Dealing with the weed

By CHRIS CONROY

BETHEL — While there is nothing inherently dangerous about Eurasian milfoil, it can seriously impact a lake or pond.

It was that simple fact, coupled with the confirmation that the nuisance aquatic plant is present in Kauneonga and White Lakes, which prompted the town board to call a special meeting on March 7 to discuss the problem.

Joining the board once again was Martin Miesko of Nature Works, a company that specializes in the chemical removal of milfoil.

Once milfoil sets in, Miesko explained, shallow water areas become thick with the weed. The growth of the plant also crowds out local plant life, removing spawning ground for indigenous fish.

The plant is carried from lake to lake via watercraft or waterfowl. This fact alone makes total eradication impossible in any one area.

Miesko said he has seen great short-term success using chemical controls. For the Bethel situation, he recommended a systemic herbicide.

Systemic herbicides directly effect the life cycle of the plant, preventing it from reproducing. Applying it to the milfoil growth, Miesko said, leads to near complete control in the first year and has shown residual control for up to three years from a single treatment. “No one will promise you more than that,” he said.

Miesko said that after his inspection of the lakes, a systemic herbicide application would run the town about $38,975.

Supervisor Allan Scott said he did not want this project to impact the town’s taxes. The board had resolved at a previous meeting to begin the search for external funds to pay for any treatment. The town may also seek voluntary financial assistance from homeowners around the lakes.

Scott said the board would most likely hold public hearings, though law does not require them. All landowners around the lake will be notified of any chemical application.

The board is still looking into alternatives to the chemical application and hopes to have an expert on biological controls attend the next town board meeting.