By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
While plants growing in area gardens are struggling to survive this summer’s drought and high temperatures, plants in area waterways are thriving.
A proposal to use weed cutting to augment chemical treatments for Tichigan Lake and the Fox River is being explored by officials with the Waterford Waterway Management District.
Mike Waghorn, who serves on WWMD’s Aquatic Plant, Navigation and Hydrology Committee, offered up the proposal during the organization’s most recent meeting, June 28.
Waghorn proposed piloting the effort in the months ahead.
He noted that applying herbicidal treatments to pondweed and milfoil has not been deemed sufficient, based on the prevalence of such species in local bodies of water.
Waghorn proposed using weed cutting in some areas most impacted by weed overgrowth, accounting for 40 to 50 acres.
Other details – including whether the equipment would be purchased or rented and where the cut weeds would be placed – would also need to be hammered out as the process unfolds.
“We’d need to do this with a permit (from the DNR),” Waghorn said. “It wouldn’t be possible without it.”
With such a tight timeframe, Waghorn said he also is looking into the prospect of skipping the traditional bidding process and selecting a contractor. But consultation with WWMD’s legal counsel would be necessary.
“We want to make sure we aren’t breaking any rules,” he said.
WWMD has allocated $70,000 toward aquatic plant, navigation and hydrology efforts in its 2012 budget. To date, about $23,000 has been spent, although there are several expenses still being worked out.
Waghorn proposed spending $10,000 this year on weed cutting, though the figure remains tentative without specific quotes.
WWMD Board member Barbara Baron said she favored looking further into the proposal.
“If we could do it this year, it would be very rewarding,” Baron said. “There are some very unhappy people here, and I want to see them happy.”
But other board members maintained different perspectives, relevant to the expediency of Waghorn’s proposal.
Board member John Bostrom expressed concern of making a rushed decision before exploring all facets of the proposal, particularly since no concrete quotes have yet been furnished.
“I would suggest herbicidal treatments would be the way to go the rest of this year,” Bostrom said.
Waghorn acknowledged that setting up a weed-cutting plan this far into the season is anything but certain because of the numerous hurdles that have to be cleared. But, he said, he was seeking consensus from the board to continue exploring the issue.
He explained didn’t want to “do all of this work, and everything comes together, and you tell me ‘no.’ But board member Paul Kling said the entire elected body needs to do its due diligence and ensure the proposal is adequate.
“The responsibility lies on this board,” Kling said. “We don’t want to attach our name to something that could be associated with a lack of transparency. The project itself is worthy. How we get to that point is important.”
Board member Don Baron said he believed the board should keep an open mind.
“You have to take some chances to give people some relief,” he said.
Waghorn and other committee members are expected to provide an update at the next WWMD meeting Thursday, July 26, 7 p.m. at the Waterford Town Hall.
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