Greenwood Lake's decision to forego pesticides wins approval

Greenwood Lake — The Greenwood Lake Board of Trustees will use a hydrorake to remove troublesome weeks that have plagued the lake for many years, a decision applauded by Orange Environment. “Orange Environment has always opposed the use of chemicals which introduce environmental hazards to the lake while only suppressing milfoil for a year or two before it reappears,” said Kathy Baker Skafidas, Orange Environment’s executive director, in a press release. “We are pleased with a recent decision by the Greenwood lake Village Board of Trustees to refrain from herbicide use as a treatment for plant over growth.” Instead, the village is applying for a grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation to help pay for the $250,000 hydrorake, which pulls weeds with the root from the ground. The Town of Warwick and Orange County have also applied for grants to help pay for the rake, according to Greenwood Lake Mayor Barbara Moore. “We held a pubic hearing and people did not want us to use chemicals in the lake,” said Moore. “If we don’t get the grant, we’re hoping to buy the rake anyway.” The town, county and village each applied for $100,000 from the Invasive Species Grant, which is distributed through the Department of Environmental Conservation. According to Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, they should know in the fall whether they get the grants for work to begin next year. The weeds in the lake have been a major problem in Greenwood Lake for many years. The weed growth is, in part, a result of development and recreational impacts. The village has taken action in other ways to help rid the lake of the weeks. To eradicate sediment from coming into the lake, Moore said the village is retrofitting storm drains with basket devices to catch sediment before it flows into the lake. They have done 15 of the drains and hope to complete 30 more by the end of the summer. According to Orange Environment, herbicides can remain in the lake sediment for years and travel long distances through water, eventually causing a threat to ecosystem health. Another alternative method to rid the lake of weeds, according to Skafidas, is introducing the native weevil, an insect that can reduce the amount of weeds for a longer period of time than herbicides or harvesters. This method has been planted in over 80 lakes nationwide and has been very successful, she said. Another option is to introduce sterile grass carp into the lake, which eat a lot of vegetation. The carp must be sterile, though, so they don’t multiply. The state of New Jersey, Skafidas noted, has banned the use of grass carp. Another option is to use trained scuba divers to manually pull the weeds from the bottom of the lake. Moore said the village would hire divers to hand-harvest the weeds in addition to using the hydrorake. “Natural methods to eradicate the lake’s plant life should be tried first because we have a responsibility to keep our environment healthy and our children and citizens safe,” said Skafidas.