Eurasian Watermilfoil
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Eurasian watermilfoil (or its scientific name, myriophyllum spicatum) is native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa. It is a submerged aquatic plant and grows in still or slow-moving water. In lakes or other aquatic areas where native aquatic plants are not well established, milfoil can quickly spread. It has been known to crowd out native plants and create dense mats that interfere with recreational activity. Dense growth of milfoil can also have a negative impact on fisheries by creating microhabitats for juvenile fish and obstructing space for larger fish ultimately disrupting normal feeding patterns.
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Taken by Lisa Napper in September 2016. Shows a dense milfoil patch just below the surface of Chazy Lake.
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Due to milfoil's inability to provide the same microhabitat for invertebrates as compared to native aquatic plant species, densely populated areas of milfoil create an ecosystem with less food sources for the surrounding fish. Dense milfoil growth can also create hypoxic zones by blocking out sun penetration to native aquatic vegetation preventing them from photosynthesizing. Milfoil grows primarily from broken off stems, known as shoot fragments, which increases the rate at which the plant can spread and grow.
Milfoil is the biggest challenge currently facing Chazy Lake. Milfoil was first detected in the Lake in the 1980s, and its existence was officially verified by the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) in 2006. Today, milfoil can be found throughout the Lake.
In 2008, Larry Eichler of the Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) conducted an aquatic vegetative survey and concluded that the Lake was significantly infested with milfoil. Since 2012, CLEC/CLWI has been combating the spread of milfoil through periodic drawdowns of the Lake via its dam. The Town of Dannemora is currently drawing down the Lake 2.5 feet on a three-year cycle. The Lake was lowered during the winters of 2011/12, 2014/15, and 2017/18, and we are scheduled to drawdown the Lake again during the winter of 2020/21.
In cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the drawdowns do not begin until September 15th, and the water is raised back to its normal level no later than April 1st. The majority of the milfoil in the Lake exists between a depth of 3 to 10 feet.
After each drawdown, and with the financial support of the Town of Dannemora, CLEC/CLWI has engaged DFWI to conduct an aquatic vegetative survey of the Lake to ensure that the drawdowns are having their intended effect. These surveys have concluded that the drawdowns have worked, as the quantity of shallow-water milfoil has been reduced without impacting the native species.
Milfoil is the biggest challenge currently facing Chazy Lake. Milfoil was first detected in the Lake in the 1980s, and its existence was officially verified by the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) in 2006. Today, milfoil can be found throughout the Lake.
In 2008, Larry Eichler of the Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) conducted an aquatic vegetative survey and concluded that the Lake was significantly infested with milfoil. Since 2012, CLEC/CLWI has been combating the spread of milfoil through periodic drawdowns of the Lake via its dam. The Town of Dannemora is currently drawing down the Lake 2.5 feet on a three-year cycle. The Lake was lowered during the winters of 2011/12, 2014/15, and 2017/18, and we are scheduled to drawdown the Lake again during the winter of 2020/21.
In cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the drawdowns do not begin until September 15th, and the water is raised back to its normal level no later than April 1st. The majority of the milfoil in the Lake exists between a depth of 3 to 10 feet.
After each drawdown, and with the financial support of the Town of Dannemora, CLEC/CLWI has engaged DFWI to conduct an aquatic vegetative survey of the Lake to ensure that the drawdowns are having their intended effect. These surveys have concluded that the drawdowns have worked, as the quantity of shallow-water milfoil has been reduced without impacting the native species.