Council grants permission to apply Rodeo herbicide and use controlled burns for Phragmites control; DNR and landowners to be contacted

The Common Council approved a request from Paul Helena, a VWLSRI research botanist, to apply the herbicide Rodeo to control Phragmites australis on the Wisconsin side of the St. Louis River.

Helena told the council crews plan to cut and burn Phragmites in place, allow regrowth for a few weeks, then apply Rodeo twice. “We'll probably be burning it, cutting it, putting it in piles, and then burning it right in place,” Helena said, adding the work intends to save costs on hauling and that the herbicide application would follow regrowth. Helena said staff are also “working with the DNR to actually in our larger patches out there is put native aquatic vegetation back in place.”

Councilors asked about treatment on private-property parcels such as Clough Island and in Kimball's Bay. Helena said areas that are below the ordinary high-water mark may fall under Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources jurisdiction and that the city does not have permission yet to treat those private parcels. “We do not have permission at this point to actually apply anything on there until we get some clarification,” Helena said; he added the team will contact the DNR and the landowners before proceeding.

Councilors moved and approved the request by voice vote. The transcript does not show roll-call vote totals. The council approved the control method for the Wisconsin shore patches and emphasized coordination with the Wisconsin DNR and private landowners; Helena said there was currently no equivalent program in place on the Minnesota side but staff hoped to collaborate with Minnesota counterparts.