Barnes Lake LMD: lowest recorded levels since 2021; board discusses weed treatments, drone application and a postponed management plan

Barnes Lake Management District members discussed low lake levels, recent aquatic-weed treatments and budget implications at a meeting in Tumwater. District staff summarized treatment dates and monitoring gaps and said a planned update to the district’s management plan would be postponed until next year.

The conversation centered on monitoring data and treatment activities. Patrick, a district staff member, said, "I can summarize what I believe went down last summer," and described two rounds of treatment: an initial fluridone application in May or early June and a follow-up application in late July or early August, plus a topical, hand-spray treatment aimed at water lilies. Patrick said the follow-up was “a bump” to raise concentration and that the contractor also performed a targeted spray on lily pads.

Why it matters: members were presented with recent monitoring data showing lake levels at their lowest since the district’s continuous record began in 2021. Patrick and other participants noted gaps in the dataset when batteries ran out and when the district switched to a…