By Ken Waller
The invasive Eurasian Water Milfoil is spreading rapidly in
Sharbot Lake, and large mats are beginning to clog up the lake much earlier
than usual this year, especially near town. The unusually warm weather and lack
of rain are speeding up all weed growth. Unfortunately, boats travelling
through these weed masses chop up the milfoil, leaving pieces that easily and
quickly reroot, spreading the problem further.
Boaters and swimmers are urged to detour around the weeds, and property owners
should not chop up or cut the weeds along their shore. If you do rake or hand
pull weeds, make sure to collect all the pieces from the water and dispose of
them on land far from shore. This link https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/meet-the-species/invasive-aquatic-plants/eurasian-water-milfoil/ gives further details as well as photos to help identify
it.
This is a problem spreading across many Ontario lakes. and SLPOA along with
other associations and the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority will be
monitoring the situation in hopes of finding effective solutions. In the
meantime, please ensure that boats, including kayaks, as well as their
accessories like paddles, motors, bait pails, etc., are all thoroughly cleaned
before transferring from one body of water to another.