By Reader Staff
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials from Albeni Falls Dam will perform aquatic herbicide treatments at six locations on Lake Pend Oreille, totaling a minimum of 28 acres and a maximum of 60 acres, to manage invasive flowering rush.
The Corps will apply herbicides at Riley Creek, Morton Slough, Oden Bay, Pack River Delta and the Clark Fork Driftyard and Clark Fork Delta. For real-time treatment zone updates, go to invasivespecies.idaho.gov/treatment-plans and select “Treatment Map.”
A map of Lake Pend Oreille showing the six locations where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will peform aquatic herbicide treatments. Courtesy image.
According to a news release, the Corps will apply diquat dibromide (Reward) and diquat dibromide and endothall (Aquastrike) at the sites between Monday, Aug. 5 and Friday, Aug. 16. If weather delays interrupt applications, then Monday, Aug. 19-Friday, Aug. 23 will serve as an alternate treatment period.
The Corps stated, “There are no fishing or swimming restrictions for any chemicals in the treated plots, after the herbicide applications; however, domestic animals or livestock should not consume water from the treated plots for 24 hours after application.”
In addition, there is a three-day restriction on using water from the treated plots for drinking or irrigating landscape, and a five-day restriction on irrigating food crops.
All treatment areas are located at least 600 feet from all water rights and public intake points.
The Corps will post notices on the shorelines of plots being treated 48 hours prior to treatment.
Separate from submerged flowering rush treatments, the agency will apply treatments to noxious weeds on up to 9,000 linear feet of debris control booms at the Driftyard, using no more than 1.5 gallons of glyphosate (AquaNeat).
Only booms with vegetation present will receive spot treatments on individual plants. Herbicide applications at the Driftyard are scheduled for sometime between Monday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 31.
For more information, contact Andrew Huddleston at the Albeni Falls Dam at 208-437-3133, extension 7213, or [email protected]); or Taylor Johnson at 208-437-3133, extension 7225, or [email protected].
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Compliance Officer Mathew Colling can be reached at 208-666-4639.
