Published: April 23, 2008 07:36 am         

Safety of pesticides at golf course debated

Citizens criticized water testing at Cooperstown site

By Jim Austin
Cooperstown Crier

COOPERSTOWN _ The Leatherstocking Golf Course greens superintendent on Tuesday defended the use of chemical pesticides at the course that borders Otsego Lake.

Bernie Banas spoke during a media conference in the office of Otesaga Hotel General Manager John Irvin, organized in response to comments about water testing made by Michael Whaling and Andy Mason on Monday night during the village board meeting.

Whaling, a longtime lake advocate and environmentalist from Sharon Springs, expressed his concerns about the use of chemical pesticides on the 120-acre public course at the Otesaga. The water testing, which the village is required to do by the state Department of Health because the lake is a drinking water source, is not adequate, he said.

The tests, which have not indicated the presence of turf management chemicals in the lake water, have been conducted every three years in March or April. According to Whaling, one Department of Environmental Conservation official said it was ``a great time to test for pesticides if you don’t want to find them.’’

Whaling told the board of trustees the testing should be done later in the year while the chemicals are in use.

He and Mason obtained a list of the chemicals used on the golf course from the DEC, which requires licensed applicators and strict recordkeeping.

The records indicate the golf course applied 1,616 pounds and 137.1 gallons of 23 pesticides during 2006 _ some of which are listed as having acute toxicity. ``These are not benign materials,’’ said Mason, who is involved with the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society. ``They have potential health and environmental negative impacts. I think (the golf course has) reduced usage and commend them for that, but there is still more that could be done.’’

Previous testing has revealed ‘nothing’ Irvin said that in 2001, Leatherstocking Corporation asked Dr. Theodore Peters, a longtime member of both the village water and sewer boards, to test lake water for the presence of chemicals.

Peters, who attended the media briefing, said samples were taken in May and August in Blackbird Bay and at the village water intake.

``We found nothing,’’ he said, adding that nothing had shown up in 25 years.

Banas, who has been a certified pesticide applicator for 22 years, said they have created a buffer zone along the shore in an effort to prevent any runoff from reaching the water.

``We have a no-spray zone 25 feet from the edge of the lake,’’ he said. ``If you compare us to some of the high-end golf courses, we’re more tolerant. They don’t want to see a dandelion out there.’’

Peters said the lawns around the lake may pose a greater risk. ``We go to classes. We’re educated. We’re handling this safer than the average homeowner,’’ Banas said.

He said he could not confirm the amount of pesticide used without checking records, adding that it is spread over 120 acres. ``We purchase and use the safest products out there,’’ he said. ``We are doing everything humanely possible to minimize the risk.’’

Dan Spooner, director of golf at the Otesaga, said there have been discussions about testing the lake water on annual basis to ``dispel rumors.’’

Annual testing would address the concerns of Whaling and Mason, who asked the village board to change the testing schedule. Having the golf course marginally greener is not worth the potential health risks, Mason said.