EAU CLAIRE — On Monday, the City of Eau Claire, with help from outside contractor Lake and Pond Solutions, treated Half Moon Lake with a herbicide called Endothall with hopes to remove and eradicate curly-leaf pondweed from the lake for good.
As the herbicide treatment is not expected to harm any aquatic plants or animals, no restrictions on swimming or fishing in the lake have been placed after the application. The only restriction is a seven-day suspension on usage of the lake water for irrigation.
The City of Eau Claire applied for and was granted a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources permit for treatment of the invasive species.
“Since 2009, every year we have been treating the lake… to hopefully eradicate the curly-leaf pondweed as much as we can,” said Steve Plaza, parks, forestry and cemetery manager for the City of Eau Claire.
As an invasive species, curly-leaf pondweed grows to produce dense mats on the top of bodies of water. This plant can overtake habitats preventing biodiversity, provides unsuitable food and shelter for native animals and restricts recreational use.
Plaza said they have treated the lake with the same procedure 16 times since beginning in 2009.
“The water quality has improved by leaps and bounds over the past 15 years,” he said. “This treatment has made Half Moon Lake a vibrant recreational opportunity for residents and visitors. We’re working with the DNR and UW-Stout, who have been monitoring the lake and the lake quality. We see great improvements and hopefully the goal is once we eradicate most — if not all — of the curly-leaf pondweed, the lake would be able to maintain the water quality on its own.”
As of this time, Plaza said they do not have a clear date for when treatment is no longer needed.
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