DELTA CENTER WEED SCIENCE
Aquatic Weed Control
The University of Missouri does not make aquatic weed control recommendations. The use of herbicides in lakes and streams is a politically dangerous situation in case something goes wrong. Secondly, the application of a relatively non-toxic herbicide can indirectly kill fish. If too much vegetation is killed, the natural decay and rotting processes will remove the available oxygen from the water, resulting in fish kills. Thirdly, most aquatic weed problems have some other cause. Nutrients in the water or shallow water depths will stimulate weed problems. The use of a herbicide rarely solves the underlying problem and weeds rapidly return. No one at the University of Missouri is actively involved in aquatic weed control research or demonstration. The following resources are available for those needing aquatic weed control information.
Purdue Aquatic Weed Guide: http://www.btny.purdue.edu/Pubs/index.html#APM
Missouri Dept. of Conservation: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/areas/stlouis/fish/pond/plants/index.htm