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lake grasses control

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Hello
concerned with lake grass explosion. spraying the edges is not accomplishing the task of control from what I see. At one time dyed was applied to block the amount of sunlight that allows the spread of these grasses. I have heard that ” We don’t do that anymore ” or ” it is too costly”. The grass can take over this lake in mat form and ruin what we all love. I do appreciate the volunteers that genuinely care and represent all of us. sharing my concern. I look forward to our lake meeting when it can be attended post virus. See link below.

https://wgxa.tv/news/local/lake-sinclair-community-battling-invasive-weed-at-odds-with-utility-company

10 Responses

  • Thanks Lake Board for all you do! I would also like to remind everyone not to let their lawn debris blow into the lake as much as possible. I know that some is inevitable, but yesterday there was an inordinate amount of grass clippings. I have to remind myself and my lawn company of this regularly. Thanks and have a great weekend everyone!

  • The lake was dyed one or two years. Not an ideal solution. Not very healthy and not good for the wildlife. Historically the lake has suffered weed problems. Fertilizer would be applied in May and would bloom when the water temperature reached 76F. This would darken the water and the weeds would die. They would float to the surface and pile up at the ends of the lake. All would be clear by the end of June. The last 8-10 years the lake has been in better condition than it ever has. The present weed issue is frustrating but if you look weeds are dying and floating to the surface. I believe it will just require some patience to let it run its course. Fertilizer is an option next spring if weeds are still bad but personally I would not dye the lake again.

  • On our end the weeds don’t seem to be dying but producing more. Now when we are swimming off our dock you can feel the weeds at your feet which never has been the case. Also because of the weeds there are a lot of small fish which are biting people continuously as they swim. Don’t get me wrong we love nature and don’t want to do any harm but are worried about continuing to enjoy the lake as we do. We love to swim and play in the lake and are concerned about the weeds continuously getting worse. I understand that patience may be needed to let things take its natural course and clear but at the same time, have there been any other possible solutions discussed with any experts. Whatever we are doing now is obviously not helping. Dyeing the lake in the past was not ideal, and I’m not sure what the repercussions were with doing that. We just hate for things to get worse. We do thank all the volunteers that represent us and work to make our lake community a special place— just wanted to get some feedback. Thanks!

  • When the lake was dyed it looked fantastic. we had residents out dumping the dye twice a year then the people didn’t want to do it anymore. the board decided to start fertilizing the lake and adding grass carp. Since 1993 I have NEVER seen it this bad. We were told that dying the lake was bad for the wildlife and maintaining the fish population I question this view. what I do know is the lake looked a whole lot better when it was dyed and we really didn’t have this big of a problem with weeds that we are having now. I think we really should address the possibility of going back to trying the dye and see what we get. If there’s a higher price for dying the lake maybe the increase of lake fees is in order. As of right now I’m wondering what we are paying for because it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m also a certified diver and have dived the bottom of this lake. I can tell you that it’s a muddy bottom and all the weeds are higher towards the top and shore area. Time for a serious talk on our next action. If the lake isn’t brought up to higher standards property values will have a tendency to drop.

  • Don’t forget we have just added more grass carp. They have not had time to do their thing. And Lisa is right there is a lot of dead weeds that are dying and floating to the top. I look forward to seeing you guys at the annual lake meeting. By the way, there is an orange paddleboard on my dock that floated down. 16 Suncrest

  • A lot of long time residents have seen all of these arguments before. So…a couple of comments from a former board member and 30 year resident. To my knowledge the lake has not been fertilized since long before the blue dye experiment when resident/volunteers handled everything. Fertilization changes the water to a pea soup green to prevent light penetration and although somewhat effective in deeper water makes for a very unsightly appearance. Sort of like the pretty blue dye though, neither darkens the water enough to prevent light penetration and weed growth in shallow areas (3′-4′ or less) where we are currently experiencing problems. And the blue dye prevents natural plankton growth which is essential to maintaining a natural and healthy ecosystem. The lake experienced a die-off and essentially lost most of the fish during the blue dye episode. We are just now seeing a more diversified fish population return. (Maybe a swing toward too many bream instead of the too many bass we had a few years ago). The natural “bloom” or phytoplankton growth we usually see in late summer is sufficient to control weeds in the deeper parts of the lake. The professional treatment company we have under contract has generally been doing a good job with the shallow problem areas. The treatment company spreads herbicide along the shore line and other shallow spots where there will always be enough light penetration for plant growth and, as part of the agreement, the lake association adds juvenile grass carp on a regular basis. (The larger carp are not as actively feeding as are the younger growing fish). The warm conditions this previous winter have probably contributed to the increase in weeds but I have noticed that the treatment company is no longer spraying up to the shore line. The few times I’ve witnessed treatment, their boat just goes around at about dock distance from shore trailing a hose connected to the herbicide tank. The grass carp were added late this year, too. Warm winter, change in treatment protocols, weeds well established before the grass carp were added…all probably have contributed to the increased problems this year. Remember, this is a natural lake and it will go through cycles of temperature, plant growth, fish diversity and all of these factors are acceptable in moderation. Hopefully, we can get a handle on the current problems and avoid any extremes. One final comment…If any residents want a sterile blue swimming pool, perhaps they should just build one for themselves. The rest of us realize that our lake is a vibrant and natural ecosystem that allows multiple use activities for everyone.

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