It’s summer and time to enjoy Cazenovia Lake – whether you are relaxing at Lakeland Park beach, enjoying a boat ride, watching the sunset from the Brewster Inn lawn, or paddling a kayak. For many years, the town has been committed to improving the health of the lake and caring for the lake watershed, and committed to working with the village and the Lake Association through the Cazenovia Lake Watershed Council to accomplish these goals.
In 2009, 2011 and 2013 the Council undertook the time-consuming and expensive steps necessary to treat the lake with Renovate, an herbicide that specifically attacks the invasive species Eurasian Watermilfoil. A number of other town actions have been directed toward reducing runoff into the lake — including the recent drainage improvements on Lincklaen Road, Wright Road and East Lake Road as well as changes to what we put on the roads in the winter.
We have also worked to cut or “harvest” some of the weed growth in the lake that interferes with recreational uses. This approach is necessary because much of the weed growth is native species not affected by the chemical treatment, and because more frequent chemical treatment is both unaffordable and ecologically unwise.
With the purchase of a new FX 11 weed harvester from Alpha Boats this year the Town Highway Department, under the direction of Tim Hunt, has been able to accomplish an amazing amount. The big orange harvester, with a crew of two, has been on the lake every Monday through Thursday each week since May 26. Because the harvester is equipped with a sophisticated GPS system, the crew can make sure weed-cutting is being done efficiently.
As of June 22, we removed over 1,200 tons (1,800 cubic yards) of vegetation from the lake. This is distributed to farmers to fertilize their fields. Obviously reducing the weed growth makes boating and swimming easier and more pleasant. But it is important to note that it also removes from the lake nutrients that contribute to the growth of algae and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
So far this summer, the harvester has removed over 5,000 pounds of nitrogen and almost 8,000 pounds of phosphorus. The harvester will continue to be deployed until mid-September.
Lake conditions vary each year largely in response to the weather. The sunny dry weather this year has promoted vigorous plant growth. In September, Bob Johnson and team from Cornell will complete their plant survey. The Watershed Council will convene a public meeting later in the fall to review conditions and plan for next year. Stay tuned!
