Aquatechnex biologists will be treating approximately 33 acres of Lake Pend Oreille in the Elisport area this coming week. This work will be at the direction of the Idaho Department of Agriculture’s Eurasian Milfoil program. ISDA staff have been surveying the lake and have noted that milfoil densities in this area are such that treatment is warrented.
The herbicide to be used will be triclopyr, a selective systemic product that is target specific for this aquatic weed. There are water use restrictions that will be in place within the treatment areas for irrigation and potable use until levels drop below labeled restrictions. This generally takes from a few days to a week. ISDA will be performing water sampling to monitor these levels and will alert us when we can post an all clear on this web site.
It is anticipated that this treatment will occur on Thursday September 8 with a planned start time of near 11 am. This may be modified based on weather conditions and interested parties should check this web site again Wednesday evening. Any questions can be forwarded to tmcnabb@aquatechnex.com
I went swimming in the lake at Beyond Hope resort around 3 PM Thurs, Sept 8, not realizing the treatment at 11 AM. Should I be concerned about this exposure and is there anything I can do to treat my skin? Was treatment done around Samowen park?
The US EPA has cleared this particular product to be used in lakes with no swimming restrictions. Where they feel products might have an impact, they place a 24 hour swimming restriction on the label that has to be posted. This particular herbicide impacts photosynthesis. It does not have a negative affect and you don’t need to take any additional steps. We will post a map of the treatment sites here tomorrow when we get to the office, it may be that you were also not in the treatment area.