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
Each year, the St. Albans Area Watershed Association uses mechanical harvesters to cut and remove tons of unwanted plant material out of St. Albans Bay. The harvesters scooped up almost 90,000 bushels of plants in 2020 alone. The aquatic weed harvesters are used for establishing things like navigation lanes and clearing out areas of varied
Aquatic plants, whether invasive or native, can be described as either a mess or a resource. Natural plant growth covers 20 – 40% of the water and includes a diversity of plants. However, invasive plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil, hydrilla and water hyacinth quickly take over a lake covering 60% and sometimes 100% of the
The Bakersfield big blue mechanical monster in the lake is pretty intimidating up close. The aquatic weed harvester acts like an underwater lawn mower. It moves about 5 mph and has cutter blades underneath it with an adjustable swath of about 8 feet wide and 6 feet deep. The blades cut the weeds as they
Aquatic Plant Harvesters offer an environmentally sound method of controlling excessive aquatic plant growth and nuisance vegetation in waterways of all sizes. These heavy duty work boats are highly efficient in the management of submerged, emergent and free floating aquatic vegetation. Like an underwater lawn mower, an aquatic weed harvester cuts aquatic vegetation, collecting and storing