Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Chemical treatment of Half Moon Lake to begin this week

EAU CLAIRE – A three-year program to control invasive plants in Eau Claire’s Half Moon Lake will begin Thursday or Friday with the application of herbicides designed to kill invasive plants without harming native aquatic species.

Adjoining property owners are being asked to not water lawns or gardens for 21 days after the herbicide application. Lake users are being asked not to fish or have contact with treated Half Moon Lake water for three days after the herbicide application. The chemicals do not pose a human health risk, but they can briefly affect the taste of fish.

Half Moon Lake, 154 acres of water in the shape of a horseshoe, surrounds historic Carson Park within the city of Eau Claire. It is one of the most popular natural resources in the area, offering city residents a prime fishery and a beautiful setting for water recreation and relaxation. The explosive growth of curlyleaf pondweed each spring and an expanding infestation of Eurasian water milfoil, however, have resulted in poor water quality. The invasive plants threaten to choke off large sections of the lake and replace native plants important to the fishery and water quality.

The chemicals – Endothall and 2-4-D – are being applied at precise water temperatures and before native plants become vulnerable. The city of Eau Claire is working with the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restore and preserve the lake.

Signs in both English and the Hmong language will be posted around the lake to alert neighbors and users of Half Moon Lake about the treatments.

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