Public concern over chemical treatment of nuisance weeds in lake Webster prompted the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to limit the amount of herbicides used in the 774-acre lake in Kosciusko County.
A lake-wide project wiped out many plants, muddied the water, and upset anglers. DNR biologists reported seeing clumps of floating and dead algae throughout the lake and although the milfoil had declined to no detectable level in the main lake some native plants were also affected.
Aquatic plants have returned to Lake Webster and now cover 70 percent of the area where sunlight reaches the bottom. The Department of Natural Resources is relaxing limits on weed control; 2,4-D herbicide was approved to control milfoil. In the past a less-selective herbicide known as SONAR was used.