Herbicide may not cure weeds in Lake Lily.
A recent article ignores the past lessons learned from using herbicides as a quick cure to manage aquatic weeds.
In an article published in the Cape May County Herald on August 12th, Jack Fichter summarizes the algae and milfoil grass problem at Lake Lily in Cape May County, New Jersey. His article is comprehensive and informative.
Lake Lilly is infested with watermilfoil, filamentous algae and duckweed. Years of fertilizer-rich runoff from the nearby residential areas and a continual supply of goose droppings have created a phosphorus and nitrogen rich environment ideal for these invasive plants to thrive – and nearly turn Lake Lilly into a marshland.
Fichter describes an impressive number of cleanup strategies, including herbicide treatment and environmental friendly alternatives. According to his article, treating the lake with herbicides “may be the only cure.”
However, Fichter would have done a great service to his readers by sharing more information about the possible negative outcomes and the health effects of using herbicides to control the weeds.
Herbicide treatment may be the quick and cheap way to address the problem in the short term. But, the lessons learned from a similar problem in Fish and Round Cove in Meredith, New Hampshire, teaches us differently.
After five years of herbicide application, watermilfoil still thrives at Fish and Round Cove. Milfoil levels are reduced temporarily after each treatment but eventually rebound to pre-treatment levels.
Chronic treatment with herbicides may only encourage the growth of herbicide-resistant plants and damage the wildlife around the lake. Hence, treating the lake with herbicides may not be a cure at all.
The most common herbicides used to treat water milfoils and broadleaf weeds are glyphosate formulas or 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Research has shown the potential for glyphosate formulas to cause adverse health effects in human cells and fetuses even at very dilute concentrations. The alternative herbicide- 2,4 D - is a possible carcinogen and occupational exposure leads to male reproductive problems. Oral, dermal or inhalation exposure to these chemicals may be toxic to residents living next to the lake.
A more integrated approach using multiple environmentally friendly strategies may help residents manage the algae and grass infestation at Lake Lilly and avoid any potential health effects from the chemicals. Fichter describes excellent examples that would keep the nutrients out of the lake: the swan on the lake that chases the geese away and a recommendation for the surrounding community to use low phosphorous and nitrogen fertilizers.
