Hydrilla treatment underway at the Cayuga Lake Inlet
October 12, 2011Ithaca (WSYR-TV) -- Hydrilla can grow up to an inch per day and up to 25 feet long and is clogging waterways and costing thousands of dollars to clean up. Now, Tompkins County is attempting to stop its spread before it's too late.
The invasive species has already taken root in at least ten spots in the Cayuga Lake Inlet. Environmental experts say the plant has the potential to spread into the Finger Lakes and beyond if something isn't done quickly.
Only ducks could be seen on the Cayuga Lake Inlet Wednesday, and if the thick mats of hydrilla continue to grow beneath the lake's surface, they could soon be the only ones capable of passing through.
"This is an emergency situation, the size and the magnitude, we have not seen locally," said City of Ithaca Clerk, Julie Conley.
The only boats currently allowed on the lake are air boats treating the 95 acres of infested waters. Crews have been out treating hydrilla with an herbicide meant to stop it in its tracks.
Holly Menninger, with the NY Invasive Species Research Institute said, "And to stop it most importantly from producing these little, tiny vegetation buds called turions that typically are produced in the fall. And that is what will spread out potentially into the lake. They spread very easily."
The herbicide isn't toxic to humans or animals and is applied two feet below the surface at no more than two miles per hour.
"Hydrilla's going to be with us for a while. They put these tubers, these storage roots into the sediment and that's where the new plants grow from every year," further explained Menninger.
So, this process or another will have to be revisited in the spring and maintained for years to come. This round of treatment alone will cost $100,000. But doing nothing experts say would cost much more.
"There's a lot of commercial businesses that are located up and down this inlet. This is their livelihoods," Conley said.
Hydrilla is new to the Cayuga Lake Inlet. So are hundreds of signs that have been posted at the State Marine Park in Ithaca. You'll find them on the dock and in the parking lot of the boat launch too.
The signs not only warn of hydrilla, they also indicate how you can help stop the spread of hydrilla, because all it needs to do is hitch a ride from the Inlet to the lake, and beyond to take this problem from thousands to millions of dollars.
The Cayuga Inlet will remain closed for 48 hours while the herbicide disperses. In the meantime, you should not use the water for drinking, cooking or any other domestic purpose.
On the web –
More about hydrilla from Cornell University
