The state DEC has approved more acreage for treatment of curly leaf pondweed on Chautauqua Lake than it has in the past. The treatment was somewhat in doubt in late March when initial permits were sent back to some areas that had applied for herbicide permits because the areas had received a positive jurisdiction from the DEC as wetlands that required a longer-form permit for herbicides. The Article 24 permit can take 60 to 90 days to review and approve, a timeline that called into question the late April decisions needed to use herbicides to treat curly leaf pondweed.

DEC officials pushed the permits through quickly, as DEC officials promised at the Chautauqua Lake Symposium held in late March. This week’s approval means the CLP’s contractor can apply the herbicide Clearcast on April 28-29. The herbicide needed to be applied by May 1 to be effective in eradicating curly leaf pondweed.

“The DEC has approved 450 acres of the 463 acres requested for Clearcast to be applied for curly leaf pondweed control on Chautauqua Lake,” the Chautauqua Lake Partnership said in an email to members on Thursday. “This is the most acreage approved by the DEC for either pondweed or milfoil application. This is the first time Clearcast will be used on Chautauqua Lake. It is considered to be a safe and effective herbicide for the control of certain types of pondweed.”

Acreage approved for treatment next week totals 95 acres in Busti, 66 acres in Lakewood, 131 acres in Ellery, 68 acres in Bemus Point and 90 acres in Ellicott and Celoron. But just because the DEC has approved permitting doesn’t mean the CLP will be able to treat all 450 acres of Chautauqua Lake. The cost to apply that much Clearcast is about $400,000, and the CLP is also going to apply for permits to treat some areas of Chautauqua Lake with ProcellaCOR to decrease Eurasian milfoil in the lake.

This map shows areas the state DEC has approved for herbicide applications April 28-29 in Chautauqua Lake.

The CLP is trying to raise more money for this year’s herbicide treatments and said the organization will update the public soon regarding how many acres it will be able to treat.

“We are about $150,000 short,” CLP officials said. “We are in the process of reaching out to some of the foundations that have funded our efforts in the past to see if we can get additional money. The towns and villages involved only provide $90,000 for herbicide application. We get the balance of the money from the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (foundations provide the money to the alliance). We want to be able to apply the full amount. If you can help out now, we would so appreciate it. Go to chqlake.org/donate/ for a secure link for donations. Every bit will help.”

DEC officials also clarified the status of lake permits that have been discussed for the past year by DEC officials, including in February when state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, questioned Sean Mahar, who was then the interim commissioner of the DEC. Public comments on a Lakes and Shorelines General Permit (GP-0-25-007) and Management of Invasive Species (GP-0-25-008) are accepting public comments until March 31 by visiting https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/general-permits/proposed-general-permits. Once the DEC reviews the comments, a decision will be announced in the Environmental Notice Bulletin on the DEC’s website. By that timeline, the two permits wouldn’t be ready for the 2025 season, but should be in place for the 2026 season. Those permits may limit the need for full Article 24 permits for herbicide applications on the lake in the future.