Dane County’s growing fleet of lake weed cutters has removed thousands of tons of weeds and 1500 hundred pounds of phosphorus from local waters this summer, County Executive Joe Parisi announced recently.
Parisi made the announcement along Monona Bay, with a team of weed cutters and new lake weed removal equipment the county is displaying for the first time this summer.
“These harvesters look more like a floating version of a farm combine and thanks to their operators, are incredibly effective workhorses,” Parisi said. “Removing these weeds means waters that are easier to navigate, better outdoor recreation for families, and healthier lakes.”
Parisi noted that through last week, Dane County’s ten weed cutters had removed over 2,600 tons of weeds — 578 harvester loads — from our lakes and the Yahara River this summer.
Dane County’s Land and Water Resources Department staffs and maintains these lake weed eating machines at a cost of nearly $600,000 a year. Staff use five elevators to run the weeds harvested out of the water and onto county trucks waiting on dry land for disposal in gardens as compost or other uses in county parks.
Fuel trucks keep the fleet going, ensuring a well run operation and the County Executive and County Board put dollars into this year’s budget to purchase two new fuel trucks and a new weed hauling truck at a cost of $120,000.
