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Lakes and retention ponds are beautiful fixtures in the state of Florida. Not only are they attractive to look at, many times they have practical function within our communities collecting rainwater from seasonal downpours and major storms. Retention ponds are designed as a safety net to keep community from flooding. If this pond cannot carry the volume of water it was designed for, that community will flood.

Invasive plants plague our ponds, lakes and rivers. The question arises, what’s the best way to remove and manage lake weeds? Before you schedule a company to spray your retention pond with chemicals, we would suggest considering three facts before spring with an herbicide such as popular copper sulfate.

1.There are more than one kind of Lake weed and aquatic vegetation in Florida.

It takes a professional to keep track of all the different species of Lake weeds and how they are best removed from a lake or pond. JB or the aquatics has years of experience with Lake weed removal. Saying that it’s a challenging task is an understatement. Many decide to just spray the lake weeds with chemicals, unfortunately this is a shortsighted solution to an ongoing problem that gets bigger over time. Once the invasive species of aquatic vegetation is identified, JB earth and aquatics can then make a strategic plan for long-term removal. Mechanical removal will yield an environmentally safe solution, managing the weed overgrowth and restoring the body of water to its original water volume capacity without killing the pond.

2.Chemical spraying is a temporary solution that compounds the problem.

It’s unfortunate that most HOA’s and communities spray their ponds routinely with chemicals. When sprayed, the vegetation dies, sinks to the bottom of the pond and then begins to decay causing muck on a grand scale reducing the water capacity of the pond and disrupting the chemistry of the water due to decay. This mass decay increases the waters ammonia levels that that also increases nitrate and nitrite levels. This chemistry imbalance disrupts fish and other wildlife. The muck created by the decaying vegetation decreases the water volume and depth. This then increases water temperatures bringing algae blooms and fish kills due to a lack of oxygen. Mechanical removal prevents these outcomes, keeping the water free from chemicals caused by Lake weed spraying. Mechanical Lake weed removal can also help remove years of previous chemical dosing of herbicides as these chemicals settle to the bottom of the pond. Once the body of water is clean, JB earth and aquatics can set up annual maintenance plans to keep your lakes and retention ponds in tip top health.

3.Copper sulfate spray is not as benign as popularly advertised.

If you’ve ever seen your lake or retention pond being sprayed by an airboat, that technician will be wearing protective gloves, I covering and sometimes full chemical suits. We have to remember that our kids play around these lakes and ponds not knowing they are exposed to these chemicals in and around the water. Copper sulfate is highly toxic to all invertebrate wildlife. Your fish might look like they’re doing fine after a spray, but your snails, crawfish and worms are not. They will silently die at the bottom of the pond. As disruptive as mechanical weed removal might seem, this is still the best long-term solution for the health of your lake and retention pond allowing wildlife to thrive.

Conclusion:

JB earth and aquatics like sheer years of knowledge and experience with you to maintain environmental health and safety of our community likes and retention ponds. Give us a call at 321-917-8730 with any questions or concerns. We are passionate about long term, common sense and safe solutions leading to the health of our beautiful waterways.

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