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Aquatic herbicides and algaecides have been used successfully for several decades. Millions of acres of ponds/lakes are treated annually in the United States, and several thousand acres of nuisance aquatic vegetation are managed here in the Northeast. Herbicides generally inhibit specific plant processes or degrade specific plant structures, such as interfering with photosynthesis or disrupting the cell wall of plants. This specificity allows herbicides to have very high effectiveness while being non-toxic, or minimally toxic, to animals and humans.
Ponds/lakes that are effectively managed over a number of years with aquatic herbicides may have a healthier aquatic flora and fauna. Plants are managed rather than clipped, so control can be relatively long-term (greater than one year). As opposed to many other techniques, herbicides affect the plant and its process for reproduction. Thus, this technique can significantly retard dispersion of nuisance macrophytes before they become well established in a lake.
