Implementation for treatment of Eurasian watermilfoil planned
Published on Mon, Jun 27, 2011 by JOURNAL STAFFRead More Local News
After a yearlong effort the City of Lake Stevens and Snohomish County are ready to begin the implementation of an herbicide treatment to remove Eurasian watermilfoil from the lake.
The target date for the application is the week of July 11, however the actual date will depend on weather conditions. Generally July has mild enough weather that should allow for the treatment to take place.
It is expected that within two weeks after the application of the treatment a significant sign of impact to the watermilfoil will be seen.
The herbicide selected for the treatment is triclopyr, which can selectively control Eurasian watermilfoil with little impact on native plants. Triclopyr herbicide has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Ecology (DOE) for this type of application and has been successfully used in a number of lakes and rivers in Washington and other states.
The Washington State Department of Ecology has developed a list of frequently asked questions about triclopyr that can be accessed through the City of Lake Stevens’ website at http://www.ci.lake-stevens.wa.us/EurasianWatermilfoil.htm under “Triclopyr Fact Sheet”.
A consultant team from AquaTechnex will be performing the application of the herbicide. Ten days prior to the application, AquaTechnex will provide notification to the public including general information and pre-cautions following the application of the herbicide.
During the application process, the consultant will provide information on their web site which can be accessed through the City of Lake Stevens’ website at http://www.ci.lake-stevens.wa.us/EurasianWatermilfoil.htm under “Project Information and Status”.
Within a few weeks after the treatment, the consultant will then perform a review of the lake to make a determination of the results of the initial herbicide treatment. It is expected that the initial treatment will eliminate a significant number of the watermilfoil plants but a few plants may reappear which is not uncommon and are typically at a much lower growth volume.
To help ensure that watermilfoil doesn’t regain a foot hold in the lake, yearly surveys of the lake for this plant will be performed and spot treatments may be necessary for total removal to be achieved.
The City’s website will provide the latest information on the status of the watermilfoil program. In addition, AquaTechnex provides on their web site a direct contact blog, email, and Twitter site to respond to questions on this project.
The final goal of this effort is to totally eliminate the Eurasian milfoil from the lake. It is hoped that through public and care of the users of the lake, this can be accomplished within a few years.
The City asks that the public participate in the elimination of the Eurasian milfoil by inspecting their boats, trailers and other water vehicles and removing any plants that may have hitched a ride.
Allied Waste has provided a receptacle for the aquatic plants at the public boat launch. Please dispose of all aquatic plants in the receptacle.
The target date for the application is the week of July 11, however the actual date will depend on weather conditions. Generally July has mild enough weather that should allow for the treatment to take place.
It is expected that within two weeks after the application of the treatment a significant sign of impact to the watermilfoil will be seen.
The herbicide selected for the treatment is triclopyr, which can selectively control Eurasian watermilfoil with little impact on native plants. Triclopyr herbicide has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Ecology (DOE) for this type of application and has been successfully used in a number of lakes and rivers in Washington and other states.
The Washington State Department of Ecology has developed a list of frequently asked questions about triclopyr that can be accessed through the City of Lake Stevens’ website at http://www.ci.lake-stevens.wa.us/EurasianWatermilfoil.htm under “Triclopyr Fact Sheet”.
A consultant team from AquaTechnex will be performing the application of the herbicide. Ten days prior to the application, AquaTechnex will provide notification to the public including general information and pre-cautions following the application of the herbicide.
During the application process, the consultant will provide information on their web site which can be accessed through the City of Lake Stevens’ website at http://www.ci.lake-stevens.wa.us/EurasianWatermilfoil.htm under “Project Information and Status”.
Within a few weeks after the treatment, the consultant will then perform a review of the lake to make a determination of the results of the initial herbicide treatment. It is expected that the initial treatment will eliminate a significant number of the watermilfoil plants but a few plants may reappear which is not uncommon and are typically at a much lower growth volume.
To help ensure that watermilfoil doesn’t regain a foot hold in the lake, yearly surveys of the lake for this plant will be performed and spot treatments may be necessary for total removal to be achieved.
The City’s website will provide the latest information on the status of the watermilfoil program. In addition, AquaTechnex provides on their web site a direct contact blog, email, and Twitter site to respond to questions on this project.
The final goal of this effort is to totally eliminate the Eurasian milfoil from the lake. It is hoped that through public and care of the users of the lake, this can be accomplished within a few years.
The City asks that the public participate in the elimination of the Eurasian milfoil by inspecting their boats, trailers and other water vehicles and removing any plants that may have hitched a ride.
Allied Waste has provided a receptacle for the aquatic plants at the public boat launch. Please dispose of all aquatic plants in the receptacle.
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