BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Warning that an aggressive invasive plant is “strangling” the region’s most important waterways and undermining its tourism economy, Ogdensburg officials are calling on the federal government to step in.

Ogdensburg City Council voted unanimously to send a letter to federal lawmakers calling for a multi-year eradication program targeting water chestnut in the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie rivers.

The resolution was introduced by Mayor Michael Tooley, and supported by Deputy Mayor Dan Skamperle who said that while local efforts have been made to address the issue, a larger scale plan is needed.

“There’s been many local groups that have been attacking this invasive species by hand and I think they do a good job,” he said. “But it’s more than time for the federal government to step in and start helping,” he said.

There were also discussions of purchasing a harvester with help from other local communities, but city officials feared that effort may treat the symptom but aggravate the problem.

Skamperle said it’s a very difficult species to control and it's going to affect local fisheries.

Tooley offered appreciation to city staff for following up on an early discussion and bringing the resolution forward.

In the resolution councilors said the fast-spreading plant has proliferated across the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie rivers, forming thick mats that block navigation, crowd out native vegetation and create hazardous conditions for boaters and emergency responders. 

The city cited ecological damage as well as “measurable economic harm,” including reduced recreational boating, diminished fishing opportunities and declining marina and waterfront business activity.

The plant’s sharp seeds can also pose risks, puncturing tires or causing injury to those who step on them. Without intervention, water chestnuts could spread to nearby water bodies, including Black Lake, exacerbating the issue.

The resolution calls for agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to lead a comprehensive response. Recommended actions include high-resolution mapping of infestations, large-scale mechanical harvesting, multi-year seed-bank depletion strategies, evaluation of biological controls and federal support for early-detection systems to prevent reinfestation.

Despite ongoing volunteer cleanups and limited mechanical removal, the infestation continues to spread, threatening the ecological integrity of the river system and the economic stability of waterfront communities, the council said.

The city will forward the resolution to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Elise Stefanik, seeking their support in securing federal action. Copies will also be sent to federal and state environmental agencies and neighboring St. Lawrence River communities.

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