KELOWNA – Just in time for the tourist season, an unwelcome weed has started making its way into Okanagan lakes much earlier than expected.
Littley says milfoil doesn’t usually begin being a problem until July and it goes right through until September. Milfoil is an invasive plant that grows under water.
“It slows the flow of the water down so it can create algae blooms on the top and it generally crowds out native plant species and it is not very good for fish,” explains Littley.
It’s an issue that didn’t exist in the Okanagan until the late 1960’s. The water board operates rototiller machines all winter. As a result, many Okanagan beaches are clear despite the early growth of the weed. However, not everyone is happy. Littley says he has been receiving several calls from private property owners who are upset that there is still milfoil in the water near their home. One of those private property owners, Bill Ferguson told Global News he has never seen the milfoil problem as bad as it already is.
“The whole bottom is just a weed bed,” says Ferguson who lives near Gyro Beach in Kelowna. “This beach area looks fine from the surface but it’s just a mat of weeds underneath.
Ferguson has lived at his beach front property for a decade and says the milfoil problem is only getting worse. He created a Facebook page calling for more weed control work, including near private property.
“It’s so that we can go to the government and say look here’s all these people that are really upset about losing this our crown jewel of the valley to these weeds, we need something done and we need it done right away,” says Ferguson.
However, with only three staff members and three machines dedicated to the cause, the OBWB says it can only do so much to help lakeshore property owners.
“We’ve worked with them in the past and certainly will again in the future to treat they’re areas but our priority is public beaches and boat launches,” says Littley.
The OBWB spends about $600,000 per year on milfoil work and Littley says they’re looking at expanding their resources to help foil the weed in both public and private areas.
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