boating access – Aquarius-Systems

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.

Water Chestnut Spreads in New York and Harms Aquatic Ecosystems and Recreation

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 14:33:28 +0000

Trapa natans is native to Western Europe and Africa and northeast Asia, including eastern Russia, China, and southeast Asia to Indonesia. Trapa natans was first introduced to North America in the mid- to late-1870s, when it is known to have been introduced into the Cambridge botanical garden at Harvard University around 1877.

A decade later later, the aquatic invasive species made its way to New York and now stretches fro Long Island, inland to the Hudson River Valley and up to Lake Champlain and is spread throught the Finger Lakes.

The water chestnut most directly impacts aquatic ecosystems by blocking sunlight from penetrating the water and preventing other aquatic vegetation from photosynthesizing. At the same time, the water chestnut photosynthesizes at the surface, restricting oxygen exchange under its cover. Other aquatic life, particularly fish, can be sensitive to low-oxygen environments. For the recreationist, water chestnuts make boating, fishing and swimming a crowded feat.

Wisconsin TV Feature Highlights Aquarius Systems Weed Harvesters Made in Wisconsin

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 21:15:25 +0000

WISN met with our team at Aquarius Systems as well as visiting the Lake Beulah Management District to see these amazing machines that are “Made in Wisconsin”.

According to Jane Dauffenbach, President of Aquarius Systems, at the factory in North Prairie they make metal float. The raw material comes in and the talented staff bend it, punch it, cut it and weld it to form the mechanical harvesters which are then sold around the World.

The harvester gives the plants a little haircut which removes the heavy vegetation to make the lakes more enjoyable. It makes swimming areas useable and boating and fishing enjoyable. Plus, it is good for the fish; giving them room to swim as well leaving behind enough of the plants for habitat and food.

Operators say without the harvester, the weeds would get in the way of how people enjoy the lakes. Not only the summer, but during the ice fishing season of the season.

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Fox Lake Plan Uses Harvesting and Herbicides to Manage Nuisance Weeds Near Piers

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 19:01:53 +0000

In recent years Fox Lake in Wisconsin has responded to a decade of water quality management that has shifted the lake from being turbid with frequent algae blooms to a clearer water condition.

This has fostered improved lake use, the return of aquatic plants and a more balanced fishery. One consequence of the water quality improvements is that some homeowners are experiencing nuisance levels of plant growth in front of their piers, inhibiting navigation to open water.

To address aquatic plant problem areas, the Fox Lake Inland Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District has developed an Aquatic Plant Management Plan that includes the mechanical harvesting of navigational channels to access open water and an herbicide treatment plan to create a path between the pier area and harvested channels.

Donations Help Fund Weed Harvesting and Lake Maintenance at Public Boat Launches

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 14:41:47 +0000

A public boat launch doesn’t necessarily make access to a lake free. There are costs involved in keeping the waters weed free, navigable for recreation and stocked with fish. McDill Inland Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District’s president Krista Olson asks people visiting any lake to utlize the donation boxes. Those donations are very important for the lake!

McDill Inland Lake P&R District kicked off the 2021 weed harvesting season on June 11th. The harvester chops and collects weeks 30-40 hours a week so boats can navigate through the water. The harvester will collect about 14 loads weekly.

Black Lake Weed Harvester Removes 6,000 Pounds of Invasive Milfoil to Improve Boating Access

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 21:14:47 +0000

In the last few decades, the lake’s weedy, northern-most portion has clogged hulls and deterred boaters from entering the lake from the Oswegatchie River. Patches of weeds greet the water’s surface near every dock, and nearly invisible from a distance on a windy day, matted greenery creates a basin of weeds seven-feet-deep in some spots.

As part of a summer-long effort to cut a channel in Black Lake (New York), the Black Lake Association used an aquatic weed harvester to cut and remove invasive Eurasian watermilfoil. On one September afternoon, the Black Lake Association harvested roughly 6,000 pounds of invasive wet weeds in less than two hours.

The harvested vegetation was taken to a local dairy farm to be used as fertilizer.

Iowa Crews Harvest Nearly 1 Million Pounds of Curlyleaf Pondweed to Clear Boat Lanes

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:48:31 +0000

With all of the rainfall over the past three weeks or so, the topic of curlyleaf pondweed has kind of taken a back seat. However, as we enter the month of July, it is a good time to reflect on the results of the 2018 curlyleaf pondweed treatment and harvesting process.

Mechanical harvesting of East Okoboji and in Lower Gar (Iowa) initially began on May 13, but it was halted until May 16 to get more weeds closer to the surface.

During the 3½ weeks of mechanical harvesting, 321 loads of cut curlyleaf were transferred to shore with 200 cubic feet per load. The weight of the harvested (wet) curlyleaf was 15 pounds per cubic feet. This led to a total of 963,000 pounds of wet weight!

In all, more than 41 acres of boat lanes were cut with all of the curlyleaf hauled to shore and taken to a DNR approved dumpsite. Once the dumped curlyleaf has dried out, at least 80 percent will be ground up and mixed in a compost for use on gardens, etc.