BY Jason Emerson
While details are still being iron out, plans are progressing to treat about 190 acres of Cazenovia Lake with chemical herbicide in 2019 to help fight the invasive weed Eurasian watermilfoil. While the exact locations have not been decided, the cost will be about $220,000, paid mostly by funds raised by the Cazenovia Lake Association (CLA).
Discussions on next year’s lake treatment were had last week by officials from the town of Cazenovia, the CLA and the state Department of Environmental Conservation during a meeting at the town office.
The 2019 lake treatment will again be done by the company SOLitude Lake Management, of Hackettstown, N.J., and will consist of using the herbicide Trichlopyr, which has the brand name of Renovate, said Town Supervisor Bill Zupan.
The exact treatment locations will determined by the results of the 2018 lake toss study of aquatic plant life in Cazenovia Lake, conducted by Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologists, which was presented at this year’s annual Cazenovia Lake Summit, Zupan said.
This will be the first chemical treatment of the lake since 2017, and it was agreed by Zupan and CLA President Bob Greiner that the treatment schedule moving forward will likely continue to be biennial – with Greiner saying that it usually takes two years of fundraising to accrue the cost for a single year of treatment.
In addition to the chemical treatment in 2019, the town of Cazenovia will continue its additional lake health efforts of using the town weed harvester to remove invasive plant life and the rental and use of benthic mats that smother and kill invasive weeds. The village of Cazenovia will also continue its steward program at the Lakeside Park boat launch, which monitors and acts against potential invasive weeds being carried into the lake by incoming boats.
The town board will discuss and likely approve a resolution to authorize the 2019 chemical treatment of the lake during its December meeting, Zupan said.
For more information on Cazenovia Lake health and chemical treatments, visit the town website at townofcazenovia.org or contact Supervisor Bill Zupan through the town office; or visit the CLA website at cazlake.org. Donations to support the chemical treatments of Cazenovia Lake can also be made through the CLA website.
