MORE MONEY TO CONTROL AQUATIC WEEDS REQUESTED AND MORE MONEY OFFERED THAN EVER BEFORE

Washington State Department of Ecology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 1995
95-186 To 95-188

CONTACT:
Kathy Hamel, (360) 407-6562
Mary Getchell, (360) 407-6157

OLYMPIA, WA -- This year, more organizations requested money to control aquatic weeds, and the Washington State Department of Ecology offered more money than ever before to control the weeds. Recently, Ecology offered local governments eleven Aquatic Weeds Management Fund grants totaling nearly $431,000. Nineteen organizations applied for the grants.

"The fact that more local governments are applying for the grants is good news. It’s good news because controlling weeds that are non-native aquatic weeds will help make our lakes and rivers healthy for the natural habitat and recreational and other uses,” said Mike Llewelyn, manager of Ecology’s water quality program.

The grants will be used for implementation or hands-on control or complete eradication (destruction and removal) of non-native aquatic weeds. Applications for the grants are judged on the following criteria.

The body of water proposed for controlling weeds must have a public boat
First priority is given to weeds that are noxious, non-native.
The applicant must have an integrated aquatic plant management plan completed that will determine how the weed will be controlled or destroyed and removed.

"I work directly with most of the grant recipients. It is very rewarding when the local government knows it has a problem and we can work together to get rid of the unwanted non-native weeds,” said Kathy Hamel, Ecology’s aquatic weeds specialist.

Washington state citizens began funding the aquatic weed management grants with the boat trailer tax that started four years ago. Boat owners are required to pay for an annual $3 license, which works out to about $600,000 in collected taxes each year. Two-thirds of the taxes--approximately $400,000--goes toward the grants program.

One of the grants will be used to work on a statewide weed problem. Ecology offered the University of Washington $73,121 to research the use of a weevil milfoil-eating, a bug that is half the size of a lady bug, as a biological control on Eurasian Milfoil. Eurasian Milfoil is one of the most troublesome aquatic weeds infesting nearly 100 lakes in our state. Milfoil displaces native plants, stunts the growth of fish and can take over a lake making boating and swimming impossible.

Weevils eat milfoil. In Vermont, weevils appear to be successful in controlling milfoil. Researchers at the University of Washington will find out where weevils are already located in lakes in our state. The research will tell us how Washington state might be able to use weevils to control milfoil. Eventually Ecology and the University of Washington hope to introduce laboratory-raised bugs into a test lake to see how well milfoil is controlled in Washington.

95-186

Ecology offered the City of Everett $25,000 to control milfoil in Silver Lake. The city’s plan calls for divers dredging or actually weeding the weeds out of the sediment. This is the third year Ecology has funded Everett for this project, now totaling $175,000. The project has been quite successful in significantly reducing the milfoil in Silver Lake.

"It’s the city’s only public lake. It’s the prime recreational resource for our community, and people from all over enjoy Silver Lake,” said Jane Zimmerman, associate engineer, with the City of Everett. "Controlling the milfoil in the lake is important. Milfoil could take over 40 of the 110 acres of the lake if we didn’t control it.”

95-187

Ecology offered Stevens County $75,000 to completely eradicate milfoil in the little Pend Oreille Chain of Lakes. Stevens County plans to use the chemical herbicide Sonar to kill the weed. Sonar can be harmful to other submerged aquatic plants, however, the application of Sonar is not harmful to people or fish. This process has been very successful in destroying milfoil in Long Lake in Thurston County.

"Stevens County is impoverished to a degree. If we didn’t have the grant from Ecology, the milfoil would not be controlled,” said Matt Voile, coordinator of the Stevens County Noxious Weed Control Board. "The grant is instrumental in controlling milfoil. Without the grant money to control it, the milfoil would likely take over the lakes.”

95-188

Ecology offered Grant County Weed Board a $53,244 grant to control purple loosestrife in the Mid-Columbia River. The weed board is coordinating with other local organizations. The organizations will be applying Rodeo, an aquatic pesticide, directly to purple loosestrife. The problem with purple loosestrife is that it crowds out wetlands and takes over the habitat for animals and other plants. Rodeo has been very successful in controlling purple loosestrife in other lakes and rivers.

"We see purple loosestrife as very detrimental to wildlife habitat. In other areas near the Columbia River, where purple loosestrife exists, we’ve seen a decline in water fowl, shore birds and muskrats,” said Bob Leonard, consultant for the Grant County Weed Board. "The segment along the Columbia River we’ll be treating is downstream from other areas that are already being treated. The grant will extend purple loosestrife controls near the Columbia River.”

95-186 To 95-188

The local governments have until October 24, 1996, to accept Ecology’s grant offer. Each local government must match the grant by 25 percent. Ecology provides funds to pay for 75 percent of the total project costs, with local governments providing 25 percent. It’s a cost-share agreement between Ecology and local governments.