Pattison Lake Association Hicks Lake Management District

1. Pattison Lake AssociationHicks Lake Management District Paula Lowe April 30, 2018

2. Our lake system Hicks Lake > Pattison Lake > Long Lake. Woodland Creek > Lois Lake > Henderson Inlet on Puget Sound

3. Lakes have three trophic states • Eutrophic: Well-nourished with high nutrients and plant growth. It can be healthy if fish are thriving and algae and aquatic plants don’t restrict lake users • Mesotrophic: Richer in nutrients and produce more algae and aquatic plants • Oligotrophic: Low nutrient concentrations and low plant growth. Example: Lake Tahoe

4. Pattison, Hicks & Long lakes

5. Hicks Lake: The process • Concern about algae bloom Oct. – April. In 2015 Danny Kaiser rallied neighbors to discuss solution • Contacted City of Lacey, wrote a petition to form LMD and property owners voted. Two public hearings held, then a 30-year LMD was formed. • The LMD / city secured grant for lake experts to identify water quality problems and treatments • Planning the treatments

6. Identifying Aquatic Plant Species Emergent shoreline plant species Floating-leaved rooted plant species Floating mat rooted plant Free-floating plant species Submersed plant species Prior submersed plant species Plant-like algae / moss species Plant-like algae species

7. Aquatic Plant Management MethodsAdvantages / Disadvantages to each method • Chemical herbicides • Manual: Handpulling, raking, cutting • Mechanical: Harvester, weed cutter, rotovator • Dredging: Barge, diver • Biological: Grass carp, insects • Other: Bottom screen, water level drawdown

8. Hicks Lake Plants: Three categories • Native – beneficial • Native – nuisance (when plant growth competes with non-native plants or if growth is out of balance) • Non-native – Noxious weeds (legally defined by WA Noxious Weed Control Law)

9. Hicks Lake Problems: Herrera • Native submersed aquatic plants (water-nymph) interfered with boaters, swimmers and anglers • Large population of non-native fragrant water lilies (Class C noxious weed). Treated with herbicide glysophate. • Plants species listed as noxious because of tendency to take over lake: Swollen bladderwort, curly-leaf pondweed – found in 1995, but not in 2016 • Emergent plant species included several noxious weeds: Yellow flat iris, Purple or garden loosestrife

10. Hicks Lake: Plant Management Goals • Provide safe swimming • Provide safe lanes of access to open water for swimming and boating from shoreline properties • Monitor for plants that can become a problem and have a ready strategy for their control • Develop a long-term invasive species prevention plan • Maintain good water quality and prevent toxic algae blooms

11. Hicks Lake: Treating the lake • Once the LMD was secured, the city applied for a grant to pay for the environmental assessment, required for an LMD. It outlined the weeds and treatment process. • The treatment started in summer 2017. • Treatment continues for 30 years total • Annual fee is designated through LMD

12. Hicks Lake: Results • The treatment company, Northwest Aquatic Eco-Systems, kept records of how well the treatments impacted the plants and gave a presentation to the lake property owners on the results. The property owners are pleased with the results. • Based on the results and existing plant problems, the company recommended treatment for 2018. • I’ll take questions after our presentations.