SCHUYLER COUNTY—Legislator Dennis Fagan announced the weed killer Renovate OTF is now being applied in Waneta and Lamoka Lakes, at the Monday, May 11 Schuyler County Legislature meeting.

The weed killer is used on the invasive Eurasian milfoil. Fagan said the treatment would be complete for Waneta Lake Tuesday afternoon. Renovate was used in Lamoka Lake and Mill Pond starting after that and Fagan said should be complete by Wednesday, or Thursday at the latest. He explained the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation accepted the application for the second year of treatments in the lakes April 28. Bids for the treatments were accepted Feb. 18.

Fagan said the county will notify the public when it is safe to drink the lake water again. The water will be safe to drink two to four weeks after treatment is complete. For swimming, residents were told to wait three hours after treatment was completed.

Fagan said the problem is telling people not to use lake water on flowers, gardens and shrubs. The wait time is around 120 days after treatment. However, he said it is safe for watering the lawn. The county suggested using rain barrels and ground water wells instead.

Fagan added this now completes the two-year Renovate program of the lakes.

Cornell University did a study on the herbicide after treatments last year. According to the study, there were no overall adverse effects to fish. Some native plant life was harmed, but has since grown back.