This will be the second year for the application, a cooperative project between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Lake Improvement Commission and City of Storm Lake.
The work should be completed Wednesday, conditions permitting. The herbicide products utilized are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in public
aquatic areas. There are no restrictions on swimming, boating or fishing during or after the application.
Aquatic Ecosystems Consultants will be conducting the application again for 2023. The process is designed to control submerged vegetation, emergent aquatic weeds, floating plants and filamentous/planktonic algae.
The application will cover about 30 acres of high use shoreline and public beach areas, or around 1 percent of the lake surface.
While vegetation is healthy for a lake, it can negatively impact recreational use, so control efforts walk a fine line to provide the best possible ecosystem for both people and aquatic life, according to DNR Fisheries Biologist Ben Wallace.