http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/031205/sub_chicot001.shtml

March 13, 2005

The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Lake Chicot to be drawn down to combat hydrilla

Boating advisory planned; work to begin April 18

Acadiana bureau

VILLE PLATTE -- Lake Chicot will be partially drawn down in April to allow the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to apply herbicide to fight hydrilla growth.

The drawdown will start April 18, but the lake will remain open.

A boating advisory will be in effect, according to a news release from the State Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

Lake Chicot is located within one of the most-used state parks in Louisiana, Chicot State Park, north of Ville Platte.

This will be the second application of herbicide -- specifically, fluridone -- in the past three years, according to the release.

While the herbicide won't kill off all the hydrilla, it will thin the invasive plant enough to increase access to the lake, the release said.
Beginning April 18, the lake will be drawn down 4 inches a day.

Application will take place April 27, barring rain, the release said.

Although the lake will not be closed to fishing, boaters are advised to maintain a safe distance from the boats performing the application on the north end of the lake, the release said.

Day use and overnight areas will remain open during the drawdown, and the park will maintain normal hours of operation, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For maximum effectiveness, the herbicide must stay in place for 30 days before the lake's water level is raised again, the release said.

The herbicide purchased for this application is SONAR PR brand of fluridone.

The cost of the chemical was not available.

Fluridone interferes with the plant's ability to produce food and causes the plant to starve, according to the release.