Aquatic Invasive Species

Coordinated Herbicide Treatment Project

The LMCD, in partnership with the Lake Minnetonka Association (LMA) and a number of governmental agencies, will continue to participate in a coordinated herbicide treatment project on Carmans, Grays, and Phelps Bays.  2011 is the fourth year of a five-year pilot project on these three bays to evaluate the use of herbicide treatments as another means of managing Eurasian Watermilfoil on Lake Minnetonka, with the LMA serving as project manager.  The LMCD’s involvement on this project has been to provide partial funding of the herbicide treatments utilizing “Save the Lake” Funds, as well as the continued assessment of the project based on an approved Lake Vegetation Management Plan (LVMP) by the LMCD’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Task Force.   In late 2011, the Task Force will evaluate final results of the fourth year of this  project for potential expansion to other bays on Lake Minnetonka.  This evaluation will take into consideration the goals and objectives laid out in the LVMP, as well as assessing the cost effectiveness of the use of herbicides.  The LMCD is not participating in the herbicide treatment projects for Gideon and St. Albans Bays in 2011, which have been coordinated by the LMA and the residents of these bays.