West Milford Tearing out weeds can be a thankless and difficult task when done in your garden. Try to do the same underwater in Greenwood Lake and the job becomes considerably more complicated. Fred Lubnow of Princeton Hydro, environmental consultants from Ringoes in southern New Jersey, was on hand in town hall to present his findings on the extent of the problem and the methods available to try and manage it. The nuisance plants known as macrophytes, which caused the problem in Greenwood Lake, have somewhat curious names such as curley-leaved pondweed, coontail, spatterdock and fanwort. While the name of each might not strike fear, these weeds cause regular and consistent concern for boat owners and local politicians alike. Council members and environmentalists have chosen sides over recent attempts to eradicate the weeds, disagreeing about the effectiveness of weed harvesting and whether Army engineers should be called in. Lubnow wasn’t taking sides and made clear his mission, “I will be focusing on the control and management of aquatic plants.” The causes of the problem are varied, according to Lubnow, and include contributing factors, such as the composition of the sediment as well as the amount of light which reaches that sediment. The phosphorus load which finds its way into the lake also causes the growth of weeds in the lake. So what can be done? Lubnow described eight possible means of attacking the water menace, and advised the best possible way to achieve success would be to implement a combination of different methods. The pros and cons of mechanical harvesting (like what is currently being done with the weed harvester) were discussed as were lake drawdowns, hydro-raking, dredging, the use of herbicides, nutrient inactivation, aquatic weevils and biomanipulation. Each method had significant merit in getting good results but among the most common drawback to many of the options was the cost. Weed harvesting and hydro-raking, both of which aim to physically cut or remove macrophytes, are labor intensive, slow and have high capital costs. Using herbicides can also be expensive depending on the type used and taking into account the size of the area requiring attention. Lubnow warned that pesticides provide no guarantee of success and carry with them the possibility of a detrimental impact on the wider environment. Councilman James Warden asked Lubnow what kind of budget would be required to cover chemical control of the weeds. Lubnow said, “I did put together a theoretical cost analysis for the [Greenwood Lake Commission] and I think the New Jersey end, which I estimated at about 66 acres, would cost about $30,000.” Lubnow advised that a possible plan as discussed with the Greenwood Lake Commission would be to use current and new methods. Lubnow said, “You may still want to use mechanical weed harvesting as your prime motive of plant control, but there may be near shore select areas to use hydro-raking and some near shore select areas to use chemical control.” No decisions were made by the council following the presentation, and any choices for controlling weeds in Greenwood Lake remain unclear.