If you have any concerns about contaminating the water when it rises you might consider cutting the tree off above the full water pool so the treated stump is sticking out of the water and not submerged, thereby lessening the contamination chances, willows are a pain and cutting them without treating will only result in transplanting them, I don't think you will ever starve a willow root, they will shoot up new trees all around the outer perimeters of their root base, so instead of one tree you will create thirty more if they are not treated, personally Ill take my chances with a measured amount of tordon on the stump face above the water line, the chances of that contaminating water are minute. jmo Good Luck!
Another option is to have somebody with an excavator with a thumb pull them out by the roots, they are shallow rooted and pull out easily, Ive done hundreds of them around lagoons and ponds, the biggest problem is that you will leave a little root matter around the perimeters that will sprout but the can be treated with a fish safe herbicide reasonably easy when the are 2 ft tall sprouts.
Last edited by gehajake; 12/09/20 08:00 AM.
