Eurasian Milfoil (left) and Curly Leaf Pondweed
MAYVILLE – A consulting firm from Lancaster, NY has provided Chautauqua County with a white paper report that focuses on lake weed management and the available herbicides that could be used to help manage aquatic plants and weeds in Chautauqua Lake.
The report from Ecology and Environment, Inc. is entitled, “Summary of Methods for Control of Aquatic Invasive and Nuisance Plants with Special Emphasis on Eurasian Watermilfoil and Curly-leaf Pondweed.” A copy of the full report can be found at the county website.
The firm prepared the white paper through in-depth research and examination of peer-reviewed papers, environmental impact statements, text books, herbicide product labels obtained from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and management guides and guidelines.
The white paper examines various biological, chemical, and physical aquatic plant management techniques to help control the amount of Eurasian watermilfoil and curly-leaf pond weed (the two most problematic plant species) found in the Lake. It also identifies the advantages, disadvantages, and environmental impacts associated with each technique from a third party perspective.
To control these aquatic invasive plant species, the report recommends to:
- Regularly monitor plant communities,
- Utilize the most effective combinations of available biological, chemical, and physical management techniques and tools available,
- Rotate herbicides used at a given site in order to prevent herbicide resistance in targeted plants.
“We were pleased to have this independent, third party firm evaluate various approaches to address the weeds in Chautauqua Lake,” said Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development. “It is important that we have an approach to periodically evaluate our decisions and goals for Chautauqua Lake, and E&E’s white paper will help us establish best management practices for our Comprehensive Lake Management Strategy.”
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