Location: Minneapolis, MN | Everybody bitched about the lack of weeds on Webster last year because the lake property owners "controlled" them. Well it looks like we are all going to get a chance to voice our opinion before they do it again this year. Please send a note to Jed and let them know how you feel.
State to limit weed control at Lake Webster
March 28, 2003 NORTH WEBSTER - Controversy surrounding last year's
chemical treatment of nuisance aquatic weeds in Lake Webster is
prompting fish and wildlife officials to limit the amount of herbicides
approved for use at the 774-acre lake this year.
Last summer lake residents and anglers blamed a large-scale treatment
of Eurasian water milfoil for declines in water clarity, development of
a dense algae bloom, a minor fish kill, and disappearance of some
beneficial plant species.
Scott Shuler of Aquatic Control, Incorporated, the company hired to
treat the lake, said last year's treatment came at a time when heavy
rainfall and increased nutrients, compounded by warm water temperatures,
reduced water quality.
"We agree. Weather has a big effect on water quality in our lakes,"
says Jed Pearson, Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist. "It also
affects the abundance of aquatic plants. What happened last year was
probably a combination of weather and the weed control program."
At the request of the local property owners association, SONAR® was
applied to control milfoil, a non-native aquatic weed that covers large
areas of the lake and interferes with boating and other recreational
uses. SONAR® is approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency
and has been effective at controlling milfoil in some lakes, including
Lake Webster in 1999.
To reduce the chances of a repeat situation this season, Pearson says
Lake Webster residents will be permitted to control nuisance vegetation
only along residential sections of lakefront property.
"We've received a request for a permit to control up to 80 acres of
milfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, coontail and algae using approved
herbicides other than SONAR® in Lake Webster this year. The target area
is along seawalls and beaches close to shore," says Pearson.
The herbicides chosen for use this year include Reward®, Nautique®,
Navigate®, copper sulfate, and Aquathol K® and have been safely used in
many lakes throughout northeast Indiana.
"The proposed level of treatment at Webster was in place for decades
prior to the use of SONAR®," says Pearson. "It seemed to take care of
problems most of the time."
Before issuing the permit this year however, the Division of Fish and
Wildlife is soliciting public comments on the proposed treatment.
Anyone interested in commenting on the proposal can send their comments
by e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to the
Tri-Lakes Fisheries Station, 5570 N Hatchery Road, Columbia City, IN
46725 before April 19.
Joe Mellott
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 3/28/2003 2:27 PM
|
