The strategy of the Apple River Protection and Rehabilitation District was to remove as much of the curly leaf pondweed as possible early, then systematically move up and down the Flowage keeping the main navigation channel clear plus providing access channels to the resident along the shoreline whenever practical.
Operating under the strict rules of a permit authorized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources the harvester begin cutting on May 28th and operations ceased on August 29th. During this time the aquatic plant harvester collected 566 loads of weeds, measuring approximately 155,650 cubic feet in volume, and weighing about 2,535,680 pounds.
Due to its high nutrient content, the harvested weeds make excellent fertilizer and are put to good use by local growers and organic farmers in the area.