aquatic plant harvester – Aquarius-Systems

Kiel Man Honored for 50 Years of Lake Stewardship

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 22:21:49 +0000

Aquarius Systems turned 55 this year and during that time we have seen harvester operators come and go. Oftentimes operators are college kids looking for some summer work or retired community members looking to keep active and make a little money.

However, that is not the case with the operator of the Cedar Lake Sanitary District. Roger Laack has been operating an aquatic weed harvester on Cedar Lake for 50 years. With a permit from the DNR, Roger would clear navigation lanes around the lake and remove vegetation around piers.

Congratulations Roger and thank you for your dedication to lake management!

Larger Weed Harvester Expected to Improve Quality of Weed Removal

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 22:03:00 +0000

The Cazenovia Town Board’s first meeting of the new year — and with recently elected Councilor Jimmy Golub seated at the table — saw not only the making of annual organizational appointments for the town government, but also the announcement that the town is soliciting bids to potentially purchase a brand new lake weed harvester to replace the current one.

The town’s seven-foot-wide aquatic weed harvester — used to remove the invasive Eurasian watermilfoil from the lake — was purchased used in 2014 for $60,000. Since then, it has removed hundreds of metric tons of milfoil from the lake, but last year was beset by mechanical difficulties that left it inoperable after July 4. The town rented Cayuga County’s 11-foot-wide weed harvester for one week and then used the Madison County, New York’s, weed harvester for the rest of the summer.

Cazenovia lake harvester crews this year removed two-thirds more milfoil than they did last year, partially because the Cayuga County machine was so much bigger than Cazenovia’s machine.

Weed Harvester Removes 265 Dump Truck Loads From Black Hawk Lake

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 22:21:22 +0000

In its second year of operation at Black Hawk Lake in Iowa, the Aquatic Vegetation Harvester cut through some very dense underwater foliage this summer and removed an estimated 265 dump truck loads from the lake.

The Aquatic Vegetation Harvester is part of the community’s lake project which is striving to increase Black Hawk Lake’s water quality. This fall two area farmers will spread the tons of vegetation harvested onto their land as fertilizer once it’s been dried.

Dead Seagrass and Wrack Removed to Protect Water Quality in Budgewoi Lake

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 22:04:01 +0000

DEAD seagrass will be removed from Budgewoi Lake and Lake Munmorah in the coming weeks as Wyong Shire Council’s weed harvester shifts into overdrive.

Since August, a total of 730 tonnes of wrack was removed from the lake and taken to Buttonderry Waste Management Facility in Australia.

Last year, the council removed 5800 cubic metres of wrack from the shore zone next to recreational areas which would otherwise have decomposed in the lake, affecting water quality and contributing to the formation of organic black ooze.

Weed Harvester Removes 2,656 Tons of Milfoil From Cazenovia Lake

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 21:48:00 +0000

In the absence of chemical pesticide treatment on Cazenovia Lake in New York this summer, crews used an aquatic weed harvester to control the invasive watermilfoil.

During the four months of weed harvesting on the lake, town crews removed 354 boatloads — 2,656 tons — of invasive milfoil weeds from the lake. The harvesting also removed 11,000 pounds of nitrogen, 17,000 pounds of phosphorous and 5,800 pounds of potassium from the lake.

In 2015, town crews harvested 423 metric tons of weeds from the lake.

If the harvester wasn’t on the lake this year, it probably would have been unusable.

Weed Harvesting Helps Control Hybrid Watermilfoil in Lake Hallie

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 21:40:36 +0000

Lake Hallie Lake Association is making some headway in the war they’ve been waging against the hybrid watermilfoil weed.

First discovered in Lake Hallie in 2005, watermilfoil is an invasive aquatic plant that has an aggressive tendency to form a thick mat-like layer as it floats on the water. If left unchecked, this plant can cover huge areas of water, blocking sunlight from reaching more desirable plants and making boat traffic difficult.

Using a weed harvesting machine, the Lake Association harvests from May to September, multiple times per week. Over the course of the season, from 200-300 tons of the plant are removed from the lake.

Curly-Leaf Pondweed Control Plan May Include Harvesting and Herbicides

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 18:57:24 +0000

Fall has barely begun and the Lakes Area community is already preparing for next year’s battle against the invasive curlyleaf pondweed. The weed caused navigational issues on the lake this past season as it clogged boat motors and jammed dock lifts. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, local government entities, area protective agency representatives and the general public met Thursday to discuss a possible plan of action for next year. A mechanical harvester will likely be part of the plan again this year, with the possible addition of aquatic herbicides in certain areas.

DNR Fisheries Biologist Mike Hawkins said mechanically harvesting has the added benefit of removing the plant material — and the phosphorus it contains — from the water.

Aquatic Weed Harvester Reduces Chemical Use on Bakersfield Area Lakes

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 19:35:20 +0000

According to Don Richardson, Bakersfield Water superintendent, the big advantage of using an aquatic weed harvester is that they don’t have to use a lot of chemicals. “Using chemicals to kill weeds in lakes can be dangerous because the chemicals could seep into the groundwater. Also, one chemical treatment for a lake can cost about $16,000.”

The harvester will be used once a month on the lakes during the summer, although Truxtun Lake (California) takes two day to clean, but most of the smaller lakes only take a day. It is possible that the harvester may be used in the storm drainage basins or the Kern River when water hyhyacinth plants are flourishing.

Aquatic Weed Harvester Contracted to Remove Salvinia From Lakewood Community Lake

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 19:20:38 +0000

An aquatic weed believed to be salvinia molesta, which grew only along the shoreline in January, has multiplied so fast it now covers the entire surface of the water at Lakewood residential community, Pemulwuy, Australia.

The lake and its surrounds were home to an abundance of wildlife including ducks, pelicans and a pair of black swans, but that birdlife had thinned substantially since the weed coverage increased.

Due to unseasonably high temperatures has resulted in above-average water temperatures promoting the growth of the salvinia.
An aquatic weed harvester is being contracted to clear the lake of the invasive species and work is expected to last two weeks.

Starry Stonewort Control Uses Harvesting and Limited Herbicides in Missouri

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 17:40:18 +0000

Center Lake and Clearwater Lake Association are trying to combat the starry stonewort with and aquatic weed harvester this summer. In an effort to use fewer chemicals in this Missouri lake, a weed harvester will be used on most of the lake to cut and remove the starry stonewort and the algae.

Aquatic herbicides will be used on some parts of the lake that have too many stumps for the harvester. The remainder of the use will use a combination approach and next year will still need to be assessed.