While the water lilies in Mill Pond are pretty when they’re blooming, the Canada waterweeds are harmful to its ecosystem. Since 2016, the Township of North Glengarry has been harvesting these weeds in an effort to improve swimming conditions, as well as improving habitat quality for the aquatic life in Mill Pond.
Canada waterweed is an invasive and adaptable perennial plant which thrives in both moving and still water. It usually grows horizontally, forming a dense carpet of weeds. Although it sometimes reaches the water surface, this plant usually maintains stems and leaves that are submerged. The plant anchors itself to the bottom by means of roots that develop along the stem and the stolon of the plant, reaching an average length of around one metre. A surplus of this plant leads to oxygen deficiency in the water, which is damaging to the other plant and animal species in Mill Pond.
Controlling these weeds involves mechanically removing them from the water and composting the plants on land.
On July 16, the Township of North Glengarry once again began removing these weeds from Mill Pond. This was accomplished by using a weed harvester capable of navigating through shallow water and removing weeds efficiently.
For more information, visit www.northglengarry.ca.
