Twin Island Association to meet on lake's future

PINE PLAINS — The Twin Island Lake Association will hold a public meeting Sunday, Oct. 14, at noon at the Lion’s Club Pavilion to discuss options for removing weeds from the lake.

Member Beth McLiverty said the association has three direct options.

"We could hire a company to rake the weeds from the lake or we could pursue treating the lake with chemicals," McLiverty said. "Option three is to do nothing and not have a lake. The weeds are growing so quickly it will eventually become impossible to walk or get through the lake, so it might become swamp land."

The condition of the lake has been a constant concern for the association. Throughout the year, the group has sponsored lake cleanup events where volunteers gathered at the lake to pull weeds.

McLiverty said the most likely option for the association to take is to hire a company to rake the lake.

"It would not be too complicated to get Department of Environment and Conservation [DEC] permits for raking because it doesn’t invade habitats like a chemical treatment would," she said. "Chemical treatment would be the most aggressive because it will restrict growth over a period of time and it would manage the weeds. But it’s a much more aggressive treatment."

Despite the constant concern of weeds overtaking the lake, she said there is some good news with the fish population.

"We have some really nice sized bass and we also have carp getting at some of the submerged weeds," she said. "There is some nice fishing at the lake, so the lake definitely has some great potential."

A cost estimate for either the raking or chemical treatment plans has not been calculated, but McLiverty said any plan would cost somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000.

"Fundraising for any project we might pursue is well under way," she said. "We are encouraging people to come forward to give us opinions so we can research and address concerns. We have to research up front approaches we might take, so we’re trying to get people involved to give us their opinions and to share their knowledge."

For more information, or to share an idea, call 518-398-7050.