Bangs Lake Weed Management Information Session

VILLAGE TO HOST INFORMATION SESSION ON 2024 BANGS LAKE WEED MANAGEMENT 

Residents and other Bangs Lake stakeholders are invited to an informational session on the Village’s planned approach to managing aquatic plants (weeds) in Bangs Lake this season. The meeting will be held February 22, 2024 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall (101 N. Main St) and a recording will be made available after the meeting for those who cannot attend.

The Village is changing its approach based on a recommendation of the ecological consulting firm ILM, which studied many aspects of the lake in 2023 on behalf of the Village. In short, the Village will transition from a cost-share herbicide and mechanical weed harvesting program to a whole-lake, low-dose herbicide application early this spring. The goal of this preventative approach, using an herbicide called Sonar, is to address the non-native, most prolific weeds before they mature, thereby reducing the nuisance of weeds that residents and boaters experience each summer.

Below are some important points about this new approach.
• The Village will enter into a contract with a qualified treatment company for three years for application of a low-dose herbicide that targets Eurasian/hybrid Milfoil and Curly-Leaf Pondweed.
• The regular weed harvester operation will be suspended, although the harvester boat will remain ready and available to Village staff if needed.
• The Village’s cost-share herbicide program, which reimbursed property owners for herbicide application, will be discontinued. Residents and HOAs are discouraged from applying other herbicides on their lake bottom property.
• Treatments will begin in March 2024 and will be monitored through May 2024. Smaller additional applications may occur throughout the 75-day period. Treatment will not affect usage on the lake.
• Results will be seen this year, but the treatments will probably require applications each year for the next three years. Results will be monitored throughout the summer.

FIND MORE INFORMATION IN THIS LIST OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

You can also find more information, as well as the final study document provided by ILM, HERE.

Should you have additional questions, please reach out to the Director of Public Works Jake Mann at jmann@wauconda-il.gov.