Paradox Lake approved for herbicide in battle against invasives
As the Adirondack Park Agency board last week considered allowing the Paradox Lake Association to use a chemical herbicide to fight invasive milfoil, it started to open the door to a broader discussion.
As lake communities around the park see ProcellaCOR EC as a major improvement over other management tools, what is the best way to monitor long term impacts? And how to assist communities with more strategic lake planning?
The relatively new herbicide has been used to effectively kill Eurasian watermilfoil on scores of lakes around the Northeast, including on Minerva Lake in 2020 and Lake Luzerne this summer. APA staff reported a notable increase in permit applications with DEC and suggested a surge in requests could be headed the APA’s way. While trying not to stray too far from the permit on the table, board members raised questions about the broader landscape.
Board chair John Ernst asked whether there were any longer term scientific studies in the works. Board member Zoe Smith noted that not all lake associations and communities have the resources necessary to evaluate the pros and cons of using the herbicide. Some lakes are able to invest in lake management plans that outline a long term approach to managing invasive milfoil – those plans assure a permitting agency that a decision to employ the herbicide has been thought through.
“There is not enough support for our lake associations to make these decisions. They are all sort of on their own out there,” Smith said. “We are all dealing with the same issue, so why can’t we come together to think through a solution?”
Will the APA continue to consider the herbicide requests one by one and with no broader strategy? Will there be a comprehensive approach to studying the herbicide’s impacts and effectiveness across Adirondacks? Will lakes without the benefit of a well-resourced lake association be left on the sidelines?
We will continue to follow the issue.
Eurasian watermilfoil is one of the most invasive plants in the Adirondack Park. Explorer file photo.
Spill near Upper Saranac Lake
In October, almost 2,500 gallons of home heating oil were spilled at a home on Prospect House Lane near the northern shore of Upper Saranac Lake.
Spill experts with the state Department of Environmental Conservation responded to the spill and determined an “equipment failure” was responsible. A contractor has been working to recover oils from the spill. In a statement last week, a DEC spokesperson said, “No risks or impacts outside of the building envelope have been identified to date.”
The statement said the response will continue to determine the extent of contamination and ensure “corrective actions are protective of human health and the environment.”
If you are looking for an escape from family discourse this weekend, you can check out the latest oil spills across the state at the DEC’s spill incidents database: DEC Spills Database. The database is updated daily and includes records of chemical and petroleum spill incidents and dates to 1978.
Adirondack water ends up down here. The Hudson River in Ossining. Photo by Zachary Matson
Photo at top: Paradox Lake as seen from Severance Mountain. Photo by Zachary Matson.
This first appeared in Zach’s weekly “Water Line” newsletter. Click here to sign up.