For Immediate Release: August 15, 2001
Contact:
Victoria Hristovski | Director Public Information | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK - On Aug. 30th, The Adirondack Park Agency will commence a public hearing on the application of the Lake George Park Commission (LGPC) for a freshwater wetlands permit to apply the aquatic herbicide Sonar in four separate bays in Lake George, in the Town of Bolton, Warren County.
The project is a demonstration control project for control of dense beds of the exotic plant Eurasian watermilfoil (milfoil). The action is a proposed spring 2002 application of Sonar (active ingredient fluridone.) Four sites have been proposed for treatment. Of the four sites, two will be treated with the liquid formulation of Sonar (Paradise and Moonlight Bays) and West Tongue Mt. and Sawmill Bay will be treated with a pellet formulation. The four project sites consist of a total of approximately 35.8 acres located within the Town of Bolton.
The public hearing will commence at the Town of Bolton Town Hall, located at 4949 Lakeshore Drive (Route 9N) in the Town of Bolton, with a legislative session for receiving public statements at 1:00 p.m., followed by a pre-hearing conference at approximately 3:00 p.m. to determine parties and issues. An evening legislative session for receiving public statements will also start at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 30, followed by the continuation of the pre-hearing conference to determine parties and issues. If necessary, the pre-hearing conference to determine parties and issues will be continued the following week at the Town Hall on a date and time yet to be determined. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Administrative Law Judge Molly McBride has been assigned as the hearing officer for this project. The formal part of the hearing (with testimony and exhibits) is expected to begin in September.
The application for this project came before the Adirondack Park Agency’s full board in July, where the board voted unanimously to send the application to public hearing. Agency members decided they needed more information about the project before making a decision on its possible first-time use in the Adirondack Park.
Some of the issues raised by staff at the meeting included the effect the herbicide may have on native aquatic species not targeted by the treatment. Other issues with the project included the concentration levels of the herbicide and the duration of the treatment.
Any member of the public may speak at the legislative session or submit a written statement, and the Administrative Law Judge reserves the right to limit the time for each speaker. Any person or organization seeking to become a party to the hearing in order to present evidence, cross-examine witnesses or otherwise participate in the hearing, (other than statutory parties and owners of land within 500 feet of the project site who are parties of right) must file a petition with the Administrative Law Judge.
Petitions seeking party status must be received by Aug. 29, 2001 and must be served on the following: Administrative Law Judge Molly McBride, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of Hearings, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-1550,
(fax: 518-405-9037); Mitchell Goroski, Adirondack Park Agency, P.O. Box 99, Route 86, Ray Brook, New York, 12977 (fax:518-891-3938); Michael White, Lake George Park Commission, P.O. Box 749, Fort George Road, Lake George, New York 12845 (fax: 518-668-5001.)