HOA Killed Lillypads

[Koz]

On 8/21/2018 at 2:03 PM, MrFrost said:

  I was talking to a guy that lives on the pond and he said the HOA sprayed the lillypads that were reachable from the bank (between 0-10 feet) to kill them probably two to three weeks ago.

 

 

If the pond is part of the residential community stormwater system and the population of the municipality of over 10,000 residents then the EPA's MS4  Phase II regulations require the removal of excessive nuisance aquatic vegetation - and that includes certain types of floating vegetation including some types of lily pads. Hydrilla is another invasive plant that will be receiving a lot more attention in the future.

 

While that might not be what's best for the bass, it is best for maintaining water quality. The MS4 program has been around for a while, Phase II of the program is targeted to smaller municipalities. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and MS4 program are requirements of the Clean Water Act.

 

Who does this impact? Just about everyone. The regulation reads, " If you discharge from a point source into the waters of the United States, you need an NPDES permit." And with that permit comes mandated compliance.

 

Many towns and counties don't have the manpower to enforce MS4 compliance programs so they have largely ignored the issue. But the EPA is now sending out auditors to ensure that municipalities are at least beginning to enforce compliance. 

 

So, if you live a municipality of 10,000 or more people and your favorite fishing spot has a fair amount of nuisance aquatic vegetation (your DNR will let you know what is nuisance vegetation and what is good vegetation in your area) your lake or pond will be undergoing some changes. The EPA can and will fine municipalities that are not working on compliance.

 

In my area the town has designated fines of $2,500 per day per violation to help ensure compliance.  That adds up quickly because most ponds have multiple violations. How do I know all of this? I'm in the stormwater business. There are communities in my area that are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs in order to meet compliance.

 

And it's all coming to ponds, lakes, and rivers near you!

[RAMBLER]

Here, in Florida, the invasive species are a real problem.  There is some kind of spraying going on all the time.  I know people that spray for the Fish and Wildlife and they are very busy.  The spraying I have seen does effect the bite.  I don't know how long it takes for the effect to go away, if it ever does.  I experienced about the worst incident of spraying I've ever seen, a couple of weeks ago.  I was sitting in the cypress trees about 100 feet from the outside edge of the grass line when a guy came through spaying the edge of the grass line.  I could smell the spray so I know the fish could.  It gets really aggravating when they spray right where you're fishing.