Is Aquatic Herbicide Safe?

We all want clean rivers and lakes. When weeds and algae run rampant in a body of water, they can kill off beautiful native plants and fishes. They also get in the way of all our favorite water activities like boating, swimming, and fishing. However, many people worry about the safety of using herbicides to eradicate these problem plants. Will herbicides be dangerous to the other plants and animals inhabiting the lake? Can they harm my pets or children who love to play in the lake? You can rest assured, aquatic herbicides are completely safe, and here’s why.

Aquatic Herbicide Regulations

You might have entirely warranted reservations about aquatic herbicides because you see how available other herbicides and pesticides are. Currently, you can go to a hardware store and purchase as much weed-killer as you want to dump all over your yard — which can be dangerous to dogs, children, and wildlife. Why shouldn’t it work the same with aquatic weed-killers? In fact, it couldn’t be more different. It is not so easy to get ahold of aquatic herbicides, nor is it easy for them to be certified by the EPA. That’s because the balance of an aquatic ecosystem can be thrown off easily if the water is polluted by harmful chemicals, so herbicides must be very refined to target only nuisance plants and algae. This means that getting an aquatic herbicide to be EPA approved is an extremely difficult process. Years and years of scientific study and testing goes into developing these products, and the bar is set very high: they cannot be used if they have more than a one in a million chance of potentially causing harm to humans, animals, or the environment.

Aquatic Herbicide Application

If the EPA regulations on aquatic herbicides weren’t enough, there’s one more key protection in place: these products cannot be administered except by certified professionals. That means your crazy neighbor can’t just dump this stuff in your lake whenever he wants. Aquatic care professionals are trained in the proper ways to use every product. They understand the differences of each and know how much is necessary to spray. Therefore, you should have no reason to worry at all about using aquatic herbicides to kill harmful algae and bothersome hydrilla in your lake, because those are the only things that will be affected by the chemicals.

Aquatic Care Professionals

Having trouble with weeds or algae in your lake? Our fully trained and certified technicians at Sorko Services can help get your lake back to good health and clear waters using aquatic herbicides. If you have any questions about the safety of the herbicides we use, we are happy to answer them. In some cases, we will be able to manually remove weeds with our cutting-edge Weedoo Boat, but herbicides are often a helpful measure to take as well. To schedule an assessment of your lake or pond, give us a call today at 407-878-4492.