2006 Weed treatment

Sonar was used in 2004 and will not be used again until 2007. Reward and other chemicals will be used to spot treat milfoil in mid to late May.

Sonar treatments: Sonar (flouridone) can be used every 3rd year. Most effective herbicide that can be used to treat milfoil.
Eagle Lake assisted the Army Corp of Engineers, the DNR, the DEQ, and Michigan State University in 1998 to help set the correct rate of application of flouridone to lakes in Michigan, currently the bump 6. This is the standard used in hundreds of Michigan lakes today. Bump 6 in its first application, usually late April to early May puts 6 parts per billion of flouridone in the lake. This herbicide is diluted throughout the lake and treats the entire lake for milfoil. It is selective to killing milfoil only, however it may stunt or slow the growth of other lake plants. The process works by stopping the photosynthesis process of  milfoil. You may see it turn a milky white color before it eventually dies. After several weeks the lake is tested for the quantity of flouridone remaining in the lake. It is then bumped back up to 6 parts per billion with the final dosage usually mid to late May. 

Benefit of the special assessment: 

Before the special assessment: Weed patrol in years 1997 and prior used to facilitate with the Eagle Lake Texas Assoc. individual treatments by homeowners for weeds. At 1997, it  was approximately $100 to do your frontage and 75 yards out. The problem with this method is that not all frontage would be treated and the center navigable areas of the lake also went untreated. Milfoil reproduces by fragmentation, so by mid summer treated areas would already be re-infested with the nuisance plant. The problem compounded over the years to the point that weeds were at or near the surface of the majority of lakes 2 and 3 and had infested the shorelines of lake 1. Homeowners remember having to constantly rake fragmented weeds off of their beaches. In some cases having to pay private contractors to haul the weeds away. Weeds were so dense in areas that the fish population became stunted, according to Michigan State University's field work. The natural native vegetation that makes a lake healthy and clean was being choked out.

Using the special assessment: Homeowners contribute through the special assessment district setup by Texas Township. The budget is set by Progressive Engineering with assistance from Eagle Lake Texas Assoc. The entire lake is studied and treated. Funds are collected in a equal sharing method from all lake front property owners. Lake access property owners such as in the Heritage subdivision pay 25% of lake frontage owners. The lake now has approximately 14 different native plants, which creates a healthy and diverse environment for fish and allows for the lake to be used as a all sports lake. The weed treatments are used to help balance this environment. The lake is rich in sediment and is a shallow lake. This will always be conducive to weed growth. We can only attempt to maintain the weeds by annually studying the lake and treating the weeds accordingly. Harvesting is used in other years to help remove some of the native plants that do become a nuisance. By removing the bio-mass from the lake it slows the process of sedimentary build up on the bottom of the lake.