Patchogue's Canaan Lake Project Finally Shows Signs Of Progress

PATCHOGUE, NY — For residents living along the Canaan Lake in North Patchogue, there is finally some good news on the lake's long-delayed restoration project, which had been pushed backed due to uncharacteristically poor weather.

Suffolk County Legislator Rob Calarco posted an update on the project to his Facebook page Tueday afternoon, writing that the county has seen much success with stockpiling material from the lake to dry out.

"We feel that as long as the weather conditions hold out we could begin trucking away the material this fall," he wrote.

Calarco couldn't commit to a specific date for when the Canaan Lake project would be finished, but he did tell Patch that the process was progressing nicely. "I visit the lake a couple of times a week, just to check on the progress, and I'm really happy with how this summer has gone in terms of moving forward."

The restoration project was set in place to remove the highly invasive cabomba weed and watermilfoil from the lake, which had crowded out the native plant species, according to LongIslandAdvance.

The man-made lake was drained over a year ago and hasn't been able to dry due to heavy rainfall in the second half of 2018 and first half of 2019. The Patchogue area in the second half of last year received 55 percent more rain in the area than what is typical, Calarco told the LongIslandAdvance.

Calarco also touched on the process of the now upcoming removal of the contaminated areas in his Facebook post.

"We are actively exploring a variety of ideas in conjunction with our engineering consultants and the DEC to find the most effective and cost effective approach."