LCRA to help with aquatic nuisance treatment in Highland Lakes

Lakeside property owners struggling to manage nuisance aquatic vegetation on Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, and Lake Marble Falls have access to two new Lower Colorado River Authority programs.
 
One program offers a new treatment zone schedule to consolidate the efforts of property owners wanting to remove or treat nuisance aquatic vegetation.

“The new schedule is designed to coordinate efforts, make treatments more effective, and help others know when herbicides may be in the water near their property,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water.  

The program divides property on the three designated lakes into separate zones and limits the application of herbicides to specific time periods.

Secondly, a rebate program will provide up to 50 percent of the project cost, to a maximum of $7,500 per applicant, for municipalities, counties, and property owners associations that manage invasive aquatic vegetation on the three lakes.

Despite the new programs, the LCRA recommends physically removing invasive plants rather than treatment with herbicides. Plants treated with herbicides can decompose and turn into a nutrient source for other plants and algae to grow in the same area.
 
Reducing the amount of nutrients entering the lakes is the best long-term strategy to manage nuisance aquatic plants and algae. Nutrient sources include leaves, grass clippings, fertilizers, animal droppings, fish food, food scraps, and other organic matter. Keeping these items out of the lakes helps protect water quality.

NEW TREATMENT ZONES

The new treatment schedule divides property along Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, and Lake Marble Falls into zones, with each zone having three designated periods to apply herbicide treatments.

The zone map, as well as a treatment proposal form, a list of approved herbicide ingredients, and more information, are available at lcra.org/waterweeds.
 
The LCRA strongly recommends contacting a licensed applicator to design and implement a treatment plan, which must first be approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the LCRA.

A list of licensed herbicide applicators and aquatic plant management companies is available at aquaplant.tamu.edu/applicators.
 
Before an herbicide is used, the applicator must provide notice at least 14 days in advance to all public water intakes within 2 river miles of the treatment site and all individuals on the TPWD herbicide use notification list. See lcra.org/waterweeds for a full list of required notifications.
 
Property owners on Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis may remove or treat nuisance aquatic vegetation at any time, provided they have a treatment plan approved by the TPWD and LCRA.
 
The city of Austin has jurisdiction over Lake Austin and any vegetation management there in coordination with TPWD.

REBATE PROGRAM

To qualify for a rebate, herbicide treatments must occur during the treatment zone schedule periods, and physical (manual and/or mechanical) removal must occur between April 17 and Aug. 31. The deadline to submit rebate applications is Sept. 15.
 
The LCRA will issue rebates after the Sept. 15 application deadline. Rebates may be less than 50 percent of the project cost, depending on the total number of applications submitted and rebate amounts requested.
  
To qualify for a rebate, an applicant must:

• be a lakeside property owners association, homeowners association, or a governmental entity such as a city or county;
• conduct the management on Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, or Lake Marble Falls during the treatment zone schedule periods for herbicide treatment, or between April 17 and Aug. 31, for physical (manual and/or mechanical) removal. Any herbicide must be applied by a licensed aquatic herbicide applicator;
• use a treatment plan that has been approved by the TPWD and LCRA as described in the State Aquatic Vegetation Plan. The TPWD Aquatic Vegetation Management Guidance Document is available online at tpwd.texas.gov;
• and submit an application, itemized receipt of the work, and proof of TPWD approval of the treatment plan to LCRA by Sept. 15.

Detailed rules and the application are available at lcra.org/waterweedsrebate. For additional information or to discuss a specific treatment proposal, email water.weeds@lcra.org.