such boating, and ALPOA and ALMA assume no risk for any boating on Andover Lake.

All boats shall be seaworthy and shall never have on board more persons than its lawful capacity to minimize the risk of any incident, accident or capsizing.
No one under the age of 14 shall be on board any boat without adult (21 or older) supervision.
All persons on board any boat shall at all times be wearing a Coast Guard approved PFD (Personal Floatation Device) "Life Jacket".
All persons on board any boat shall not stand, jump or dive into the water from such boat for recreation or swimming purposes.
No alcohol shall be on board any boat, nor shall any occupant be impaired by alcohol or any other substance.

BEACH RULES
The beach is open ONLY during the season operating hours listed on the activities page. At no time is there beach access during closed hours or off season.

Upon arriving at the beach, all members must present their membership card to the lifeguard on duty and sign-in the Member Sign-in Book.

Guests must be accompanied by a member with a membership card, and be signed in by the member in the Guest Sign-in Book. There is a limit of 5 guests per visit.

Enter and exit the roped in swim area by the beach only. No swimming outside the roped-in area. No fishing or boating within the roped area.

Children under 14 years old must be accompanied by an adult (a person 16 years old or older). There is a limit of no more than 4 children under 10 per adult over 16 years of age. There could be some 10 to 13 year olds who do not appear to be able to take care of themselves. In such a situation, the Lifeguards shall exercise discretion. They do have the option to notify the parents of these children. Supervision by an adult may be needed in some cases for these children to be safe and healthy at the beach, on one particular day and possibly in the future. This is to be decided by the discretion of the Lifeguards, also.

No glass containers are allowed on the beach. No alcoholic beverages. No animals are permitted, except seeing-eye or hearing assist dogs.

Members are responsible for discarding their own trash, cigarette butts, etc. when leaving the beach. Children are responsible for filling in holes dug in the sand.

Throwing of any objects (rocks) is not allowed.

Lifeguard chairs and other beach equipment is off-limits to all except staff. The guardhouse and phone is for Lifeguard and Beach Committee use, and Emergencies.

Any activities that are dangerous or annoying to others, such as: intoxication or the use of profanity, will not be tolerated and can result in expulsion from the beach by the Lifeguard on duty.

A running approach/surface dive into the water from the beach is not permitted.

All members and guests under 13 years old are required to pass a swim test before going to the raft. Children who cannot pass this test will not be allowed on the raft. Being accompanied by an adult is NOT an exception. No more than 10 people are allowed on the raft at one time. No unnecessary roughness is permitted on the raft. Diving off the back of the raft and swimming underneath is not allowed.

A member who wishes to host a party for more than 5 guests can submit to the Head Life Guard or ALPOA a request at least 2 weeks in advance. Cost for such party is $15 per hour per 20 people including member(s). In addition there is a pavilion fee of $25, which includes use of the grill. Cost of the party is due upon reservation of such party. Reminder to parties there is no glass or alcohol allowed on the beach. Refuse from parties need to be removed from the beach by party members. A party is when one or more members want to bring more than 5 guests at one time for a common purpose. Contact Gretchen Olson at 860-869-8090 or angel2truth at tmail.com for reservations.

Andover Lake is private property, solely supported by the membership. Dues collected are used to maintain and improve the quality of the Lake and environment, as well as to support recreational activities for members. Membership in ALPOA is required for those wishing to use the Lake, Beach facilities and Right-of-ways for any purpose (including swimming, boating or fishing at the beach, right of ways, or from private property).

ALPOA dues are now payable and are accepted until May 15th. After May 15th, there will be a $15.00 late charge (does not apply to new memberships).

LAKE SECURITY

The security guard is reachable at (860) 655-4407 (Will).

ISLAND USE

The Island can be used between 9PM and 9AM only if a permit has been obtained 48 hours in advance, with deposit. Details are on the permit.

DOCKS, FLOATS AND RETAINING WALLS

It is the intent of Andover Lake Management Association (ALMA) to maintain, protect and preserve the natural habitat that constitutes Andover Lake and its surrounds (watershed areas). To assist towards that end, ALMA uses the following guidelines, plus the services of our ad hoc committee (DFW) Docks, Floats, and Retaining Walls. This committee is available to the members of the Andover Lake Property Owners Association (ALPOA) for questions, suggestions, and assistance. Correspondence can be sent to ALMA at P.O. Box 3, Andover, CT 06232.

ALMA must approve all docks, floats and walls constructed or placed on the Lake. This applies to new docks, floats, and walls, as well as to changes to existing docks, floats, and walls beyond simple maintenance. A written description of the project must be submitted to ALMA. The DFW committee will review these proposals. Any exceptions to the following guidelines will be noted.

In addition to ALMA.s approval, any construction activity involving docks, floats, and walls will require the applicant to communicate with and receive approval from the Andover Wetlands officer. If a Wetlands Commission Application is required, ALMA as owner of the lake bottom must sign the application as owner if any construction is below the high water mark. Such an application will need to contain:

Description of the work to be completed
What equipment is to be used
Diagrams as necessary to indicate: the wall construction, drainage stone and filter fabric, all relative to the lake.
Location of Septic System and leaching fields.
Changes in any biostabalization materials: or indicate that none changed.
Approximate slope of property: from road to dwelling, dwelling to shoreline.

A letter of approval is needed from ALMA before the Wetlands Commission can act on the application. The applicant/homeowner should include the name and ID# of their Homeowner's Liability Insurance coverage policy and ALPOA membership number on any application. All docks, floats and walls are the personal property of the landowner who is solely responsible for them. ALMA and ALPOA will not be responsible for any damage to them, or damage they may cause. The proper anchoring of docks and floats is the responsibility of the landowner.

The property owner is advised that all docks and floats are located on ALMA property and continuous ALPOA membership is required. Failure to maintain this membership will result in the removal of the docks and floats from the lake.

It is the policy of ALMA to lower the water level of the Lake each fall, for the winter. Ice that forms may impact docks, floats or walls. Pre-plan any repairs knowing that this is customary. After ALMA approval on your plans for retaining walls ALL RETAINING WALLS MUST BE APPROVED BY TOWN OF ANDOVER WETLANDS COMMISSION.

DOCKS: All docks must be properly attached to the land or retaining wall within the owner's property lines and cannot extend beyond the property lines as extended into the lake. A dock cannot be wider than 8 feet and extend further into the Lake than 20 feet. A "T" or "L" configuration cannot be more than 20 feet long parallel to the shore. The water depth must be sufficient for its purpose. To minimize the potential for ice damage, ALMA prefers that the dock be of the floating dock type or supported by a structure that can easily be removed such as that used in pipe docks . docks with pipe supports supported in metal sleeves.

Materials: Wood, plastic, plastic-wood composites, and foam are acceptable. Western red cedar and Cypress are recommended. Use untreated materials (e.g. cedar, tamarack, hemlock, rocks, plastic, etc.) as supports for dock structures that will be submerged in water. Treated lumber may contain compounds that can be released into the water and become toxic to the aquatic environment. Treated lumber that is environmentally-friendly (see definition below) may be used for dock structures that are above water. Anything not clearly stated as an acceptable material, or procedure, requires special permission of the ALMA board and the Andover Wetlands Commission. No concrete posts, pilings, or underwater cribs filled with rocks are to be used, as they cannot be removed and they disturb the Lake bottom. Any units used for flotation must be plastic or foam. The use of encased closed cell foam for floatation is encouraged. The use of metal 55 gallon drums is not allowed. Metal is allowed for the support structure for docks, in particular, for pipe docks. Every dock must have a non-skid surface. Electricity is not permitted on docks. DEP and CT and Andover Wetlands must have approved all materials.

Environmentally-friendly lumber and stains: Approved preservatives used most commonly in lumber are Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) and Copper Azole (CA). Creosote treated wood should not be used in or near water.

FLOATS: All floats must be located within the owner's property lines (as extended into the water). They must be properly anchored to the Lake bottom. The maximum size of any float is 100 square feet, and the maximum distance from the shore is 50 feet. The maximum distance from shore may be increased in special circumstances with permission from the ALMA board and the Andover Wetlands Commission. The water depth must be sufficient for its purpose.

Materials: are the same as above for docks. The use of plastic or foam for the flotation units is encouraged. The use of 55 gallon industrial drums is not allowed. As with docks, all floats must have a non-skid surface and electricity is not permitted on a float. All Materials must have approval of ALMA, DEP Wetlands, and Andover Wetlands.

RETAINING WALLS: The height and width of all retaining wall will depend on the topography of the site and the specific application. In all instances, the wall will be the least invasive to, and/or obstructive of, the natural habitat of the Lake. Owners are encouraged to construct walls of stone or jagged rock (riprap). Use of pressure treated lumber is not allowed. Maximum use of biostabalization is urged by ALMA as well as minimum use of hardscape materials.

WALL REPLACEMENT: (Also: construction to attach a dock). In addition to the guidelines given in the previous section on retaining walls, the following practices should be followed during the construction, destruction, or repair of a wall or rip-rap area:

The wall should be built within the existing property boundaries, above the present high water mark, and should not encroach further into the ALMA lake property.
Activities should avoid the introduction of nutrients or other pollution into the lake.
Sanitized materials should be used to avoid the introduction of foreign organisms (i.e. invasive plant or animal life).
Stone should be placed between the earth to be retained and the wall to enable free drainage and therefore increase the durability of the wall.
Filter fabric should be placed between the drainage stone and the wall. If rip-rap is the retaining medium, the filter fabric should be placed between the earth and the rip-rap.
Avoid the use of excavation equipment if possible (Reduce introduction of pollution to the lake). Any powered excavation equipment must be approved by ALMA and the Andover Wetlands Commission.
If excavation equipment must be used, it must stay off the lakebed.
If a retaining wall is to be built rather than sloped rip-rap, the wall should be sloped as much as possible, base to top, away from the lake, to avoid disturbing the normal wave action as much as possible.