Farmingville, NY – On Monday, August 20, Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilman Michael Loguercio held a press conference at the Lower Lake (Lily Lake) dam in Yaphank to begin the process of draining and dredging the lake. During the press conference, the first boards were removed from the dam to increase the water flow from the lake into the Carmans River. Pictured left to right are Deputy Supervisor Dan Panico; County Legislator Rudy Sunderman; Linda Petersen and Chad Trusnovic from the Yaphank Civic Association; Supervisor Romaine; Assemblyman Dean Murray and Councilman Loguercio. Congressman Lee Zeldin was also at the press conference.
The draining and dredging project is the culmination of planning that started in 2009 with the Suffolk County Feasibility Study to Eradicate Aquatic Invasive/Nuisance Species in Canaan Lake in North Patchogue and Upper and Lower Lakes in Yaphank. Upper Lake dredging was completed in 2013. The dredging of Lower Lake will be performed by the Town’s Department of Recycling and Sustainable Materials Management and is estimated to cost between $2 million and $2.5 million. Work is expected to be completed by May of 2019.
Supervisor Romaine said, “The Town is determined to improve water quality and protect the beauty of the fragile ecosystem of Lily Lake. The removal of sediment that has been accumulating since the dam was built 250 years ago is part of our maintenance of the lake. We look forward to completing the project and restoring opportunities for canoeing, fishing, kayaking, and other traditional activities that have been lost.”
Councilman Loguercio said, “This community has waited patiently for many years, and I am extremely pleased that as I promised, I was able to make this dream come true for them. The residents here, along with generations to come, will now be able to enjoy all of the amenities that this beautiful lake has to offer, such as boating, fishing, and just admiring its incredible landscape. Thank you to Supervisor Romaine and the entire Town Board for their support in this extremely important project.”
The Town will use dry dredging (draining the lake and removing the invasives and sediment with heavy equipment) to remove nutrient rich sediment that is supporting a dense infestation of non-native invasive aquatic plants. The invasive plants were most likely introduced to the lake by people dumping their home aquariums into the water.
The density of the infestation of non-native aquatic plants prohibits recreation on the lake, and it impairs the ability of the lake to support native wildlife such as trout and winter ducks which cannot forage in the dense vegetation that is not native to our area. Removing the sediment and invasive plants will restore the aesthetics and recreation that the lake was known for and it will also enhance the habitat for native species that are not adapted to the presence of the non-native invasive plants.
This project is part of the larger effort by the Town and other levels of government to protect and preserve the Carmans River. Numerous stakeholder meetings were held to solicit input on the project, including members of the community, elected officials and government agencies. The removal of sediment and invasive species from Lower Lake was a recommendation in the Carmans River Conservation and Management Plan which was approved through a unanimous vote of the Brookhaven Town Board in October of 2013.
Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone 631-451-6595