April 23, 2008 07:53 am
—
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.
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