|
|
NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
|
May 29, 2009
Contact: David Heimer, 253-732-3869
Mattoon Lake in Kittitas County
to be treated for aquatic weeds
ELLENSBURG -- Fishing won’t be affected, but swimmers will want to avoid Mattoon Lake in Kittitas County when it is treated with herbicide to control aquatic weeds June 8-9.
The popular 26-acre lake just north of Interstate 90 in Ellensburg will be treated with aquatically-approved 2-4-D herbicide to control submerged Eurasian water milfoil.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Noxious Weed Coordinator David Heimer said the herbicide application permit includes a 24-hour no swimming advisory for the 2-4-D application.
“This herbicide degrades rapidly, but treated water should not be used for irrigation or potable uses until concentrations diminish,” Heimer said. “We’ll be sampling the water regularly after application to determine concentration.”
No other restrictions apply, Heimer noted, so fishing in the lake will not be affected. The swimming restriction will be lifted June 10.
At the same time the shoreline of Mattoon Lake, and the shorelines of North and South Fio Rito lakes three miles southeast of Ellensburg, will be treated with imazapyr herbicide to control yellow flag iris. Heimer said no restrictions or advisories are needed for that work.
The Fio Rito lakes were treated for milfoil last summer, but Heimer will snorkel and use an underwater camera to check for any missed milfoil. Any re-treatment needed would be conducted later in June with advance public notice.
The work to improve the quality of the lakes is a cooperative project of WDFW, the Kittitas Noxious Weed Control Board, Washington departments of Agriculture and Ecology, and the Kittitas Field and Stream Club.
Yellow flag iris and Eurasian water milfoil are both invasive, non-native plants that will choke out native habitat for fish and wildlife if allowed to spread, he said.