Weed Harvesting

SLPID Notice – Weed Harvesting Update

Weed Harvesting Operations Update

Lake Update August 14th

Thank you for understanding — this is a living lake with many factors at play, and the environment changes regularly. Nature is always in motion, and together we help keep the lake healthy. 💙

Weed Harvesting Operations Update

Starting mid-week of August 10, 2025, all harvesting equipment will be relocated to the south end of the lake to address the rapidly expanding weed beds.

Warmer-than-normal temperatures combined with elevated nutrient levels in Saratoga Lake are creating ideal conditions for accelerated growth of native aquatic vegetation. Under these conditions, these plants can grow more than two inches per day and spread by breaking into fragments that drift and take root elsewhere.

This excessive weed growth in warm, nutrient-rich waters can quickly fill bays and channels, making summer navigation increasingly difficult. Our harvesting operators face a tough task and have been working overtime to manage these conditions and keep pathways open. You can always call SLPID at 518-223-3252 with questions or concerns. Thank you.

Weed Harvesting Notice – Rapid Weed Growth and Native Grass Season Begins!

Attention, lakefront property owners: Lake weeds are growing rapidly. This is a natural part of the seasonal cycle in a lake like Saratoga Lake, and while it may seem sudden, it’s expected and normal for this time of year.

Many of these weeds are easily uprooted and begin floating across the lake. Weed harvesting operators are doing their best, working diligently to collect these floating weeds.

Starting Thursday, July 24, 2025, harvesting operations will begin on the North end of the lake. First priority areas include:

• Herbicide-treated zones
• Water chestnut removal detail
• Rotation around

Our harvesting crews are working to balance cutting weed beds for recreational use, ensuring safe and enjoyable lake access for all while balancing preservation of native weed beds to support the biodiversity for lake quality and preservation

🙏 Please respect the harvesting crew by maintaining a distance of at least 100 feet.

Operating these machines takes skill, patience, and precision—it’s not as easy as it looks!

Weed Harvesting Update – Effective July 1st

As of July 1st, one weed harvester is actively operating along the southeast shore, focusing on the removal of aquatic invasive curly-leaf pondweed.

Starting the Week of July 6th: All three harvesters will be working on the south end of the lake, beginning at the Meadowshore community, and proceeding clockwise along the shoreline.

📞 Assistance with Shoreline Clean-Up: If harvesters are in your area, and a responsible representative from the property is present, you may assist by pushing loose weeds from your dock into reach of the harvesters to scoop. To coordinate, please call 518-223-3252 in advance.

Shoreline Access & Safety Notice: Harvesters will not enter shallow waters, pass between docks, or approach close to shore. The only exception will be in the case of a necessary storm emergency or hazard situation, comparable to a municipality’s public works department response.

✅ Important Operational Notes:

• Operations are being conducted under DEC guidelines and are not intended to clear-cut all vegetation.
• Maintaining healthy native weed beds is critical for lake ecosystem balance and water quality.
• This is a combined lake management effort aimed at achieving a sustainable balance between recreation, ecology, and aquatic health.
• Beginning the week of July 13th, harvesters are permitted to proceed in areas previously treated with herbicide.

🙏 Please respect the harvesting crew by maintaining a distance of at least 100 feet.

Operating these machines takes skill, patience, and precision—it’s not as easy as it looks!

SARATOGA LAKE AQUATIC WEED HARVESTING PROGRAM

The aquatic weed harvesting program was implemented to manage in-lake aquatic invasive species (AIS), not for private property management or to harvest all lake weeds. The program’s ultimate goal remains unchanged: To combat aquatic invasive species (AIS) and, secondly, manage native aquatic plant species, which are essential for healthy lake quality. Native weed beds need to be preserved for the health of the lake and ecosystem. Weed harvesters cut boating channels for groups of docks to provide recreational access to the lake’s deep-water areas. The weed harvesters are not for in-shore private property use or between docks. This is for several reasons:

• The main goal is to manage lake quality and aquatic invasive species (AIS). Leaving healthy native weeds is essential for the ecosystem and lake quality.
• Not entering shallow water areas with the harvesters prevents sediment disturbance and erosion and preserves refuge areas for wildlife. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Fisheries Manager has requested that harvesting be minimized to preserve fish and aquatic wildlife habitats.
• Operating the harvesters between docks puts them and private property at risk for damage due to submerged water systems, pipelines, old dock debris, and a great chance of hitting docks or boats.
• Areas in between docks, boats, and shorelines are the landowner’s property and responsibility. The harvesters stay away from all private property. This includes locations with moorings, swim floats, and other obstructions that will NOT be harvested nearby.
• Harvesting for boating access to deep water is done by clearing paths from groups of docks (not individual docks) to deep water areas. Harvesting near docks and closer to shore would be in response to a specific concern when the harvesters are in that area, with the property owner pushing the weeds out to the harvester. This response would be similar to debris cleanup after a storm.
• The SLPID board expresses that the harvesting program’s focus must be managing aquatic invasive species. The program is not for inshore private use clean-up. Please respect the operators doing their jobs; it is not as easy as it appears.

Whether it is seen as good or bad, aquatic vegetation (lake weed) is a part of lake life. All summer long, the aquatic weed harvesting team is very busy on the lake, with two harvesters in operation. The increase in warmer weather has promoted more weed growth. The aquatic weed harvesters cut up to 15 truckloads or 20-25 tons daily.

The harvesters cut, leaving a band and returning to pick up any remaining fragments. This is the best strategy in the state to ensure minimal spread. The aquatic harvesters have the least impact on fish and other aquatic wildlife in the lake, assuring an eco-friendly future. The weeds are cut with minimal falloff, loaded onto a conveyor, trucked off to nearby farms, and used for compost.

Property owners maintain the weeds on their shoreline. When clearing weeds on your shoreline and around your docks, the weeds should be removed from the lake. Not only is this courtesy and respect to your other neighbors—so the weeds do not wash up on their frontage—but it also helps to control weed growth, as the weed fragments are responsible for spreading.

Do not pile weeds along the shoreline, on rocks, or in a stream or pond, as this facilitates their spread. Once dried, the vegetation can be used as fertilizer and compost for garden beds or bagged and brought to a nearby composting station.

When boating, please exercise caution and avoid going through weed beds, as this is another way of spreading weed growth.