What Chemicals Are Used on Alabama Lakes and Ponds

Question: Can you tell me a little bit about the chemicals that you use on lakes and ponds in Alabama?

Answer: Yes. The herbicides we use are all EPA approved for use in aquatic situations. We use a couple of different methods depending on the situation. We use contact herbicides the majority of the time and they—you don't need a lot of contact time. And they go away really quickly in the system. And so they're safe and there's no swimming restrictions or anything on them. But the, you actually only need a couple of hours of contact time, which is good in a system like Lake Guntersville, which is large and has moving water. We do use some other products that are systemic herbicides that need a lot more contact time. But the only areas we can really use them in on a big lake like that are embankments and sloughs for treating the entire area where there's not a lot of water movement. Because you need a contact time of days rather than hours. And so we do use it in situations, and you get a lot better result, and people are a lot happier with it. But like I say, it's only feasible in certain areas on the lake. But all the herbicides are EPA approved and there's no swimming restrictions on any of them. No drinking restrictions or anything. So, there's no environmental issues with them at all.