Lake George commission eyes weed killer that worked on Minerva Lake

A message from the town of Minerva,

Friends and neighbors,

The Lake George Park Commission is considering a new herbicide in the fight against an invasive and pervasive plant, Eurasian watermilfoil. This is the same herbicide that was used for the first time in the Adirondack Park, in 2020 on Minerva Lake.

Minerva Lake has had problems with milfoil over the years. Originally the invasive plants were hand-pulled from the lake starting in 2007. This did help which resulted in a milfoil population so low that the lake managers recommended a break. But this did not work and was a costly mistake resulting in the milfoil population skyrocketing. So in 2015, Minerva used a process called diver-assisted suction harvesting. How this works is that divers collect aquatic invasives into a hose that feed them onto a boat. However this was costly, $50,000 in 2015 and $75,000 in 2016. In comparison the herbicide treatment, that was used in 2020, cost about $27,000 inclusive of permitting and monitoring. The result, as reported by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), is that the herbicide did clear out the Eurasian watermilfoil over the entire 79-acre Minerva Lake. We know that the weed is not considered eradicated and will continue to monitor and harvest if need. Another positive factor is that the APA found that the herbicide did not have any negative effects on any native plants.

The article in the Adirondack Explorer can be found at: https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/minerva-lake-invasive-plant-herbicide-success

If you have any questions please email me at: [email protected] or call me at 518-251-2869.

Thanks,

Steve McNally, Town of Minerva Supervisor