Milfoil harvester failed to keep control of weeds

I'm writing this letter regarding milfoil a many of those who have written in obviously have no actual experience combating this terrible weed. I lived on a lake in Connecticut that was totally clogged by milfoil. You couldn't even paddle a canoe through it.

After a heated debate that was very similar to what we are undergoing here, a state-of-the-art weed cutter mounted on a small barge was purchased. It cut a fine 10-foot swath through the milfoil but it was neither an efficient or cost-effective operation.

Unfortunately the cutting blades had to be set high above underwater obstructions because they were easily damaged. What we ended up doing was pruning the weeds so they probably grew even faster. It was necessary to "mow" three times a season.

But the worst problem was how to dispose of the cut weeds that floated to the surface in large clumps. We had to mount a large rake on the bow of a second boat and follow behind the cutter and push the weeds to a nearby beach.

There, a team of volunteers raked and pitchforked the weeds into huge piles. The smell was not pleasant. Once dried, the weeds were loaded onto trucks and taken to a landfill. After two summers of this "cost-effective" process, the volunteers were exhausted and the weed cutter was retired.

The next summer, and once a year since, chemicals have been used to control the milfoil.

And, wonder of wonders, neither fish, plants or small children have been wiped out.

Based on my experiences, I think that our officials have a handle on the problem. Why not let them do what they've been hired to do? They can make our waterways a lot less milfoil-clogged by using chemicals until a miracle cure is invented that will totally wipe it out.

PETE RENKERT

Priest River