In the fall of 2018, hydrilla was spotted offshore of Don’s Marina in King Ferry by the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges during a kayak-based survey of Cayuga Lake’s entire shoreline. The marina was dredged in early 2019 to try to remove all the hydrilla. Subsequently, weekly monitoring was carried out by staff of the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and they found a small patch of hydrilla plants in that area that spring.
During the summer of 2019, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District, began a project aimed toward the eradication of hydrilla from this portion of Cayuga Lake. They applied Endothall in a granular form and they collected water samples in consultation with the Health Department after the application until the samples showed that the pesticide was not detected in the area.
Sampling locations from 2019 can be found here and the results from sampling can be found here.
During 2020, the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges will monitor the site for regrowth, and if found, will coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for spot treatment with chelated copper. More information will be found here if more hydrilla is found in this area.
For questions please contact the Cayuga County Health Department at 315-253-1560