“Noxious” aquatic weeds are defined as non-native plants that, once established, are destructive to the local ecosystem, competitive with other plants, or difficult to control. You want to avoid these, but they get into our waterways through a thousand different avenues: bottoms of unclean boats, wind and wave movement, natural spreading, animals, etc. Common weeds in King County lakes include Eurasion water milfoil, fragrant water lily, purple loose-strife, and yellow iris.
So, what to do if you start noticing aquatic weeds taking over your lakefront shallow waters? A very good resource is the King County Noxious Weed Control Program. You can contact them for information, ask questions, and get advice on how to get your particular situation under control.
Catching an infestation early is important since large scale infestations can be expensive and time consuming to treat, plus may require a number of permits. So, preventive medicine is good. And cooperation among neighbors is also important… Weeds don’t stop at invisible property lines.
