LOGAN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - The past couple of years have been a frustrating for boaters out on Indian Lake, but there is a light at the end of the vegetation overgrowth tunnel.
In July, Aqua Doc Lake and Pond Management estimated that 75% of the lake had experienced excessive growth of two different species of aquatic vegetation. Causing problems for boaters using the lake. But since then, they think they have come up with a solution.
"The herbicide applications, selective being used correctly in such a manner that some best management are in order as well as harvesting," says Edward Kwietniewski, Aquatic Biologist at AQUA DOC Lake & Pond Management.
They started using herbicide this summer in specific areas of the lake, and saw noticeable improvement.
"So we have had a couple of very very good trial runs with some herbicides that we have been testing out here that are selected for milfoil growth which is one of our primary targets. We feel as though the utilization of these products is going to be safe enough without having an impact on some of the other species that we want to keep in the lake," adds Kwietniewski.
"I think the good thing we saw this year was, we saw progress made. We took some mitigation steps through some, you know, we started with some harvesting, added in some trial areas of 200 acres each of chemical treatment and what we saw by Labor Day, what you saw was a much improved lake from the 4th of July," says Josh Gardener, District Manager for State Parks and Watercraft for Central Ohio.
Now the process will resume next spring, when they take samples vegetation in different parts of the lake and start dispensing treatment in small areas. This problem will not go away in a years’ time,
"You know we can hit the ground running next year and be ready and be prepared, you know, earlier in the season to hopefully get, you know, a handle on it earlier next year and then obviously, continue to build on that year after year to get it great, to get it to a good balance, right? We want it a balance in the lake, a amount of native vegetation is good for the lake, it's good for the overall quality and health of the lake, we want to have that but we want to have that in the right spots that doesn't inhibit people from enjoying the lake," explains Gardener.
People around Indian Lake area hoping that these efforts in the future, will make the days of being stuck in the weeds a thing of the past
