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Ocean Shores advisory board weighs year-round aquatic-plant strategy, harvester and volunteer crews
Summary
Advisory board members discussed recent herbicide treatments, limits of the seasonal “fish window,” year‑round use of the herbicide Sonar, and long‑term options including buying a harvester and organizing volunteer or staff crews for shoreline maintenance.
Ocean Shores Waterways Advisory Board members on Wednesday reviewed this year’s aquatic‑vegetation treatments, discussed limits set by the seasonal fish‑window for chemical applications, and explored longer‑term maintenance options including purchasing a mechanical harvester and creating volunteer or staff crews to manage shoreline weeds.
Board member Becky, who presented an Equatex/Aqua Technics update, said she had received “a very rough draft this morning from Aqua Technics” and asked board members to send photos and local observations so the contractor could identify where follow‑up treatments are needed. She said the consultant reported success against some species but also surprising growth of curly‑leaf pondweed this year and that “the most successful treatments this year were what he was hoping for.”
Why it matters: chemical treatments in canals are constrained by a state‑defined fish‑window; some products such as the brand Sonar can be applied year‑round. That timing affects when crews can spray, when regrowth appears after rains, and whether mechanical or manual maintenance is needed.
Board members described recurring seasonal patterns: treated plants die back but regrow after rains and boat traffic reintroduces fragments. Becky said the canals and Duck Lake are treated under different regulatory timing: Duck Lake can be treated nearly year‑round, “the canals have to be treated within that fish window,” while Sonar “can be used in any water source anytime of the year.” She asked that property owners and board members send photos of pennywort and other species so the contractor can be directed to specific locations needing follow‑up.
On long‑term maintenance, board members and attendees discussed two complementary approaches: mechanical harvesters and human crews. Becky said the board intends to propose buying “a harvester and have a staff that could run that harvester year round” pending council approval. Several members said a harvester and routine mechanical removal would not by itself solve shoreline issues close to banks and that volunteer work crews or paid crews working from the shore in waders would be needed for perimeter maintenance. A public commenter suggested portable boat‑wash stations at launches to reduce reintroduction from visiting boats.
Board discussion also covered herbicide selection. Becky said the contractor used diquat this year “because it was the most broad spectrum” for some treatments, and noted the contractor’s plan to continue eradicating curly‑leaf pondweed, which reproduces by turions that increase its spread when plants die back.
The board directed members to submit photos and local observations so staff can request targeted follow‑up treatments from the contractor. No formal vote or budget decision was made; Becky said the harvester purchase would be brought to the city council for approval when the board completes its proposal.
Board members said they will present the contractor’s final report at an upcoming town‑hall meeting and will post the report online before that meeting so residents can review it in advance. Becky asked the board to consider having a representative sit at the front table at the town hall to show the advisory body’s presence.
