Oswego county soil and water conservation district will implement a multi-pronged approach to controlling water chestnut, an aggressive invasive species in the oneida lake and three rivers watershed

The Oswego County Soil & Water Conservation District received a $921,720 Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 under the Geographic Programs - Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (CFDA 66.469) effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028. The district will implement a comprehensive invasive species management program targeting water chestnut control across the Oneida Lake and Three Rivers watershed in upstate New York. Primary deliverables include herbicide treatments, manual removal operations, and invasive species surveying across 170 acres of aquatic habitat, with activities executed through subawards to qualified partners.

The project supports ecosystem restoration objectives by eliminating water chestnut proliferation to protect native habitat and restore environmental integrity within the affected watershed. Secondary deliverables include development of aquatic invasive species educational resources and coordination of hand-pulling activities conducted by contracted subrecipients. The initiative will benefit residents, recreational users, and workers across six counties in New York—Cortland, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego—while advancing EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan priorities for habitat protection and invasive species management in tributary systems.

Activities:activities include herbicide treatments and manual removal work for water chestnut. The activities, implemented through subawards, include creating aquatic invasive species resources, surveying areas for water chestnut within the oneida lake watershed, and coordinating and conducting water chestnut hand pulling activities.subrecipient:the activities, implemented through subawards, include creating aquatic invasive species resources, surveying areas for water chestnut within the oneida lake watershed, and coordinating and conducting water chestnut hand pulling activities.outcomes:anticipated deliverables include the control of invasives species across 170 acres of water within the oneida lake watershed and three river system. This control work will enhance and continue to protect native habitat by eliminating the spread of water chestnut. The intended beneficiaries are those who live, recreate, or work in new york's counties of cortland, lewis, madison, oneida, onondaga, and oswego.