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gbacon@observertoday.com
MAYVILLE – A new proposal on how to manage Chautauqua Lake is now in the hands of various local municipalities and stakeholders.
On Wednesday, County Executive PJ Wendel, joined by county staff, unveiled the Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at a press conference in the County Legislative Chambers in Mayville. The eagerly-awaited MOU is the next generation version of the 2019 Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Agreement, which had a two-year tenure and termed out at the end of April 2021. Wendel referred to the 2021 MOU as “brilliant in its simplicity,” as the 20+ tenets contained in the original MOA have been replaced with language that encourages cooperation among essential Chautauqua Lake stakeholders. A majority of the stakeholders, who have been encouraged to sign the MOU in the coming weeks, were present at the event.
County Officials Unveil Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding
County Executive
PJ Wendel was joined by County staff to unveil a
Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding Wednesday night. The M-O-U follows the 2019 Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Agreement, which ended April 30th.
Wendel said most would agree that the 2019 M-O-A was a success with a number of initiatives achieved,
“A combined effort to improve near-shore cleanup utilizing Mobitracs, Barges, and Harvesters; an increased ability to move more quickly respond to the stakeholders’ needs; the use of a new
herbicide, ProcellaCOR, product to control
Eurasian Watermilfoil; the use of satellite-based Geographic Information System technology to track the movement of equipment and the location of herbicide applications on the Lake.”
jwhittaker@post-journal.com
Chautauqua Lake Association crews and Mobitracs from the town of Chautauqua have coordinated on the cleanup of aquatic plants and debris this summer, including last week’s efforts in Bemus and North Harmony.
P-J photo by Jay Young
The use of herbicides in Chautauqua Lake north of Long Point State Park is shaping up to be a contentious issue in 2021.
Applications for herbicide permits in Chautauqua Lake have already been delivered to the state DEC asking for permission to use herbicide on about 900 acres of Chautauqua Lake.
A study of submerged vegetation throughout the lake by North Carolina University students found Eurasian milfoil as the second-most prominent type of vegetation in the town of Chautauqua’s waters. Out of 381 sampling locations, 93% contained vegetation, with 44% of the locations having moderate vegetation and 28% sparse vegetation. In Mayville 113 locations were samples, all of which had vegetation and 72% of which were modera
gbacon@observertoday.com
If you ask Chautauqua County’s top leader, the pandemic is merely an obstacle in the path to success.
That was the prevailing message County Executive PJ Wendel gave Wednesday night during his State of the County address.
Wendel’s 18 minute speech was given virtually during the county’s legislature’s monthly meeting, which was carried live on Facebook.
In his address, Wendel noted how he began his tenure as the county executive about 10 weeks before the pandemic hit locally.
“On Sunday, March 15, 2020, we called an urgent meeting of county staff and other stakeholders to evaluate the rapidly developing COVID-19 situation. That afternoon I declared a State of Emergency and immediately formed a COVID-19 Response Team that began work on what would become a year long commitment,” he shared.