Lake George Association's New Study Reveals Herbicide Persistence in Environment

First-of-its-Kind Scientific Research and Report Reveal New Insights of Widely Used Aquatic Herbicide ProcellaCOR

LAKE GEORGE, NY, UNITED STATES, October 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Lake George Association (LGA) is releasing new scientific findings that raise important questions about the long-term environmental impact of florpyrauxifen-benzyl (FPB), an aquatic herbicide marketed under the brand name ProcellaCOR.

Approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2017 and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 2019, the herbicide has been promoted for its ability to selectively target the aquatic invasive species Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM), leave native aquatic life unharmed and degrade quickly, all at low dosage rates.

Since its 2019 approval by the DEC, FPB has been used in at least 30 lakes in New York State, including Minerva Lake, Paradox Lake, Brant Lake, Sunnyside Lake, Lake Luzerne, Glen Lake and Lake George. ProcellaCOR has also been applied in hundreds of lakes globally. It is seen as both an economically and environmentally viable option for its comparatively lower cost to EWM hand-harvesting and for EPA review stating that FPB breaks down in days to weeks without persisting.

Following the June 2024 application of FPB in Sheep Meadow Bay and Blairs Bay after state regulators permitted its use, a research team representing the LGA, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Paul Smith’s College immediately began sampling water, plants and sediments in the treated Lake George bays. The research team's newly released scientific report marks the first known long-term study of FPB persistence in lake sediments.

The study found that while FPB disappeared from the water within days, consistent with prior studies, it persisted in lakebed sediments for more than a year. Sediment core samples showed the chemical moving deeper into the lakebed, which may explain why surface sediment samples often showed no detection after shorter time periods in previous studies. Concentrations that the research team detected in the sediments exceeded the no observable adverse effect concentration for chironomids, small insects that live in sediments and form a key part of the Lake George food web, highlighting potential long-term exposure to benthic organisms. The research also found that lake circulation spread the herbicide beyond the direct treatment zones. Together, these findings show that FPB behaves differently in the real world than in laboratory studies, raising new questions about long-term ecological impacts, the effects of repeated applications and how sediment persistence has previously been underestimated in prior research.

“Past regulatory and scientific reviews lack clarity on the long-term persistence of Florpyrauxifen-benzyl in aquatic sediments. The ecological impacts are unclear but warrant further investigation.” said LGA Executive Director Dr. Brendan Wiltse. “Our findings should be taken into consideration when planning herbicide treatments and in state permitting processes, especially in cases where there are repeat applications because of the potential for long-term accumulation of the herbicide and its degradants, and the unknown ecological impacts from this accumulation. It’s imperative that herbicide use be guided by robust aquatic invasive species management plans that consider all management tools."

The LGA emphasizes that there is no evidence of drinking water, recreation or human health risks based on its current data. The LGA and its partners are committed to advancing their research, including further study of FPB’s persistence in Lake George sediments, plants and animals, and expanded sampling on other Adirondack Lakes. To read the new scientific report, visit: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.23.678083v1

Research partners weigh in:
Dr. Curt Stager, Professor of Natural Science at Paul Smith’s College:
“There seems to be plenty of research showing that florpyrauxifen-benzyl does what it's supposed to do in terms of killing invasive plants in lakes. But we need more information about situations in which florpyrauxifen-benzyl does what it's not supposed to do. This is why our research is crucial.”

Chris Navitsky, PE, Lake George Association’s Lake George Waterkeeper:
“Our study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring. By working with our partners, we can continue to ask the right questions and ensure that Lake George is managed cooperatively, with science and ecological protection at the helm.”

For additional information, visit https://lakegeorgeassociation.org/procellacor. Please direct any media questions to LGA Comms Director Tim Behuniak: tbehuniak@lakegeorgeassociation.org.

Tim Behuniak
Lake George Association
+1 518-491-1092
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