I recently was given the task of trying to control lily pad growth in a small private lake in East Texas. The lake is about 80 acres and is spring fed, so it is at a constant level year round and the water flows through constantly.
The lily pads can be viewed at:
www.lakecountry.net/~thurston/Lily%20Pads3.jpg and
www.lakecountry.net/~thurston/Lily%20Pads5.jpg Both files are less than 100K but I didn;t want to force you to load them here.
We are hoping for a natural solution that doesn't require chemicals. We are currently stocking grass carp to control the grasses and underwter growth but my understanding is the grass carp won't eat the lily pads.
If there is nothing natural, we may be open to chemical treatments but historically they are expensive and with our water turnover we would have to retreat often.
Any help is greatly appreciated
Don Thurston
Chairman, Lake & Dam Committee
Brookhaven Lake Property Owners Association