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Weed Control
The PLA has become aware that most, if not all, residents of Pine
Lake have received a mailing from PLM regarding weed treatments.
The PLA board wants to make it very clear that this is not
something we have initiated. The Pine Lake Association has dropped
the weed issue. There were not enough votes last year to proceed
with any weed treatments. Therefore, it appears that PLM has taken
it upon themselves to draw business from the lake. They have taken
the initiative to contact residents directly.
The weed control issue has been, and will probably continue to be a
contentious issue. Dealing with this issue is quite complex and there
will be many various opinions. During my undergraduate studies for my
Biology major, I learned about the complexities of ecosystems. Any
problem within an ecosystem will not have a single "silver bullet" fix.
The same is true with the weed problem. Just using chemicals alone
generally furthers the weed problem. The chemicals usually kill off the
foliage of the weeds and make the lake bottom appear better--for a
while. The problem is that the chemicals don't usually kill off the
roots. Therefore, when the foliage dies it settles to the bottom of the
lake and adds to the muck layer and provides more nutrients for the
weeds to grow the following year. The chemical treatments alone
therefore further the weed problem in the long run.
At some point Pine Lake residents are going to have to take up this
issue again. As many are aware, we now have zebra muscles in Pine
Lake. The zebra muscles filter the water making it exceedingly
clear. This allows sunlight to penetrate deeper into the water and
will further the weed growth.
Whenever Pine Lake residents desire to take up the issue again in
the future, it would make the most sense to take a multifaceted
approach to the weeds. There are non-chemical, more "natural"
approaches such as using weevils which eat the foliage of the
milfoil. Lakes can also install an aeration system, which helps to
turn the water over more frequently, aerates the water, and
facilitate aerobic bacteria. This in turn slows weed growth and
usually the aerobic bacteria will feed on and decrease the muck
layer. Sherman lake residents have experimented with an aeration
system on one of their channels and have seen their muck layer
decrease by 6 inches! Of course, there can always be chemical
treatments also.
The important message for Pine Lake residents now is that they ask the
right questions of PLM. There was no mention in the PLM letter of what
chemicals are to be used, how it will be applied, and how this will
impact neighboring properties. Before deciding to treat any frontage, we
would just ask that you be a good neighbor and consult your neighbors
first, since this will affect them too.
Eric Hibma
Pine Lake Association
Vice-President