The village of Lakewood Board of Trustees held a special meeting regarding the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation approving permits for herbicide use on Chautauqua Lake and then rescinding those permits.

Applicants for such permits included the town of Busti, the township surrounding the village of Lakewood and its shoreline.

“Even though we didn’t apply for a permit, the village of Lakewood still is the only person or body that could possibly approve the spraying of (herbicides) adjacent to the shorelines in the village of Lakewood,” said John LaMancuso, village attorney.

“Even if the village doesn’t have some sort of general authority over its own shoreline, it owns land adjacent to the shoreline and, certainly, the village should be heard if any person or purposes to spray (herbicides) into the water adjacent to the park,” he continued.

The Chautauqua Lake Partnership, with the backing of the towns of Ellery, North Harmony, Busti and Ellicott and village of Celoron, had applied for eight permits to use herbicides on roughly 1,000 acres of Chautauqua Lake. DEC officials issued three permits on May 15 approving herbicide use for 181 acres of the lake.

“I didn’t have my important questions answered,” Mayor Cara Birrittieri said.”I’m opposed to it because I don’t have the information that I need.”

Chautauqua Lake Partnership officials said Monday the permits are being reworked.

The board expressed concerns of the town of Busti’s intention to spray herbicides on Lakewood’s shoreline without approval from the village first. In the permits that were approved and since been rescinded, included areas off the shore of Lakewood as target areas for herbicide use.

“We have the town of Busti running right around us in the decision making process,” said Douglas Schutte, board trustee.

The above mentioned approval of such use would not be possible without more information, according to Birrittieri.

“My take on all this is I haven’t heard anything conclusive or anything close to being conclusive on how this will impact our algae problem which is the biggest problem in Lakewood,” she said.

“Therefore, my feeling at this point is that until we can find how (herbicide use) will impact the algae problem and assure us that the actual health — literal health– human health and animal health that plays and recreates very directly in the water (isn’t affected) I feel that we should proceed extremely cautiously as a village board given that so many of our people live along (the lake).”

Birrittieri said the village’s stance isn’t necessarily applicable to other municipalities and that Lakewood simply wants authority of its own municipality.

“What were trying to do is enforce our authority over the village of Lakewood shore,” she said. “What happens elsewhere, obviously, they can go forward with spraying in Bemus and spraying in Celoron… it’s simply how we feel about our shoreline in Lakewood and the way this has proceeded in terms of authority.”