Waneta, Lamoka get weed treatment

Waneta, Lamoka get weed treatment

FINGER LAKES--Various stakeholders both on a local and state level have finalized Wednesday, July 1 to begin treating for the invasive milfoil plant in the Lamoka and Waneta Lakes. The Lamoka Waneta Lakes' Association is working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Electric and Gas, SOLitude Lake Management and others to execute the plan.

"It takes a lot of effort to coordinate all the stakeholders involved," said Lamoka Waneta Lakes' Association President Jay White.
White said the process for getting this year's treatment off the ground had been delayed and made that much more complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We need state approval to get this done, and social distancing during the process of spraying would be impossible so we had to delay," White said.
Gates to the lakes will remain closed while the treatment is ongoing.
Paid for through the collection of tax revenue from the local lake district, a tax base made up entirely of only people who live on the lakes, White said his organization has been chosen by the district to administer the spraying.
"That doesn't mean we do the spraying, we hire a company to do that. We also hire people to go out on the lakes to test for what plants are out there and in what concentrations because with our budget we have to do targeted spraying because we can't afford to spray the whole lake," White said.
The lake itself will be sprayed with a herbicide called ProcellaCOR EC aquatic herbicide. White said the product has been engineered to be targeted to Eurasian milfoil and similar species of plants in order to minimize side kill and overall environmental impact. White added destroying as much milfoil as possible is tantamount because without management the invasive plant would choke away local plants and clog the lakes so badly it would be hard to get a paddleboat through it.
Native to Europe, Asia and Africa, Eurasian milfoil spreads rapidly in water, especially in the presence of nutrient-rich bodies of water.
The weeds make recreational use of the lake difficult, as thick mats and vegetation make it hard to swim, boat, jet ski, or fish. It also creates stagnation in the water creating perfect breeding conditions for mosquitos.