Helpful Info for Homeowners

Weeds on Bald Eagle Lake - What can be done?

There are basically 2 ways to control weeds: chemically with herbicides or mechanically by pulling or cutting.

First some points on chemicals:

Anyone who puts chemicals in the lake needs a permit from the DNR - individual property owners and their agents that they hire to control weeds and organizations like BEAA.
Within 150' of shore is the individual property owners’ domain. BEAA or the firms it hires cannot treat that area. If herbicides are used, the homeowner or their agent must apply for a permit from the DNR.
The maximum allowed area to be treated is half the area of the shoreline owned or 50' - whichever is greater. In no case can the treated area be more than 100 lineal feet of shoreline.
The DNR allows a certain percentage of the lake to be treated chemically and it's not huge - 15% of the lake area under 15 feet deep which is a little less than 100 acres. In 2017 BEAA treated a little less than 20 acres. All of the permits for chemical treatment are totaled up to make sure that we as a lake stay under the maximum acreage allowed.

Next here are some points on pulling or cutting weeds:

Any homeowner can pull or cut submerged vegetation up to 2500 square feet in front of their property without a permit. This includes a channel of up to 15' wide to be able to get to navigable water.
In the 15' channel, it is ok to clear emergent (read water lilies and a few other plants). Anywhere outside the channel needs a permit to remove emergent vegetation.

Some other points:

Mechanical weed rollers that the property owner owns such as Crary Weedroller, Lake Maid, etc. need to have an individual permit from the DNR
Aerators that move the water have their own regulations and best to check with the DNR
Rice Creek Watershed works with us to control the Curly Leaf Pondweed that starts showing up in the early spring and that counts toward our maximun allowable acreage that we are allowed to chemically treat. Their treatment is usually in late April or May.
BEAA treated a few areas last July with most noticeable being the area south and west of the island. We are on track to treat again this year hopefully a few weeks earlier, but it will be 100% funded by BEAA, so please get to our annual fundraiser dinner in April and help us raise funds.

Geese Avoidance

Homeowners Guide to Geese Control

Geese information - MN DNR

Adopt-A-Drain

https://mn.adopt-a-drain.org/