Officials OK pumps to keep weeds off beach
Village Board members have approved the $3,800 purchase of two pumps designed to keep water circulating just enough to keep the aquatic weeds from re-rooting near the Lower Esopus Creek beach.
The devices were discussed during a video conference meeting Monday, with Mayor Bill Murphy saying the equipment should preserve the open area that has been cut with floating plant mower.
“It’s going to keep the water moving in the swimming area,” he said.
“From what I understand they work upwards of seven acres of water (that) they can have an effect on,” Murphy said. “A big part of the problem with the algae and everything that happens down there is the (slow moving) water. So we’re hoping it’s going to keep the quality of water better ... and it’s going to slow down the possibility of this stuff growing back.”
The two pumps will be placed about 20 feet from the shoreline on each side of the swimming area with an electric service installed from rest rooms.
“It’s a bubbler system and hopefully it gets the water to move just enough so the (plants) that aren’t cut and didn’t get picked up move away from the beach area,” village Department of Public Works Superintendent Rich
Forbes said.
Village officials have also gotten the plant mower back into service after it broke down shortly after getting the first of several area clearing along the creek. The location is the last area of the Lower Esopus Creek that is part of the 32-mile long runoff from the Ashokan Reservoir, with water pooling behind the Cantine Dam and ultimately falling into a section of the creek that is part of the Hudson River estuary.
Among problems is that the aquatic weeds, which are prevalent in the Hudson River, are finding a comfortable habitat in the Lower Esopus Creek above the dam. That has made it an annual struggle to keep the swimming area clear, with the pumps expect to create enough of a water flow to move potential new grow further down stream.
“Hopefully it will go over the falls at some point,” Forbes said.
Officials could not open the village beach in 2018 because the weeds sprouted in April and within a month expanded to cover the creek in front of the swimming area.
While the growth of the weeds was slower in 2019 swimming ultimately became impossible when officials did not finalize an arrangement to cut them until the third week in August.