Lake Lillinonah to be chemically treated for Algae and Milfoil

Posted: July 6, 2010

The Lake Lillinonah Authority, as it has done in the past, will once again hire a contractor (Aquatic Control Technologies) to apply chemicals to try to reduce the presence of algae and milfoil in the lake.  The CT DEP has issued a permit to apply one treatment of diquat for the Eurasian Watermilfoil (the green plants that grow in the shallows) and up to five treatments of copper sulfate to reduce algae (the green in our water).  On Tuesday, July 13, 2010, the diquat treatment and the first copper sulfate treatment will occur.  Signs will be posted by the contractor, and an automated telephone announcement will be initiated by the LLA.  If you are not on the LLA’s telephone announcement list and would like to be notified by phone of lake treatments, drawdowns and other events, please visit the Lake Lillinonah Authority’s website (LakeLillinonahAuthority.org) and click the ‘Join Lake Alert’ button.

For more information on diquat, please visit the following link:
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/dienochlor-glyphosate/diquat-ext.html

For more information on copper sulfate, please visit the following link:
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/carbaryl-dicrotophos/copper-sulfate-ext.html

While Friends of the Lake strongly supports the LLA and its efforts to improve Lake Lillinonah, it is our position that the application of these chemicals is a short-term ‘band-aid’ solution to a larger problem.  We are against adding chemicals to the lake in general.  This DEP permit allows 15 gallons of diquat and 1,675 pounds of copper sulfate (divided into 5 treatments, not closer than 30 days apart) to be applied to the lake.  Friends of the Lake believes that the algae and plants killed by the chemicals are merely returned as nutrients to the lake which will aid the growth of the next generation of algae and milfoil.

Please explore our website to learn about other initiatives taking place to reduce the nutrients entering Lake Lillinonah.  If we can lower the amount of nutrients in the Lake to a level below that which algae can survive, we can attain algae-reduced or algae-free water.  Milfoil gets its nutrients from underwater soils near the shoreline.  We support mechanical or biological remedies to reduce milfoil.

We will post further announcements regarding Lake treatments as they become available.