CMT Year 1 Comes to a Close

CMT YEAR 1

COMES TO A CLOSE

The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association

Control Methods Test (CMT) project that tests innovative methods to control the largest infestation of aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Basin reached another major turning point in year one of the test. On September 22, the contracted divers removed the turbidity curtains after the monitoring teams no longer detected herbicides in the waterways. This milestone was concurrent with the end of all boating restrictions in the Tahoe Keys lagoons. It marked the successful end of the herbicide portion of the three-year project.

As year one winds down, many are asking what

the future looks like. Teams are shifting into data analysis to qualify the thousands of data points collected so far. Years two and three of the project will focus on non-chemical test methods like diver hand pulling, bottom barriers, UV-C light treatment and laminar flow aeration (LFA). No additional herbicide application or boating restrictions are planned for the project. These non-chemical methods will be extensively monitored to help create long-term management plans for TKPOA and to continue to guide the fight against invasive weeds.

According to the TKPOA Press Release, “Tahoe Keys Weeds Test Achieves Key Milestone,” the three-year field test project was preceded by a multi-year collaborative public planning process and extensive environmental review by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. On May 25, TKPOA began trials of EPA-approved herbicides, followed by UV-C light treatments. The League to Save Lake Tahoe is monitoring the multi-year laminar flow aeration program. TRPA simultaneously launched independent rigorous monitoring for the project to collect data on the efficacy of treatments, water quality, and overall data on how the natural environment responds to the various treatments.

“This test project is producing an incredible amount of data that will help inform how we tackle the largest aquatic weed infestation in the lake,” TRPA Invasive Species Program Manager Dennis Zabaglo said. “It is encouraging to see this project move ahead after many years of planning and collaboration.”

“After a promising start, the next two years focus on testing a range of innovative and proven weed control methods, including UV-C light and laminar flow aeration,” said Jesse Patterson, chief strategy officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “By evaluating every possible tool we have in one comprehensive test, the CMT can give us a formula for controlling ground zero for invasive weeds in Tahoe. And with that, we can protect the whole lake.”

The CMT Project team has summarized the activities, implementation, and monitoring

actions in a special report. It reviews all the efforts taken between May and August of 2022 for the first year of the CMT Project. You can visit keysweedsmanagement.org on the CMT Reports page to read the Summer 2022 CMT Implementation Report and learn more about what happened on our waterways!