A Professional Lake Management Inc. crew is using operator-run machinery to harvest, or chop, the thick weeds, which would reach chest-level if someone waded into the river, Hohl said.

The harvested eelgrass is being transported to vacant, township-owned property behind the community’s wastewater-treatment plant. There, the weeds will be allowed to rot, and could eventually be used as fertilizer.

The process does not involve chemical applications.

Like an underwater lawn mower, an aquatic weed harvester cuts aquatic vegetation, collecting and storing the weeds on board. Aquatic weed harvesters are fitted with a pick up conveyor at the forward end of the machine, which can be lowered up to six feet deep to cut weeds. One horizontal and two vertical cutter bars sever the vegetation as the machine moves forward through the water, and, when the storage hold becomes full, the weed harvester returns to shore to unload.

Depending on the size of your lake, the type of your weeds, the percentage of weeds you would like to remove, and how quickly you would like to harvest them, we will work with you to design a fully customizable weed harvester to meet your exact needs.

Although many of our mechanical weed harvesters are customized to match the needs for your lake, a variety of models are available at stock sizes ranging between 100 feet³ (or 1,500 lbs) and 1,050 feet³ (or 16,800 lbs) for capacity of cut vegetation held on board.