What the heck does that mean, you say? It means our wonderful waterfront that we all use and enjoy is about to become less enjoyable.

Water Primrose is considered by biologists to be the most invasive of water plants. It has been a problem in Europe and the Eastern United States for years. Lakeport Lagoons on Main Street in Lakeport has to clear the plant away every year to get their boats in and out.

This year our Association President, Dee Parker, found a weed by her dock and took it to the Lake County Water Resources Department. She was told by the Director that it was Creeping Water Primrose and that it causes problems.

Water Primrose grows in small mats and eventually takes an area over and hinders boat use by tangling in props. It depletes the nutrients in the water degrading the fish habitat.

Water Primrose also provides ideal breeding conditions for mosquitos. That’s an added problem our area does not need.

Some areas spray the weed with herbicides. The County approved herbicides are all chemical poisons that have dire warnings on their fact sheets. Some are petroleum based and some are ammonium salts. The point is they kill more than the weed.

Our waterfront is teeming with life that includes fish, birds, otters, and native plants. Chemicals are not healthy for them.

The other method of removal is to physically pull them out. They are not difficult to pull at this early stage of growth. The Homeowners Association urges all homeowners to look for the weed on their waterfronts and remove them in the next two weeks.

For those who are not able to remove the weeds without help, the Association is assembling volunteers to help where it is needed. If the volunteers are not available, the Association also has access to a paid removal service. The cost per house is $50 – $60.

The Association’s goal is to remove the majority of the weeds in the first two weeks of June. Information is available by calling Dee Parker at 994-9161 or Art Keller at 994-4605.