Messalonskee Lake Milfoil Control Program

The Messalonskee Lake Association has started an active program to test various methods of controlling Milfoil on the lake. The first step was the installation of a Benthic Barrier in a small cove on the North end of the lake in mid August. The Benthic Barrier (benthic refers to the bottom of a lake or ocean), is actually a tarpaulin that will cling to the lake bottom for the next 60 days, blocking the milfoil growing beneath it from the sunlight. At the end of that time, Lake Association members will take a look at how light deprivation has affected the milfoil and decide how effective a larger-scale project might be.

This is only one of several methods that people have used to try to control the infestation. None of the methods are totally effective, but the Association has the objective of finding the best methods to use to try to control those areas where the use of the lake might be most affected, like swimming areas and docks.

In the past the Association has taken an active role in monitoring the Milfoil on the lake and supporting the efforts to prevent it from spreading to other lakes. Now it is taking that a step further through active participation in control.

2005 Millfoil Committee report from the Belgrade Regional Conservation Corps. - PDF