The last dose of herbicide was used on Elodea ridden lakes earlier in September however Matt Steffy with the Homer Soil & Water Conservation District said the treatments will work through the winter.
Steffy: “We are done with treatments for this season and the herbicide will continue to work throughout the wintertime because we are using the pelleted formulation so it slowly dissolves and releases so even once the ice goes over the elodea, it’s active which means it will be up taking the herbicide and the herbicide will be continually released.”
And for anyone interested in learning more about the invasive weed or the herbicides used to combat it…
Steffy: “Community for Noxious and Invasive Plant Management, which is a statewide organization, has their annual conference coming up here at the end of October in Anchorage, on the 28th, 29th, and 30th, and a big topic is going to be presentations on the Elodea process as well as some breakout discussions with invasive plant managers from around the state, and statewide strategies.”
Previously Steffy had said that Daniels and Beck Lakes in Nikiski had seen the highest rate of elodea eradication after the first two treatments. Another treatment will be issued to those three lakes after ice melts next spring.