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DEC: invasive aquatic species detections rising; agency weighing program changes and herbicide permits
Summary
Vermont DEC told a committee that watercraft inspection intercepts and aquatic invasive species introductions are increasing. The agency described reliance on volunteers, limits to boat washing capacity, its aquatic nuisance control permit program and the use and review of the herbicide ProcellaCOR.
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation told a legislative committee that interceptions of invasive species on watercraft and new lake introductions have both trended upward, and that the state is evaluating alternatives to the current prevention program.
“Spread prevention is by far the most cost‑effective way to manage invasive species,” said Jenny Austin, the DEC’s lakes and ponds program manager. She said the state depends heavily on lake associations and volunteers for watercraft inspection and monitoring but that capacity is limited: only “around maybe 40” of the state’s roughly 800 lakes have volunteer inspection stations and only a small handful—she estimated five to eleven—have boat‑washing capabilities able to handle large wake boats.
The DEC’s aquatic nuisance control permitting program accepts applications—typically from lake associations or municipalities—for mechanical control, benthic barriers, structural controls and herbicide use. Austin said there are roughly 150 active permits in place; the permit review seeks input from the Department of Health, Fish and Wildlife and other agencies and includes public notice and comment.
Austin discussed ProcellaCOR, the targeted herbicide the agency uses in some Eurasian watermilfoil control projects. “ProcellaCOR is a highly targeted herbicide that we use to treat Eurasian watermilfoil in particular,” she said, and noted that the DEC’s internal review concluded that negative impacts on native aquatic plants were expected to be minimal at the concentrations applied and that the product degrades rapidly in the environment. The department said the Department of Health and the drinking water/groundwater division raised no concerns in their reviews and that staff have not found declines in fisheries tied to treated projects.
Committee members and some local residents raised objections and questions about herbicide use and monitoring. Austin said the agency’s permit conditions include monitoring requirements and that the department adapts permits as new science becomes available; she also noted the program underwent a review under Act 57 in 2023.
DEC staff said they are reevaluating watercraft inspection and decontamination programs (work started in November 2024) to identify alternative designs and to expand capacity for inspections and washing where feasible. The agency emphasized challenges in scaling up: many volunteer stations lack running water or electricity, and adequate decontamination for large wake boats requires large volumes of hot water or specialized equipment.
Officials warned that once an invasive species becomes established eradication is often impossible and long‑term management can be costly. The department said it will return with recommendations after stakeholder review and further analysis.
