City to start wider aquatic treatments Aug. 18; draft freshwater management plan to be released for public review

Advisory board members said the city will begin a larger set of aquatic vegetation treatments the week of Aug. 18 and that a draft freshwater management plan is near release for public review and an upcoming town hall. Becky, who reported for the board, said the city contracted Herrera to manage 2025 treatments and to oversee contractor AquaTechnics (also referenced as Aquatechnics). The contractor expects to start application work the week of Aug. 18; Becky said she was waiting for SDS (safety data) sheets and a treatment map from the contractor and would distribute those materials to city staff and the board for posting. The draft management plan the board previewed is written for public readability, Becky said, and lays out recommended treatment options for different management units: mechanical removal, spot herbicide spray, aeration/nanobubble technologies and longer-term habitat work. The plan organizes options by cost (low, medium, high) over five- and 10-year horizons and also includes recommended projects for stormwater utility funding updates. Becky said she would circulate the final plan and that Herrera and the consultant team will present the plan and a treatment summary at a town hall and again at a board meeting following the treatment season. Treatment targets and scheduling: contractor staff indicated they will focus in 2025 on elodea, Eurasian watermilfoil, parrot feather and an increase in curly-leaf pondweed in some areas. Becky said an onsite contractor (Terry McDowell of Aquatechnics was named in meeting notes) advised that Duck Lake is not uniformly within the state fish-window treatment period as currently coded, and the city is working to add canal listings to the Duck Lake section so that more consistent outside-of-window treatment options (including use of a product referenced as ProColor) can be authorized. Becky told the board the consultant27s materials estimate current healthy vegetation coverage at roughly 5% and that Fish and Wildlife recommends 30 to 40% coverage for a healthy warm-water fishery; she said that the plan frames trade-offs between making water more swimmable versus prioritizing fishery habitat. Board members asked for public notification: Becky said she would forward treatment maps and SDS sheets to the city public information contact (Nicole) for posting on the board27s Facebook page and for distribution to interested residents. The board scheduled a public town hall with Herrera and the consultant team to present the management plan and to answer questions about chemical use, impacts on wildlife and timing. No new contracting decisions were approved at the meeting; the report described contractor plans, a near-final draft of a management plan, and the board27s steps to notify the public and to request documentation (SDS sheets and maps) before treatments begin.