Over the years, Lake Gerry has become overrun with Lily Pads, creating a waterfront that is difficult to impossible to use for recreations, fishing or enjoyment.  Up until recently, the lily pads were manually cut back by property owners and association members using Lily Pad cutters.  This task has proven to be futile as trimming lily pads just causes more pads to develop from its under-water rhizome.  

In the summer of 2020, the Lake Gerry Association with the help of the DEC and SOLitude Lake Management began a prescribed herbicide application to the lily pads around the lake.  For the next three years, a licensed herbicide company (SOLitude) will be in charge of the spraying of the lily pads around Lake Gerry. 

Because we are strictly following the Department of Environmental Conservation's specific guidelines to spraying, we are only allowed to apply herbicide to certain areas and in small volumes. This herbicide then enters the lily pad and spreads to the root system (rhyzome), thus killing the plan at the root.  This method is the most effective at treating the lily pads, however can only be performed on a limited basis. 

As the lily pads begin to die, the curl up and sink back under water. It isn't until the following year that we will see the effectiveness of our spraying efforts.  

Another problem arises when killing off lily pads.  As the vegetation dies, it sinks to the bottom of the lake where it begins to decompose.  This decaying biomass is known as Lake Muck, and is the thick, muddy crud that is also causing havoc for Lake Gerry. 

This year, we are entering our 3rd and last year of Lily Pad Treatments.  As you will be able to see from our drone photographs over the years, we have had a significant impact on the lily pads around the lake, however there are still some heavily populated spots that will be addressed this year. 

We understand that this is a slow and frustrating process, but please keep in mind that our lily pad overgrowth did not occur over night, and is a product of decades of neglect.  It is to be expected that the restoration of Lake Gerry will take many years and many different efforts to get us to where we would like the lake to be.

One easy way to help our efforts and improve your time at Lake Gerry is to donate to our Lake Restoration and Preservation Fund.  All proceeds to toward cleaning up and maintaining Lake Gerry.