Vegetation Management

Aquatic weeds severely impede the flow of water in the ditches, reduce storage volume, plug culverts and trash racks, and can damage pumps. They also affect water quality and promote habitat for mosquitos.

Integrated Approach

CDID #1 uses an integrated approach to keep aquatic vegetation under control. In addition to removal using mechanical means, submerged vegetation in some ditches is chemically treated. Maintenance is performed on a rotational basis so we can keep up with the entire drainage system and work year round to stay ahead of the weeds and keep water flowing.

Ditch Cleaning

We use traditional excavation equipment (backhoe, excavator, etc.) to dredge mud and debris, remove aquatic weeds, and repair ditch banks that have eroded or slumped. Depending on the location and volume of material, the spoils are either land applied along the bank or loaded into a dump truck and hauled off to an approved disposal site.

Aquatic Herbicide Program

Our operators receive annual training in the use of aquatic herbicides and are certified applicators. Our program is designed to target the invasive plant using the least amount of chemical. Several types of aquatic vegetation (emergent, floating and submerged) can be found in our drainage ways:

Milfoil
Parrotfeather
Elodea
Water primrose
Hydrilla
Yellow flag water iris

Aquatic herbicides can be used year-round but we prefer to time our application cycles to protect cavity-nesting ducks and waterfowl. The details of our aquatic herbicide program, map chemical treatment areas, and compliance activities are described in our Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan (PDF).