Case Study - Loomis Lake, Pacific County, WA

The Problem This shallow 170 acre lake system located in southwestern Washington was heavily impacted by the invasive aquatic weed Eurasian Milfoil. Because of the shallow nature of the lake, the residents could not navigate any type of propeller driven boat effectively and were afraid to let their children swim in the lake. The public access site was so choked with plant growth that fishermen would take one look at the lake and go elsewhere. With a small number of lake residents, restoring the lake was beyond their financial ability.

Before Sonar Treatment

The Solution Aquatechnex biologists worked with the lake residents to obtain state funding to develop an Integrated Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan (IAVMP) for Loomis Lake. After studying all of the various options for restoration, we settled on a whole lake SonarAquatic Herbicide Treatment protocol. Our biologists made four sequential applications of Sonar AS to Loomis Lake and used SePRO’s FasTEST technology to monitor Sonar levels in the lake. The Eurasian Milfoil was successfully controlled and in the following year, native aquatic plants recovered to fill the space taken up by the milfoil. The lake was again useable. Our biologists are working with the community and various agencies to continue to implement the IAVMP as necessary to protect this resource.

After Sonar Treatment