Aquatic Pest Control - Initial Training

Katie Pekarek, NE Extension; David Ford & Steve Osterbuhr, CPPD;Phil Chvala & Jeff Schuckman, Game&Parks; Trevor Johnson, NDA Author

12/19/2018 Added

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This video helps educate pesticide applicators for initial certification in aquatic pest control (05). 1 hr, 13 min.

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[00:00:00.542](gentle upbeat music)
[00:00:14.180]Hi, my name is Frank Bright, with the University
[00:00:16.370]of Nebraska Extension, Pesticide Safety Education Program.
[00:00:20.120]Today, we will be covering a variety of topics
[00:00:22.530]with the Aquatic Pest Control manual, with the help
[00:00:24.860]of some university, state and industry specialists.
[00:00:28.510]In Chapter 1, Katie Pekarek will overview aquatic plants.
[00:00:32.500]The following learning objectives correspond
[00:00:34.640]with those found in Chapter 1 of the manual.
[00:00:37.010]You can follow along with them in each chapter,
[00:00:39.150]as the specialists cover their topic.
[00:00:50.410]Hi folks, my name's Katie Pekarek,
[00:00:52.290]I'm an extension educator in the University
[00:00:54.890]of Nebraska Lincoln in the School of Natural Resources.
[00:00:58.010]Today we're here at Pawnee Lake to talk
[00:00:59.940]about aquatic vegetation and weeds.
[00:01:02.140]Now plants are an important part of our natural ecosystem,
[00:01:05.430]that provide fish and habitat benefits, and they can provide
[00:01:08.690]additional benefits throughout a lake ecosystem.
[00:01:11.410]However, when we get an excessive growth of plants or algae,
[00:01:15.170]we can wreak havoc on that existing lake ecosystem.
[00:01:19.510]So an excessive growth of weeds and aquatic vegetation
[00:01:22.310]can really cause a number of different problems.
[00:01:25.030]One of the primary problems that people seem to recognize
[00:01:27.830]first and foremost is a loss of recreation.
[00:01:30.360]So an excessive growth of vegetation can cause
[00:01:33.270]you to not be able to boat, it can make it so that
[00:01:35.850]you can't go swimming, and it can really have an economic
[00:01:39.360]impact that results from that loss of recreation.
[00:01:42.830]Now, certain algaes can also cause a foul taste or odor
[00:01:46.940]that hits in the water system, so when you get
[00:01:49.640]this excessive growth of algae, the smell itself
[00:01:52.470]can also have that impact on the water.
[00:01:55.840]So another problem that occurs when you have
[00:01:58.310]an excessive growth of algae is you can really
[00:02:00.220]stunt and interfere with a balanced fish population.
[00:02:03.380]So by changing the food that's in the ecosystem,
[00:02:06.350]the balance of fish is going to change as well.
[00:02:09.650]When you have an excessive growth of aquatic
[00:02:12.590]vegetation and weeds that are growing within a canal,
[00:02:15.240]or an irrigation situation, then you can actually
[00:02:18.570]impede that flow, you can impede flow coming
[00:02:20.980]into the canal, you can impede how that flows
[00:02:23.060]goes out of the canal, and you can also impede
[00:02:25.390]how that water flows into a lake or a river system as well.
[00:02:29.810]Along those same lines, you can also interfere
[00:02:31.930]with navigation in the waterways.
[00:02:34.560]So if you have an excessive growth, or too much vegetation
[00:02:37.830]that's in the water, the bottom of the boat
[00:02:40.580]can't make it through, or it makes it difficult
[00:02:42.950]to find a pathway for boats to navigate.
[00:02:47.210]When you have an over bloom, or an abundance of those
[00:02:49.833]aquatic weeds, you can also result in evaporation
[00:02:53.550]and water loss that's coming off of a lake.
[00:02:55.850]A lot of people will think that this water
[00:02:57.940]loss is due to a leak in the pond,
[00:02:59.970]or some place that the water is escaping, but tend
[00:03:03.400]to forget about the vegetation component
[00:03:05.760]in the evaporation that occurs during the summer.
[00:03:08.530]So aquatic weeds can also catch debris and sediment
[00:03:11.840]that's coming into a water system, so whether
[00:03:13.950]it's a pond, a lake or a drainage canal,
[00:03:16.410]if you have an abundance of weeds, it can actually hold
[00:03:19.330]that sediment and debris in place, and cause
[00:03:21.205]the level of the lake or the pond or the stream
[00:03:23.959]to actually increase so that you lose
[00:03:27.260]capacity within your water system.
[00:03:29.950]Another common problem with weeds is that it can cause
[00:03:33.330]water to become stagnant, when that water becomes
[00:03:35.760]stagnant it becomes a breeding ground for several
[00:03:38.150]different things, one of which would be mosquitoes.
[00:03:41.280]So if aquatic weeds have caused your water to become
[00:03:43.920]stagnant for seven to 12 days, then we really see
[00:03:47.050]an increase of mosquito breeding habitats.
[00:03:51.090]So, the last two things we're going to cover are things
[00:03:53.710]that come up pretty frequently in Nebraska.
[00:03:56.270]One of which is blue green algae.
[00:03:59.200]In Nebraska, all of our state recreation areas,
[00:04:01.840]the public beaches are monitored for blue green algae,
[00:04:04.740]and specifically a microcystin toxin
[00:04:06.840]that is released with that blue green algae.
[00:04:09.290]This is a very specific concern for us,
[00:04:11.870]because there are health implications, not only
[00:04:13.780]for small animals, but for people as well.
[00:04:16.760]And finally, when you take all of these things combined,
[00:04:20.470]when you think about the foul odor, the foul taste,
[00:04:23.680]raising the water level in a lake or a pond, you really come
[00:04:27.110]into another component, which includes aesthetics.
[00:04:29.960]And when we have an aesthetic degradation of our pond
[00:04:32.517]or lake, we see things like economic loss,
[00:04:35.630]we see people not being able to fish, not being able
[00:04:38.190]to use it for recreation, not being able to enjoy
[00:04:42.260]the setting for which the lake or the pond
[00:04:44.200]has been developed and managed.
[00:04:45.950]So with that abbreviated list, we've covered
[00:04:48.170]a variety of problems that can be caused
[00:04:50.300]by an excessive growth of aquatic vegetation.
[00:04:53.090]We'll talk more in further chapters about
[00:04:55.310]some of the implications of these problems.
[00:04:57.210](gentle upbeat music)
[00:05:06.579]We will continue to hear from Katie for Chapter 2: Aquatic
[00:05:10.425]Plant Groups Habitat and Identification.
[00:05:14.040]You can refer to the following learning objectives
[00:05:15.960]found in Chapter 2 in the manual as needed.
[00:05:20.400]So in this section we're really gonna
[00:05:21.890]focus in on habitat and plant ID.
[00:05:24.540]The first thing we wanna talk about is our algaes.
[00:05:27.020]There's really three different types of algaes
[00:05:29.330]that we consider when we're thinking about it.
[00:05:31.520]The first is going to be a microscopic,
[00:05:33.460]or planktonic algae.
[00:05:35.000]That's going the things that are really small floating
[00:05:37.640]in the water, they form the basis
[00:05:39.570]for the food chain within the lake ecosystem.
[00:05:42.730]The second thing we think about is really
[00:05:44.600]the filamentous algae, that's the one
[00:05:46.910]that a lot of people call moss.
[00:05:48.240]So when they're fishing in a lake, and their lines get
[00:05:51.330]tangled up on that long, stringy green stuff, that's really
[00:05:54.820]that filamentous algae that we're thinking about.
[00:05:57.550]And the final algae that we think about is a chara.
[00:06:00.930]Now, chara is one of those things that a lot of people
[00:06:03.410]confuse for a herbacious plant, because it really has
[00:06:07.290]needles and leaves, kind of like a plant would.
[00:06:10.090]However, its proper identification as an algae
[00:06:13.230]is extremely important to the proper
[00:06:15.750]maintenance and management of algaes.
[00:06:18.270]So there's three main ways that algae reproduce.
[00:06:21.010]Cell division, plant fragmentation, and spores.
[00:06:24.700]Now, there's one other algae out there,
[00:06:27.510]that isn't a true algae, it's called blue green algae.
[00:06:31.610]What we're thinking about there is we're thinking
[00:06:33.220]about something that's really a cyanobacteria.
[00:06:36.560]It's a bacteria that acts like an algae.
[00:06:39.310]So you'll see it a lot of times floating on a lake
[00:06:42.470]surface, it's going to look maybe like a John Deere green
[00:06:45.730]paint, a shimmer or a shine on the surface of the lake,
[00:06:49.630]but it can also come in a lot of different forms and colors.
[00:06:52.830]Most commonly in Nebraska, we look at
[00:06:55.070]something called microcystin, which is a specific
[00:06:58.210]variety of this blue green algae.
[00:07:01.150]And so, on all of our state recreation areas,
[00:07:03.680]on those public beaches we have, we actually monitor
[00:07:06.680]for microcystin toxin in the water.
[00:07:08.980]That's the toxin produced by this blue green algae.
[00:07:12.420]So, when you're out and about at the lakes,
[00:07:14.160]if you're at a beach and you see a sign that says
[00:07:16.420]hey, no health alert, this beach is monitored for algae,
[00:07:20.180]for blue green algae, you know you're safe.
[00:07:22.310]But when you see one of those bright orange signs,
[00:07:24.970]you know that that lake has tested positive
[00:07:27.690]above a specific indicator level, for blue green algae,
[00:07:31.140]and it's something you want to avoid primary contact with.
[00:07:35.000]Now we're going to talk about flowering plants.
[00:07:37.580]There are three main types of flowering plants
[00:07:39.830]found in the aquatic ecosystem.
[00:07:41.970]The first is a submersed plant.
[00:07:44.250]These plants are going to be rooted into the bottom
[00:07:46.190]of the lake's sediment, and they're going to come up
[00:07:48.320]towards the surface of the water,
[00:07:49.920]but not emerge from the water's surface.
[00:07:52.580]They're going to be free moving,
[00:07:53.960]and have a very flexible stem.
[00:07:56.250]The second type of plant we're gonna
[00:07:57.570]look at is an emergent plant.
[00:07:59.460]Those plants are also going to be rooted in the soil
[00:08:01.838]or sediment of the lake system, but they're actually
[00:08:04.900]going to come out of the water's surface
[00:08:07.250]and emerge about the water's surface.
[00:08:10.540]And then the third type of flowering plant that we're
[00:08:12.310]gonna look at is going to be a free floating plant.
[00:08:15.440]These plants are not rooted into the soil substrate
[00:08:18.933]of the lake, but they instead float and move
[00:08:21.960]with the wind in the lake system.
[00:08:25.270]There are four types of submersed plants
[00:08:27.250]found in the aquatic ecosystem.
[00:08:29.180]The first one is a plant that has
[00:08:30.920]an alternate leaf arrangement.
[00:08:32.560]It's going to be something like a sago pondweed.
[00:08:35.230]The second type has an opposite leaf arrangement.
[00:08:38.910]This is going to be something like your naiad species.
[00:08:41.830]A third type of submersed plant
[00:08:44.080]has a whorl leaf arrangement.
[00:08:46.880]This is going to be something like a water milfoil.
[00:08:49.930]And finally, the last type of submersed aquatic weed
[00:08:54.370]that we see is going to be one that has a basil
[00:08:57.240]leaf arrangement, and the primary one that we think of
[00:08:59.850]when we see that is an eelgrass.
[00:09:02.760]Another type of aquatic vegetation
[00:09:04.430]is a rooted floating weed.
[00:09:06.780]So there's two basic types of rooted floating.
[00:09:08.910]One is a plant with a floating or above water leaf,
[00:09:13.150]and the other type is one with leaves
[00:09:15.470]that are completely underwater.
[00:09:17.330]So a couple examples of those might be
[00:09:19.540]the American lotus, or the spatterdock.
[00:09:22.520]Emergent aquatic plants tend to be one of the most
[00:09:24.750]visible and prevalent types of aquatic plants
[00:09:27.730]that we are aware of, in an aquatic ecosystem.
[00:09:30.969]There are two basic types of emergent aquatic plants.
[00:09:34.720]One is a herbaceous, this would be
[00:09:36.610]something like a bulrush, or a cattail.
[00:09:40.430]And the other type is a woody, and that is something
[00:09:44.020]that'd be something like a bottle brush, or a willow.
[00:09:47.660]Aquatic vegetation is an important part of our aquatic
[00:09:50.550]ecosystem, but when aquatic vegetation
[00:09:53.130]becomes excessive, and abundant, or occurs
[00:09:55.970]in undesirable locations, then it becomes a weed.
[00:09:59.620]For example, a herbaceous weed such as
[00:10:01.710]a sago pondweed, occurring in the bottom of a channel
[00:10:04.630]that impedes with navigation, is no longer
[00:10:08.040]an aquatic vegetation that's beneficial,
[00:10:10.500]but instead something that becomes detrimental
[00:10:13.240]and excessive, it becomes a weed.
[00:10:15.790]When we start talking about free floating aquatic plants,
[00:10:18.930]there's really two that we think of
[00:10:20.420]that are a nuisance in a lake ecosystem.
[00:10:22.760]One of those is a duckweed, and another one is a watermeal.
[00:10:25.740]These tend to cause large problems
[00:10:27.820]in a lot of different systems.
[00:10:29.470]A third example of a free floating aquatic plant that we
[00:10:32.920]think of as more of a beneficial is a water lily.
[00:10:36.270]So it's something that's thought of as a beautiful,
[00:10:38.940]aesthetic addition until it becomes excessive and abundant.
[00:10:43.420]Proper identification of aquatic vegetation is essential
[00:10:46.930]to the proper management and control of aquatic weeds.
[00:10:49.717](gentle upbeat music)
[00:10:59.080]Again, Katie will continue the discussion
[00:11:01.690]of Chapter 3: Conditions for Aquatic Plant Growth.
[00:11:06.260]The learning objectives for this section
[00:11:07.760]are found at the start of Chapter 3.
[00:11:11.257]Now we're going to talk about conditions
[00:11:13.710]needed for aquatic plant growth.
[00:11:15.920]Two of the major things needed for all plants
[00:11:17.910]to grow are light and nutrients.
[00:11:21.110]When we're talking about nutrients, there are three
[00:11:22.960]major nutrients that are needed for all plants.
[00:11:25.170]Those are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
[00:11:28.260]In the case of Nebraska lakes, when we're looking
[00:11:30.890]at a freshwater system like we have,
[00:11:32.970]nitrogen is usually the nutrient
[00:11:35.050]that is in abundance in our lake system.
[00:11:37.050]So when you add small amounts of phosphorus,
[00:11:39.680]which is currently our limiting nutrient, we tend to see
[00:11:43.560]increases and excessive growth of vegetation.
[00:11:47.210]Light is also essential for proper
[00:11:49.160]plant growth within an aquatic ecosystem.
[00:11:51.910]So there's something called a photic zone
[00:11:53.660]within an aquatic system.
[00:11:55.430]This is basically how far the light can penetrate
[00:11:58.040]through the water to the soil, and make
[00:12:01.620]the plants still be able to grow.
[00:12:03.380]So what the means is that if you've got areas of deep water,
[00:12:06.690]but the light does not penetrate far enough down,
[00:12:09.320]plants will not be able to grow in those areas.
[00:12:12.030]In areas where you have shallower water,
[00:12:14.230]then will you have light penetration, and more plant growth.
[00:12:18.050]A couple examples of plants that grow well
[00:12:20.750]late into the winter in deep water include
[00:12:22.790]eurasian milfoil and large leaf pondweed.
[00:12:25.880]Other plants that grow well late into the winter
[00:12:28.410]and then early in the spring include
[00:12:30.490]a curly leaf pondweed, or even filamentous algae.
[00:12:34.310]A stable substrate is essential for good plant growth.
[00:12:38.130]A sand is a poor substrate for
[00:12:40.500]a rooted plant in flowing water.
[00:12:42.860]This is because that flowing water is going to move
[00:12:46.190]the roots and now allow it to establish itself in the sand.
[00:12:49.640]However, sand in a small body of water is a good substrate.
[00:12:53.850]This is because the plant has an opportunity to set
[00:12:57.160]its roots in the substrate, and become stable.
[00:13:01.290]Rock and gravel make a poor substrate for rooted
[00:13:04.020]aquatic vegetation, because they don't provide
[00:13:07.090]a stable place for roots to establish.
[00:13:10.860]The three key elements for aquatic plant growth
[00:13:14.160]are light, nutrients, and a proper substrate.
[00:13:18.350]If you can manage for one of these, or all of these
[00:13:21.770]components you can manage for aquatic weed growth.
[00:13:25.280](gentle upbeat music)
[00:13:34.500]Aquatic plant control methods is an important
[00:13:36.840]component when maintaining a healthy aquatic environment.
[00:13:40.130]Dave Ford will help us with some information regarding
[00:13:43.130]this topic, while you follow along with the learning
[00:13:45.520]objectives outlined in Chapter 4.
[00:13:48.920]I'm David Ford, I'm the Irrigation Division Manager
[00:13:51.360]at the Central Nebraska Public Power
[00:13:52.850]and Irrigation District.
[00:13:54.340]We're here along the Phelps Canal today to talk about
[00:13:56.529]some of our aquatic weed management plans.
[00:14:00.610]I'm Steve Osterbuhr, Central Nebraska Public Power,
[00:14:03.610]and I guess I work with Dave on aquatic weed control.
[00:14:08.490]When we look at aquatic vegetation, and controlling
[00:14:10.710]aquatic vegetation, I think the most important part
[00:14:13.280]is the preventative actions that you can take.
[00:14:16.270]The old cliche, an ounce of prevention is worth
[00:14:19.590]a pound of cure is very true when it comes to this.
[00:14:22.400]And so the big steps that we look at is changing
[00:14:27.372]the culture where the weeds grow, so that they don't grow,
[00:14:31.860]or if they do grow then your management or your control
[00:14:35.040]methods are less aggressive in order to do that action.
[00:14:39.410]And so, the first thing that we do is nutrient management.
[00:14:44.040]Looking at the canals, and of course our canals are going
[00:14:48.460]through farming country, and we get a lot of crop residue
[00:14:52.870]into our canals, and so we take a lot of effort
[00:14:55.570]to try to remove that crop residue prior
[00:14:58.110]to us even putting water in a canal.
[00:15:01.050]There's several methods that we used in doing that,
[00:15:03.910]we do some mechanical removal using excavators
[00:15:06.563]and backhoes, and that type of thing.
[00:15:08.630]We also use a sloper, which primarily isn't used
[00:15:11.610]for removing nutrients or corn husk,
[00:15:15.730]or whatever else is in the canal, we use that
[00:15:18.150]to reshape and keep our canals in a condition
[00:15:20.350]that we like to run water in, but the side benefit
[00:15:23.160]of that is to remove some crop residue as well.
[00:15:26.700]The other step that we try to do is burning, we try to burn
[00:15:30.670]crop residue out of a canals whenever we can.
[00:15:34.050]With today's farming methods, they keep changing,
[00:15:36.670]and for the better, but there's a lot of no-till,
[00:15:40.070]or some type of reduced tillage occurring along
[00:15:42.250]our canals, and so burning becomes less of an option.
[00:15:46.670]You don't want to burn across a guy's field
[00:15:48.390]in a windy day, and course, that's when the wind
[00:15:50.320]blows, too, is in the spring, and so that
[00:15:52.063]creates a challenge with that, but we still do burning,
[00:15:56.300]and it's a very effective method.
[00:15:58.580]The other thing that we've doing is,
[00:16:02.712]along with the mechanical removal, we actually
[00:16:05.650]incorporated a blower this year.
[00:16:07.240]We actually take a, it's actually a blower
[00:16:10.120]that's made to clean out feed bunks for cattle,
[00:16:13.190]and on our smaller laterals, not this big one,
[00:16:15.720]but on our smaller laterals, probably not much
[00:16:18.420]different than a feed bunk, and we're able to blow
[00:16:20.160]a lot of that crop residue out, and get it removed.
[00:16:23.860]The other thing that we've tried this year,
[00:16:25.580]and we've done it in the past as well,
[00:16:27.710]is to actually just flush the canals.
[00:16:31.170]After we're all done, you know the wind's gonna blow,
[00:16:33.260]some of that material's gonna be reintroduced
[00:16:35.910]into the canal, and so we try to just flush that.
[00:16:39.180]Cleaning out what remains, getting into an area
[00:16:41.877]of the canal that we can actually dip it out.
[00:16:44.810]And also, as the water is in the canal, that material
[00:16:47.440]starts to break down, and those plants, actually will
[00:16:49.310]start to grow very early, and so, if we can replace
[00:16:52.620]that water, flush that water out and get some good,
[00:16:54.560]clean, fresh water maybe with a reduced nutrient load
[00:16:57.980]that's very effective as well.
[00:16:59.560]When we look at shallow areas in our canal,
[00:17:01.840]the thing that we're probably more concerned with
[00:17:04.530]is just a good even flow through the canal system.
[00:17:07.420]And so we try to keep those shallow areas,
[00:17:09.230]or the silt removed from those areas.
[00:17:11.300]Yes, the deeper water, you have less growth
[00:17:14.610]because the sunlight just can't penetrate that far,
[00:17:17.310]and so it does reduce the growth of aquatic vegetation.
[00:17:20.610]And so yes, we will do that, and we'll do that
[00:17:23.690]with that sloper, we'll also do it with an excavator
[00:17:26.900]to just keep a nice flow, or a nice level in the canal,
[00:17:31.240]keep them to their original design, and capacities,
[00:17:33.880]and then that also helps with fighting aquatic vegetation.
[00:17:40.220]As that crop residue, and maybe some weeds,
[00:17:42.886]as those break down, whatever is in there,
[00:17:45.786]you're getting some nitrogen, you're getting
[00:17:47.840]some phosphorus, you're getting some sulfur
[00:17:50.320]as those plants break down, and they'll become
[00:17:52.150]excellent sources for that aquatic vegetation
[00:17:54.240]to grow, and so if you can eliminate that,
[00:17:56.370]you certainly reduce the need for us
[00:17:59.100]to apply chemicals and it sure helps our fight.
[00:18:02.630]As you look at managing your watershed,
[00:18:06.040]and trying to reduce the nutrient input,
[00:18:08.360]one of the things that we have, and you'll see,
[00:18:10.340]I guess you can see it along our canals,
[00:18:11.710]we've got a good base of brome grass along here,
[00:18:15.407]and that goes a long ways in controlling
[00:18:18.680]things running into the canal, and absorbing anything
[00:18:21.490]that might be alongside, maybe some run off from a field,
[00:18:25.610]or that type of thing, and so it adds a barrier
[00:18:28.830]if you will to something entering into the canal.
[00:18:32.450]As far as fertilizer, we don't, because it just
[00:18:35.370]grows naturally, it's just occurring and growing naturally.
[00:18:39.140]What we'll see is some fertilizer being applied through
[00:18:42.160]center pivots, fertigation, which is a very
[00:18:44.120]good way to do that, and it's a very good
[00:18:47.122]stewardship of the land, and the resource.
[00:18:50.130]But when they cross the canal, you're gonna be introducing
[00:18:52.120]a little bit of that, and so we try to, well we check
[00:18:54.870]with the producers, and with our NRD to make sure
[00:18:58.120]that the nutrient load is well within
[00:19:01.680]the accepted limits, and manage it that way.
[00:19:04.920]Livestock in the canals is another issue,
[00:19:07.630]and where we have those, we'll get some additional growth
[00:19:11.169]of aquatic vegetation, and so we, guys are pretty good
[00:19:15.230]about keeping the livestock out of the canal,
[00:19:17.160]but it does occur from time to time, and it does add
[00:19:19.610]a problem, so we'll take a look at those areas,
[00:19:22.540]and maybe take some other steps as far as prevention
[00:19:25.060]in those areas where livestock has been in there.
[00:19:27.110]Maybe we can go in there, and we can slope
[00:19:28.670]that canal, or we can dig that canal prior
[00:19:30.560]to the season, and help reduce that source
[00:19:34.060]of feeding the aquatic vegetation.
[00:19:36.260]Conservation tillage is an excellent conservation measure
[00:19:38.770]on the farm, but it also assists
[00:19:41.820]in the watershed management area.
[00:19:44.120]You just have, it's just better for everything.
[00:19:46.850]You have reduced erosion, reduced soil erosion
[00:19:51.800]and most of that is occurring under a center pivot
[00:19:53.880]type activity, and so you're only applying the water
[00:19:56.347]and the nutrients that you need, and so you don't get
[00:19:58.390]that deep percolation of water and nutrients
[00:20:00.410]going through the root zone and into the groundwater source.
[00:20:04.990]The...
[00:20:08.300]But it causes, there's some downsides.
[00:20:10.560]But it's something that you can deal with.
[00:20:14.150]You have all that nutrient on the surface, some of that will
[00:20:17.290]blow in the canal, and we have to deal with that.
[00:20:20.421]But in the long run, it provides a good boundary.
[00:20:23.510]The soil, how the soil reacts
[00:20:25.550]to conservation tillage is exceptional.
[00:20:29.740]When you're not running equipment over there
[00:20:32.240]and compacting the soil, the infiltration rate
[00:20:35.550]of that soil increases dramatically.
[00:20:37.590]And so, you're gonna get less erosion, just from that.
[00:20:41.970]If you get that big rain, that three or four inch rain,
[00:20:44.870]most of that water's gonna go into the soil
[00:20:46.660]under a no-till type situation.
[00:20:48.510]And the water holding capacity of that soil is increased,
[00:20:54.080]and the micro-activity in that soil is increased,
[00:20:57.920]and it's just a good thing for everything.
[00:20:59.943]It's good for crop reduction, it's good for soil,
[00:21:02.300]and it's good for the environment around there.
[00:21:03.870]At feed lots you'll see a retaining pit,
[00:21:06.030]and they control their environment around there,
[00:21:08.860]around the feed lot, and the runoff from that feed lot
[00:21:11.490]after a rain, and so if you can do that
[00:21:13.330]as well, that works pretty well.
[00:21:15.320]A lot of guys, there are still some reuse pits used
[00:21:18.290]in the area, and so they'll collect that water
[00:21:20.320]and pump that back on the field, and so that helps
[00:21:22.880]in water getting back into the stream,
[00:21:24.930]or back into the water, into the draws that eventually
[00:21:28.720]ended up in the river, so that's a good way
[00:21:31.090]that under gravity irrigation, that still is a good
[00:21:35.570]practice to use, it maximizes the resource
[00:21:39.790]of the water, but it also minimizes
[00:21:41.809]the nutrients leaving that area as well.
[00:21:46.980]Talked a little bit about fertilizer in the canal,
[00:21:49.160]and of course we don't, we don't do that.
[00:21:51.690]We'll see some fertilizer being applied, spoon-fed
[00:21:54.757]the crop if you will, and that's a good practice
[00:21:58.510]through center pivots, but we'll get some of those
[00:22:01.840]crossing our canal, and that adds to the nitrogen
[00:22:05.400]that the aquatic vegetation likes to use,
[00:22:08.360]and we actually will see an increase
[00:22:10.250]in growth as a result of that.
[00:22:12.670]It's a little bit of a trade off in that regard,
[00:22:14.440]but it's something that we have to manage, we're aware
[00:22:17.260]when our producers are doing that, and then
[00:22:20.390]we can take corrective action after that if need be.
[00:22:23.720]So it's just something you have to stay in communication
[00:22:26.090]with your customers about, and it's something
[00:22:29.290]that you can deal with, and it is a good practice,
[00:22:31.070]because you're putting on just the right amount
[00:22:32.710]at the right time, and their maximizing their inputs,
[00:22:36.530]and minimizing any runoff or any depercolation.
[00:22:40.960]You know, looking at other sources, septic systems
[00:22:44.371]can be another source of nutrients for aquatic vegetation.
[00:22:48.960]We have several of the lakes along our system,
[00:22:52.500]and Johnson Lake, for instance, that area,
[00:22:55.350]there is 800 and some cabins around that,
[00:22:57.310]or homes I guess you should say,
[00:22:58.950]around that facility, and they were on their own
[00:23:03.100]individual septic systems, and so it was adding
[00:23:05.150]a great deal into the lake, 'cause they were,
[00:23:07.380]of course it's, the lake was built in a canyon,
[00:23:09.535]and so the natural drain is going in that direction.
[00:23:13.477]And so it was leeching into the lake,
[00:23:15.510]and a number of years ago they installed
[00:23:17.807]a sanitary improvement district, to address
[00:23:22.140]the septic systems around Johnson Lake.
[00:23:24.670]That's been a great improvement, not only for their,
[00:23:26.990]for them and, but it's just a better public
[00:23:30.183]health issue, it's just improved that a great deal,
[00:23:33.250]and it's also a side benefit from that is reducing
[00:23:36.250]nutrient introduction into the water.
[00:23:39.960]As we look to eliminate shallow areas along our canals
[00:23:43.430]or lakes, mentioned earlier the fact of digging the canals
[00:23:47.750]just mainly for silt removal, but the side benefit
[00:23:50.010]is you have deeper water, you have
[00:23:51.910]less growth as a result of that.
[00:23:54.140]We also have not necessarily in a new lake,
[00:23:57.140]at our Jeffrey Reservoir, up by Brady,
[00:23:59.550]we actually had enough silt being deposited
[00:24:02.800]at the inlet of that lake that the water
[00:24:06.010]was very shallow, and still is, and so, we started
[00:24:08.700]a dredging program, to just to aid in the transition
[00:24:14.900]of the water, the transportation of the water
[00:24:16.730]through that area, but a side benefit,
[00:24:18.630]then you have deeper water, you have less sunlight
[00:24:21.250]penetrating that, those waters and you have less
[00:24:24.250]vegetative growth as a result of that.
[00:24:27.240]Okay, some of the types of mechanical control
[00:24:29.434]that we use in our system to get rid of some
[00:24:34.530]of the aquatic vegetation and or the nutrient system
[00:24:38.850]is we use hydraulic excavators to slope the ditches
[00:24:42.150]or re-dig them, we have a sloper that we use
[00:24:45.330]to side slope, that pulls the material out along the sides
[00:24:49.810]and then out, and then we spread it out,
[00:24:51.670]and get it out of the canals, 'cause that way
[00:24:53.010]the nutrients aren't in there.
[00:24:55.010]Plus it helps slope it to keep the sunlight
[00:24:58.460]from getting down in there for vegetation growth.
[00:25:02.530]We also have a bunk blower that we introduced
[00:25:06.680]into our system prior to water, that blows
[00:25:10.170]all the corn shucks and all that stuff out of the canal,
[00:25:13.660]the nutrients out of the canal, and then the wind
[00:25:16.140]carries them away, and so that way we reduce
[00:25:19.252]our nutrient that way for aquatic vegetation.
[00:25:24.720]When we talk about cultural control, or the environment
[00:25:29.159]that the aquatic vegetation likes to grow in,
[00:25:33.260]some of the ways to prevent that, is, one it would be
[00:25:35.850]a fabric liner in the canal, and we do have some of those,
[00:25:38.370]we have several miles of canal that is lined.
[00:25:40.710]That does aid in the prevention of aquatic weed growth,
[00:25:44.550]it doesn't prevent it completely, however.
[00:25:47.401]But we put it in, we installed it more as a conservation
[00:25:50.900]measure just to save water, but a side benefit
[00:25:53.475]is the weed control there too, so it's easier to control,
[00:25:57.840]in a situation like that, it creates a liner,
[00:25:59.930]it's just a membrane liner that we line the entire
[00:26:03.095]bottom of the canal with, and that's been
[00:26:05.010]a very effective in erosion, in water savings,
[00:26:10.100]but also in vegetation control as well.
[00:26:13.200]Another effective method is winter drawdown.
[00:26:16.790]In our irrigation canals, we dry those up each year.
[00:26:20.970]And so, as you get to the dry soil, you can put
[00:26:23.210]some type of pre-emergent on, or that type of thing,
[00:26:25.077]and you can remove debris, that type, silt,
[00:26:27.560]that type of thing, during a winter drawdown.
[00:26:30.127]And our supply canal, it stays wet year round,
[00:26:32.860]and so we don't quite have that luxury there,
[00:26:35.000]but in our irrigation canal, we actually take that
[00:26:38.680]to another level, even during the irrigation season,
[00:26:40.870]if we have a big rain, and we can shut a canal down,
[00:26:44.210]even for just a few days, and we don't necessarily
[00:26:46.890]dry it up, but we can remove the water,
[00:26:48.447]and those aquatic vegetations are exposed to the air,
[00:26:51.350]and that'll slow them down or kill them.
[00:26:53.580]And so that's been a very effective method
[00:26:55.750]of controlling the culture, or the environment
[00:26:57.440]that that weed likes to grow in.
[00:26:59.120]Something else that you can do during that drawdown
[00:27:01.520]is apply a very light dose of some type
[00:27:05.700]of algaecide, or other chemical to attack
[00:27:08.106]that plant while it's vulnerable, and exposed to the air,
[00:27:11.740]and so that's been a very effective way
[00:27:13.160]to control the culture that they grow,
[00:27:17.370]that they like to grow or need to grow in.
[00:27:19.990]Something else that we do along our canals
[00:27:22.250]is we'll put broken concrete as a riprap protection,
[00:27:26.320]armor coat the sides of those canals, and basically
[00:27:29.490]that is for erosion control, stabilizes the banks,
[00:27:34.230]but it also provides an area for fish
[00:27:39.960]to grow into, and also is does prevent
[00:27:42.690]some aquatic weed growth as a result of that,
[00:27:45.610]and so that, it is a lot to put in,
[00:27:47.530]but it's a side benefit, or it's a positive
[00:27:50.730]consequence of riprapping or armor coating the sides.
[00:27:54.510]Aeration, I'm not real familiar with that,
[00:27:58.370]it's something that we haven't tried,
[00:27:59.670]but there are some things going on with aeration
[00:28:03.080]to try to control vegetation, the jury
[00:28:05.720]is still out on that particular activity.
[00:28:09.800]Nontoxic dyes, we don't use that, we'll put some dye
[00:28:13.040]in our spray just so we can see what we're spraying,
[00:28:16.280]but we don't put anything, introduce
[00:28:18.778]anything into the water to cloud
[00:28:20.750]this sunlight, or to alter the sunlight.
[00:28:22.691]The best thing for us is, we're diverting water
[00:28:26.370]out of the Platte River, there's a lot of silt,
[00:28:27.853]there's a lot of material in that water.
[00:28:30.340]As long as that's moving at a good velocity,
[00:28:32.040]the water stays really cloudy, and that is an effective
[00:28:34.700]way, and we can see that early in the season
[00:28:37.763]when our flows are very low, we'll get some additional
[00:28:41.570]growth as a result of just the sunlight
[00:28:43.390]being able to penetrate that, and so once we'll get a rain,
[00:28:46.440]we'll get a rain, or we'll get, irrigation will pick up,
[00:28:50.060]we get more water moving, and we get more silt in the water,
[00:28:52.247]and so it does improve the fight against vegetation.
[00:28:56.980]Aluminum sulfate is a product that will bind up
[00:29:02.750]the nutrients, and settle to the bottom,
[00:29:04.610]and make them unavailable for aquatic vegetation growth,
[00:29:07.217]and it is an effective way to deal with those.
[00:29:10.680]You have to assess your situation
[00:29:14.040]and see what works best for you.
[00:29:16.290]Well, people can use a grass carp for a bio control
[00:29:20.450]agent, in their lakes or ponds, or the canal system,
[00:29:24.520]we don't use it in our canal system, for several reasons.
[00:29:27.530]One is, introducing them into it, and then trying
[00:29:30.440]to get them back out, and store them for the winter,
[00:29:33.590]and sometimes we draw our canals down in the middle
[00:29:36.510]of summer for moss control and stuff like that,
[00:29:39.840]so it just wouldn't, doesn't fit in our system,
[00:29:42.120]but in small lakes or ponds, I can see that
[00:29:44.670]you could introduce some grass carp and it would help
[00:29:47.840]control the vegetation in that source, and they'd
[00:29:52.110]probably winter through the deeper ponds.
[00:29:54.350]So that'd be another tool they could use.
[00:29:57.768]As we conclude here, or near our conclusion,
[00:30:01.970]you know we've talked about a number of things here today,
[00:30:04.480]about how to improve the flow of water
[00:30:08.410]through lakes or canals, or whatever your facility does.
[00:30:14.281]What I've learned over my time,
[00:30:16.700]is there's a lot of tools in the tool box.
[00:30:19.710]You can look at reducing the nutrient input,
[00:30:23.440]you can look at mechanical removal.
[00:30:25.330]You can look at spring, you can look at,
[00:30:28.230]like Steve talked about, grass carp.
[00:30:31.222]They all have a piece, they all have a piece of that puzzle
[00:30:36.230]to fight aquatic vegetation, and they're all
[00:30:37.930]very effective, it depends on your situation,
[00:30:40.516]what works best for you, what's most
[00:30:42.540]cost effective for you to do, and so
[00:30:45.210]the thing is, is don't eliminate anything.
[00:30:47.550]Oh, that's not gonna work for us, it might sometime,
[00:30:50.930]so just stay vigilant about it, stay up on what's
[00:30:56.260]out there, what's available, and apply those
[00:30:58.940]sciences, and those technologies to your situation.
[00:31:01.745](gentle upbeat music)
[00:31:11.070]We can now discuss the chemical side
[00:31:12.750]of the aquatic category.
[00:31:14.140]The following learning objectives are found
[00:31:15.900]in the start of Chapter 5: Chemical Control.
[00:31:19.510]We're out here today alongside the Phelps Canal,
[00:31:21.400]and we're gonna show you, and talk about some
[00:31:23.437]of the things that we do to control aquatic vegetation
[00:31:26.397]and some of the steps and practices
[00:31:27.930]that we employ, to get that job done.
[00:31:30.870]Today, we're gonna start talking about
[00:31:33.050]the three ways that we apply some of these products.
[00:31:35.800]We use a couple of different chemicals for our pondweeds,
[00:31:39.380]our sago pondweeds, our American pondweeds.
[00:31:42.526]We have a trailer that we set up, that we put
[00:31:44.960]the products in, like Cascade and Teton.
[00:31:47.460]The Teton is more the algaecide inside of it,
[00:31:50.300]the Cascade is more on an endathol Product,
[00:31:53.150]that we drip into the system with a float box, so we can
[00:31:56.690]control the parts per million, and the contact time.
[00:32:00.210]That's very crucial to get them both together,
[00:32:03.183]and do it by label, so that you get the best
[00:32:07.870]effect and cost, you know, bang for your buck.
[00:32:11.800]So, and then the other one is we use our copper products
[00:32:15.760]in a barrel, that we use a dripper, with a certain
[00:32:20.030]size orifice in it, to get our parts per million
[00:32:22.960]and our contact time, and like I say,
[00:32:25.210]that's crucial for our application.
[00:32:28.060]And the other method that we use is spraying our copper
[00:32:32.440]products over the top on our moss and algae,
[00:32:37.580]'cause some of the floating moss, it's hard to get control
[00:32:41.440]from underneath, it don't soak it all in.
[00:32:43.190]So, we also spray over the top, with this product,
[00:32:46.800]and that's a good way to control it.
[00:32:50.970]We set up a trailer here to apply our algaecide
[00:32:54.919]and the stuff that we use to control the pondweed.
[00:32:58.660]It provides a very efficient way to apply the product,
[00:33:01.630]everything is all in the same trailer, and compact
[00:33:04.400]and easy to move around from one site to another.
[00:33:06.477]The other thing it provides is an element of safety,
[00:33:08.520]we can go ahead and start applying this, we can lock that
[00:33:11.170]trailer up for security reasons, and this type of thing.
[00:33:13.410]So, I'm gonna have Steve talk about some of the processes
[00:33:16.480]they do to set that trailer up and get it ready to run.
[00:33:19.485]What we usually do is we figure out, when we're
[00:33:21.700]setting up the trailer, we figure out our canal CFS,
[00:33:25.390]so we know how much product to apply,
[00:33:27.560]and the parts per million rate, and for the contact
[00:33:31.280]time that we want, and we carry two different tanks in here,
[00:33:35.070]one we use Teton, and the other one we use Cascade,
[00:33:37.940]and they both hold 100 gallons.
[00:33:39.760]And, we use these float boxes, which is little floats
[00:33:42.950]that's in there that controls the depth of the water,
[00:33:47.900]and then we have a dial on the side that we control,
[00:33:50.680]and we can set them up, 'cause we need
[00:33:52.910]a contact time of about six hours,
[00:33:56.300]so it's dripping at 100 gallons per six hours.
[00:34:00.430]One of the things that those float boxes
[00:34:01.930]that you mentioned do, they provide a very uniform
[00:34:05.641]pressure, a very uniform application of the chemical.
[00:34:11.190]As your tank is full, it's got more head pressure,
[00:34:13.210]as it gets lower, you're gonna reduce that
[00:34:14.747]and so the stream of chemical is gonna change,
[00:34:17.240]the float boxes even that out.
[00:34:19.300]The chemicals that we're using is basically
[00:34:21.310]for the pondweed, and where we will get
[00:34:23.220]sago pond or an American pondweed, the Cascade,
[00:34:25.420]the endathol will take care of that.
[00:34:27.460]Then we give it a second punch of Teton,
[00:34:30.610]which is an algaecide, and so, it also will attack
[00:34:34.560]the algae that's in the water.
[00:34:35.970]These chemicals, you can't tank mix them,
[00:34:40.600]you'll be disappointed if you tank mix them,
[00:34:42.490]you've gotta keep them separate,
[00:34:43.900]and then they'll mix in the water.
[00:34:46.100]In addition to the chemical control that we've
[00:34:47.940]shown you, we also use mechanical methods to get
[00:34:53.747]our results, and one of them would be with hydraulic
[00:34:56.900]excavators, backhoes, and you dip the material
[00:35:01.220]out of the canal, and get rid of it, excavate it out.
[00:35:04.170]Another one is a sloper, where we can slope the canal,
[00:35:07.300]reshape it, make it a little bit deeper,
[00:35:09.430]so you don't have the sunlight penetration.
[00:35:11.780]And then it pulls the product to the sides
[00:35:14.900]and up and out, and another thing that we introduced
[00:35:18.170]this year, and we had a pretty good success with,
[00:35:20.760]in the right canals, is what they call a bunk blower.
[00:35:23.800]It's a feed bunk blower.
[00:35:25.290]And it blows air out with a blower over 300 mile an hour
[00:35:30.590]into the bottom of the canal, and if you can get
[00:35:32.560]that close it'll blow everything,
[00:35:34.210]even the dirt out, to a certain extent.
[00:35:36.290]A very effective way of nutrient management,
[00:35:38.580]getting those nutrients out of the canal,
[00:35:41.030]and so we're excited to have an additional tool
[00:35:44.600]in our toolbox, to work on that.
[00:35:47.300]We've also done some pre-emergent, where we've had,
[00:35:51.120]maybe we've used some of these things, we've talked about,
[00:35:53.230]got all the nutrients, all the crop residue
[00:35:57.753]out of the canals, when they were able to go in with
[00:36:00.300]a pre-emergent, and spray that canal maybe one time,
[00:36:03.830]prior to the irrigation season, and then have
[00:36:06.200]a year-long weed control, year-long aquatic
[00:36:10.780]vegetation control, as a result of that.
[00:36:15.100]We're just getting into that a little bit more,
[00:36:17.710]trying to be very conservative in making sure that
[00:36:19.750]it's going to accomplish what we want to, and it's
[00:36:22.309]an expensive thing, to do that, but so is all this other
[00:36:27.080]stuff that we're talking about as well, so there are some
[00:36:30.260]conditions that that maybe is gonna be your best option,
[00:36:33.060]and it's been a very effective
[00:36:35.740]for us in the trials that we've run.
[00:36:38.170]You know, a fluridone is good for control
[00:36:40.920]of aquatic vegetation.
[00:36:42.800]We use that, we have used some of that,
[00:36:46.730]but we apply it in a dry condition, as a pre-emergent.
[00:36:49.480]And so, as a spot treatment it's not very effective
[00:36:51.980]for that, but we'll look at a section of canal,
[00:36:55.356]in the dry condition, and apply it prior to the irrigation
[00:36:59.760]season, we've had really good response, really good
[00:37:02.360]control with all the vegetation.
[00:37:04.650]You know, generally speaking, the 240 products
[00:37:06.740]aren't near as effective in the water,
[00:37:08.820]as some of the other products.
[00:37:10.660]There are 240 products labeled for the water,
[00:37:14.340]there's granular options as well, that will work.
[00:37:18.550]I think the main thing is to make sure that whatever
[00:37:20.930]you're using is labeled for the use that you're looking for.
[00:37:24.500]One of aquatic herbicides that has a strict
[00:37:27.700]labeling requirement is Magnacide H.
[00:37:32.210]You know, you have to have placards on your equipment,
[00:37:34.850]you have to take training, that type of thing,
[00:37:37.750]so, again, refer back to the label.
[00:37:41.800]You always want to know what you're applying,
[00:37:44.610]what the risk are, not only to the environment,
[00:37:49.020]but also to the people that are applying it,
[00:37:50.840]so look at that label, understand
[00:37:53.250]what you're applying, and follow that.
[00:37:56.530]We have a couple different algaecides
[00:37:58.740]that we use in our line of canals, and one of them
[00:38:03.600]is a copper chelate, and copper sulfate,
[00:38:09.130]and we use that in several different forms.
[00:38:12.500]We'll spray on top for the floating moss and stuff,
[00:38:17.040]and we will actually put it in a dripper
[00:38:19.200]for an amount of time, parts per million,
[00:38:22.870]for two to three hours, whatever the label says,
[00:38:26.410]and that'll get the filamentous algae down below.
[00:38:31.690]And then we also inject herbicides into the water,
[00:38:37.640]right where the algae is, so that's another tool
[00:38:42.420]that we can use, so, and we use that and we also use,
[00:38:48.230]we use Teton as another application that we've
[00:38:51.480]actually injected in the canals, and or dripped
[00:38:53.970]through our system for the appropriate time per label.
[00:38:58.630]One of the advantages of using a chelated copper,
[00:39:00.950]is it's less corrosive.
[00:39:02.930]As it goes into the irrigation systems, you've got
[00:39:05.270]center pivots, you've got gated pipe, lot of that's
[00:39:08.130]aluminum, or certainly the gated pipe is,
[00:39:10.250]and it's less corrosive to the aluminum.
[00:39:12.110]And so it's just a better product,
[00:39:13.800]it's easier on our producers' equipment.
[00:39:18.570]Looking at Hydrothol, or Aquathol,
[00:39:22.900]very good products when controlling some of the submersed
[00:39:26.060]aquatic vegetations, such as sago pondweed.
[00:39:28.880]We'll also use it for American pondweed, as well.
[00:39:31.317]In the lakes, around a dock, that type of thing,
[00:39:35.150]you'll get some sago pondweed, 'cause obviously
[00:39:37.320]your water's a little shallower, the sunlight
[00:39:39.560]will penetrate that area and you can get
[00:39:41.730]some sago pondweed growing there.
[00:39:44.160]Hydrothol in a granular form is a good product to use,
[00:39:47.810]is to sprinkle that out into the area where maybe
[00:39:50.470]where your shore station is, or along your dock,
[00:39:52.260]and it goes down and it'll release the endothol
[00:39:56.360]slowly, maybe on a nice calm night spread that out
[00:40:00.960]and that plant will get good exposure time
[00:40:03.450]and good intake into the plant, and actually
[00:40:05.810]control that vegetation very well.
[00:40:07.870]And we'll use it in our canals as well for sago pondweed,
[00:40:10.680]where it'll actually start to grow and actually start
[00:40:12.790]to choke off a canal, and we try to find a time
[00:40:16.130]of low flows to minimize the amount of chemical needed,
[00:40:19.760]but we do the same thing, we incorporate it into
[00:40:22.540]the water, try to maximize the exposure time to the plant,
[00:40:26.260]and get that plant to uptake that chemical,
[00:40:30.180]and actually then go ahead and control it, then.
[00:40:33.210]We talked about de-watering, of course we de-water
[00:40:34.958]in the off-season, each and every year.
[00:40:38.000]But during the irrigation season, after a big rain event,
[00:40:40.760]or maybe early in the season when irrigation is very light,
[00:40:44.670]or non-existent, we can reduce the water in the canals.
[00:40:49.060]And we can either take it all out, and dry that up,
[00:40:52.930]dry that stuff that's growing up,
[00:40:55.080]without the use of any chemicals.
[00:40:57.540]But even if we can only get the water out for a few days
[00:40:59.890]and maybe it's still wet, we can go in there and we can
[00:41:02.010]spray something on top of that in standing water, and get
[00:41:05.800]very effective control, using that method.
[00:41:09.470]One of the most important things in dealing
[00:41:11.400]with all these chemicals, is safety.
[00:41:14.070]The PPE that the guys use when applying the products
[00:41:17.640]or working around the products is crucial.
[00:41:19.810]You need to look at your MSDS, and they always list
[00:41:23.200]what you have to use, but sometimes
[00:41:25.257]you'll choose to go a little bit
[00:41:27.140]farther than that, just to be on the safe side.
[00:41:31.340]Rubber gloves, face shields, goggles, respirators
[00:41:34.909]on certain chemicals, the MSDS,
[00:41:41.290]you need to research that before using any chemicals.
[00:41:46.120]What we're looking at today, we mainly use
[00:41:48.710]a couple different algaecides, we use a copper products,
[00:41:51.880]and then we also use a Teton as an algaecide.
[00:41:54.900]The endathol product we use is called Cascade,
[00:41:59.500]it's been a very good product.
[00:42:00.410]We use that product mainly for sago pondweed
[00:42:02.667]and American pondweed, and then the algaecide
[00:42:05.530]is the algae that you see floating on top,
[00:42:07.740]or the filamentous algae that's growing up from the bottom.
[00:42:10.860]We use the copper products and the Teton for that.
[00:42:12.930]So, both have been, we've found both of those very
[00:42:15.660]effective, very cost-effective, and they're a safe
[00:42:18.450]product to use, they're not hazardous materials,
[00:42:22.969]and doesn't require any special licensing,
[00:42:24.630]that type of thing, you of course have to have
[00:42:25.820]your applicator's license, but you don't
[00:42:27.780]need hazmat, that type of thing, so.
[00:42:30.570]Looking at off-target impacts, to what you're applying,
[00:42:37.090]we're fortunate here, our system is a closed system.
[00:42:40.220]We're not returning water back to the stream,
[00:42:42.020]or to the river, and so we're able to contain that.
[00:42:46.100]With some chemicals, as you read the label,
[00:42:48.010]you'll know that if you have risks there.
[00:42:50.370]And if you have restrictions in regard
[00:42:52.330]to returning water to a stream.
[00:42:54.060]And so you need to be aware of that.
[00:42:56.970]The other thing, we are aware of is what crops
[00:42:59.230]are out there, and so we have to read those labels,
[00:43:01.220]and understand the chemicals that we're using, if they're
[00:43:04.340]impacting the crops that our producers are growing.
[00:43:07.560]And make sure that we're not having
[00:43:08.854]an adverse impact with that.
[00:43:11.970]One of the things we use also is a drip system,
[00:43:14.980]and we found this to be very effective,
[00:43:18.180]as a preemptive control method is to put a solution
[00:43:22.930]of copper product in these 30 gallon barrels,
[00:43:25.710]and we put it at a check, where we incorporate
[00:43:27.870]the water, where the water mixes very well
[00:43:29.710]as it's applied, and it'll take several hours
[00:43:32.410]for that product to go in there.
[00:43:34.410]And so, as that water is moving downstream,
[00:43:38.160]the algae that is in that section will take that
[00:43:41.250]chemical up, and actually it does a very good job
[00:43:44.700]of taking it all up, there's very little that goes
[00:43:46.980]beyond where we want it to go, but it provides
[00:43:49.780]a very good control method, very good control
[00:43:52.520]for the algae in that section.
[00:43:54.930]The other thing that we have is our truck that is set up,
[00:43:57.890]and we'll use this to spray normally along the banks,
[00:44:01.270]but if we're applying chemical directly on the water,
[00:44:03.730]if we have a situation where we can shut the water off,
[00:44:06.520]and just have standing water, we can apply some copper
[00:44:08.950]on there and just increase our exposure time,
[00:44:12.480]to the chemical to the plant, which is very effective way
[00:44:14.990]to make that treatment, and Carl's gonna show us how
[00:44:18.113]that equipment works, and how he sets that up.
[00:44:21.396]The way we have our trucks set up back here
[00:44:23.200]is we have adjustable booms, so we can raise and lower
[00:44:25.990]so that way the guy can watch, the operator can watch
[00:44:28.967]the spray pattern, and make sure he's applying it
[00:44:32.820]only where he needs to, and if he needs to,
[00:44:35.530]we put a longer boom on it, to get it out over
[00:44:39.220]the canal, so that way we can get the exposure
[00:44:42.087]and the water contact, or the bank contact that we're after.
[00:44:46.420]And then he can adjust it accordingly, because you know
[00:44:49.030]the roads change, and the heights of roads.
[00:44:51.340]The other thing we have is a hose reel that we can
[00:44:54.369]come out and we got a handgun that we can actually
[00:44:57.130]target it, specific spots that we can't get to with
[00:45:00.670]the truck, sometimes you have to go about 20, 30 feet,
[00:45:03.680]and they also can use that, and you can spray
[00:45:06.340]several different patterns with it.
[00:45:08.760]In your effort to have a very successful vegetation
[00:45:11.830]control program, the first thing you need to do
[00:45:14.490]is make sure you understand and know the weeds
[00:45:17.450]or the plants that you're trying to control.
[00:45:20.462]When you're using a chemical, like Magnacide H,
[00:45:23.640]it'll pretty much take everything out of your canal.
[00:45:25.540]But as you use other chemicals, you need to know
[00:45:28.380]exactly, you need to identify the plants
[00:45:30.730]that you're trying to control, which ones
[00:45:31.940]are giving you problems, and for us
[00:45:33.370]it's sago pondweed, or filamentous algae.
[00:45:36.730]And so it's important that you have that in mind,
[00:45:41.267]what are your trying to control, and have that in mind.
[00:45:44.310]The other thing you need to know is
[00:45:45.940]what your water is gonna be used for.
[00:45:47.870]Where is that water going?
[00:45:49.250]For us, it's what crops are out there that we're gonna
[00:45:51.780]be applying the water to, is the chemical or the treatments
[00:45:55.010]that we use gonna be harmful to those crops,
[00:45:57.690]and of course, you just can't have that,
[00:45:59.057]and so you need to know and understand that.
[00:46:00.897]And so, looking at the labels of the chemicals
[00:46:04.130]that you're using is critical, you need to stay
[00:46:06.870]within the label, like Ken Aiden used to say,
[00:46:09.820]the label is the law, and it's a very true statement,
[00:46:12.780]you just need to operate with inside that label,
[00:46:15.363]there's a lot of research, a lot of effort has gone
[00:46:17.900]into preparing those and coming up with the parameters
[00:46:21.420]for you to operate in, and they're very very useful.
[00:46:25.290]As we look at water restrictions, when working
[00:46:28.030]in a water system, you're concerned with drinking water,
[00:46:31.513]you're concerned with, one of the restrictions
[00:46:34.210]would be for swimming, one would be for livestock,
[00:46:39.580]watering livestock, the other would be irrigation.
[00:46:41.820]And if you're using some type of fish, or something
[00:46:44.480]like that to control vegetation, that would be another
[00:46:46.500]restriction you wanna consider.
[00:46:48.340]And especially if you have a system
[00:46:50.690]that returns water into a stream, or river.
[00:46:53.840]Yeah, when we apply algaecides in the canal,
[00:46:56.140]we use several factors to decide when to apply,
[00:47:00.440]for the best results, we like to keep a lower flow
[00:47:03.115]for cost, and then it actually does a better time.
[00:47:08.430]You get, it's all about the parts per million
[00:47:11.640]for the amount of contact time, so you gotta
[00:47:15.200]take everything in consideration.
[00:47:17.660]Too high of flows and you're using a lot of chemicals,
[00:47:20.520]which is costly, and then sometimes it'll stream
[00:47:24.570]right down the center, and it won't get the sides,
[00:47:26.700]so if you get a good mix in there, and get it to the sides,
[00:47:29.830]and one of the tools that we use if we don't see
[00:47:32.372]the vegetation in there, is we'll throw a rake out there
[00:47:36.540]with a rope and pull it up, and see it so we can catch
[00:47:39.133]that plant growth at a lower stage, the smaller stage,
[00:47:44.720]and you get a better kill that way, 'cause it goes
[00:47:48.180]through the plant better, it's not such a mass.
[00:47:51.240]In wrapping up, as we talk about applying herbicides
[00:47:55.509]in and around water, you've got a big investment in time,
[00:48:01.070]labor, and equipment, and purchasing of the chemical,
[00:48:04.460]and it's very important to know what you're doing,
[00:48:07.610]understand what you're doing, look at the label,
[00:48:09.400]talk with your suppliers, they can be a great resource,
[00:48:15.410]help you identify plants if you're not sure about that,
[00:48:18.790]they're a great resource in what chemicals to use
[00:48:21.520]for what you're trying to control.
[00:48:24.290]But at the end of the day, safety rises above
[00:48:27.420]everything else that we've talked about.
[00:48:30.123]The people that are applying it, you wanna provide
[00:48:32.840]the proper Personal Protective Equipment,
[00:48:35.470]you want them to do it in a safe manner,
[00:48:37.250]you wanna do it in the right environment,
[00:48:38.760]you wanna do it with the right weather condition,
[00:48:40.760]and so that your efforts are going toward the means
[00:48:46.370]you're trying to control, and do it safely, for people,
[00:48:50.630]for the environment, for the wildlife,
[00:48:52.194]and for your pocketbook as well.
[00:48:54.852](upbeat gentle music)
[00:49:03.680]Phil Chvala continues the discussion
[00:49:05.500]about proper application in Chapter 6: Chemical
[00:49:08.270]Application Methods and Techniques.
[00:49:10.510]The following learning objectives
[00:49:11.910]are located at the start of Chapter 6.
[00:49:16.720]Hi, I'm Phil Chvala with the Nebraska Game and Parks
[00:49:18.980]Commission, in the Norfolk office, and today
[00:49:21.200]we're at Tahazouka Lake, talking about methods
[00:49:25.110]and techniques and chemicals for treating
[00:49:27.360]aquatic vegetation in ponds and lake systems.
[00:49:32.347]You wanna treat vegetation in the mid-to-late spring,
[00:49:37.110]or early summer timeframe, because that's when
[00:49:40.690]your plants are at a lower biomass,
[00:49:43.070]and there'll be less of an oxygen sag
[00:49:45.740]once you treat those, and they start dying off.
[00:49:48.710]Another reason is that the plants are actively growing,
[00:49:52.320]and they'll take up that chemical more effectively
[00:49:54.840]and more efficiently, and thus your treatment
[00:49:56.570]will be more efficient and effective.
[00:49:58.960]As far as a volume treatment goes, to calculate the volume
[00:50:04.358]you need the surface area, and you need an average depth
[00:50:08.117]and you take those times each other, and that gives
[00:50:10.680]you the number of acre-feet in the lake, and that's usually
[00:50:13.470]how the volume is expressed in a water body.
[00:50:16.420]Most chemicals then will say, give you a certain amount
[00:50:19.980]to apply per acre foot, and so you determine
[00:50:25.100]that amount of chemical, put it into your system,
[00:50:28.310]like our tank that's in the boat here, per say,
[00:50:32.920]and then you dilute that with water, so that you can get
[00:50:35.880]an even distribution of the chemical.
[00:50:38.020]In some instances, if you wanna hit the vegetation early,
[00:50:42.170]when it's just growing up off the bottom,
[00:50:44.010]you can try the bottom acre-foot treatment.
[00:50:46.930]That entails having the boom on the boat,
[00:50:50.490]and having your lines extend to within two to three feet
[00:50:54.160]of the bottom, so you're getting that chemical right
[00:50:57.070]down to the plant, where it's growing near that bottom.
[00:50:59.973]Another option to use is, the Diquat that we use
[00:51:05.000]is actually denser than water, so that will sink,
[00:51:08.540]so it helps to use a chemical that is more dense
[00:51:11.330]than water and will sink down to the effective area.
[00:51:15.050]Occasionally we'll use a granular treatment,
[00:51:18.130]Cutrine Plus granular is one that we use
[00:51:20.270]commonly for filamentous algae.
[00:51:24.241]Filamentous algae will start its life cycle, it starts
[00:51:26.900]growing up from the bottom, catches those air bubbles
[00:51:30.560]released from the bottom sediments and then floats up
[00:51:32.900]into a mat and forms a mat on the surface.
[00:51:36.390]If we can get that early enough, we will treat it
[00:51:39.100]with granular, and that's just applied by spreading
[00:51:44.190]it like grass seed, either by hand,
[00:51:46.520]or by using a mechanical spreader.
[00:51:49.930]Treating emergent plants will be a little
[00:51:51.600]bit different than treating the submergent
[00:51:54.380]vegetation, and things like that.
[00:51:57.460]Emergent plants usually have kind of a waxy surface coating,
[00:52:02.160]and so you need to include a surfactant with that,
[00:52:05.950]which will help that chemical adhere to the plant's surface,
[00:52:09.370]and it also helps the plant, helps with
[00:52:12.510]the uptake of the chemical by the plant.
[00:52:15.300]Occasionally, re-treatment of the vegetation
[00:52:17.520]is necessary, filamentous algae is a good example of that.
[00:52:22.070]Once you treat it, usually within two to four weeks
[00:52:26.820]it's gonna start forming on the bottom again,
[00:52:28.790]and gonna wanna mat up on you.
[00:52:30.450]So you kinda need to treat that every three to four weeks,
[00:52:33.300]probably at least through the summer.
[00:52:36.280]Another reason might be there's a certain succession
[00:52:39.350]of plants in a water body system, you may have
[00:52:42.190]one species that starts growing early, and then
[00:52:44.680]another species that comes on later on.
[00:52:46.740]So, you treat that first plant that comes up,
[00:52:50.670]and you may have another variety come up later on
[00:52:53.190]that you may need to treat also.
[00:52:55.360]So determinations that need to be made, as far as knowing
[00:52:58.070]how much chemical to apply, would be knowing the area,
[00:53:02.180]or the the volume of the water body you're treating,
[00:53:06.720]depending on which type of treatment you're doing,
[00:53:09.640]the amount of chemical required to treat the plant,
[00:53:12.740]and the amount of formulation that you need
[00:53:18.690]to apply to get that good coverage.
[00:53:22.100]Usually the chemical is diluted with water,
[00:53:23.900]so that you can get an even distribution of the chemical,
[00:53:27.840]over the entire area that's meant to be treated.
[00:53:30.440]To calculate the surface area of a lake,
[00:53:32.320]there are a couple different techniques, or formulas,
[00:53:35.040]depending on the shape of the lake.
[00:53:38.450]For a rectangular or square shaped lake,
[00:53:41.280]you just take length times width, and divide it by
[00:53:44.120]43 560, which is the number of square feet in one acre.
[00:53:51.360]For a circular area, determination, formula would be
[00:53:57.120]pi, or 3.1416, times the radius squared, divided by
[00:54:02.300]that 43 560 square feet, which is
[00:54:06.920]the area in square feet of an acre.
[00:54:10.480]For a triangular area, you use that same rectangular
[00:54:13.960]area formula, length times width, divided by 43 560
[00:54:18.640]square feet, and then just take that, take half of that.
[00:54:23.660]When you run into a lake that's got an irregular shape,
[00:54:26.260]you can divide that lake into geometric shapes,
[00:54:30.600]and treat those, measure those areas individually
[00:54:33.780]by using these formulas, and then add those together
[00:54:37.650]at the end, and that sum will be the total
[00:54:39.800]surface area of the water body.
[00:54:42.080]For calculating mean depth of lake, one simple way
[00:54:46.310]to do it, I don't necessarily recommend it
[00:54:48.500]because it's pretty rough, you can take half of the maximum
[00:54:52.923]depth and figure that would be about your mean depth.
[00:54:57.230]But the more exact way to do it is to run transects
[00:55:00.850]across the lake, taking a measurement every so many feet,
[00:55:05.720]and then taking the average of those,
[00:55:09.880]and then that'll give you your average depth.
[00:55:15.100]To determine volume of a water body,
[00:55:18.810]once you've determined the surface area, and the mean depth,
[00:55:21.817]you just multiply those two, and that'll give you
[00:55:24.250]the number of acre-feet in the water body,
[00:55:26.190]which is your volume estimate.
[00:55:28.450]Then at that point, you can refer to the label
[00:55:31.560]on the chemical, and that will give you a rate
[00:55:34.300]to apply per acre-foot, or some certain volumetric
[00:55:39.170]measure, and that helps you determine the amount
[00:55:42.820]of chemical you need to apply, and then you dilute it
[00:55:46.250]with water, to try and, dilute it with water
[00:55:50.409]to distribute that chemical evenly throughout the water.
[00:55:55.750]So you can see with our boat we're applying the chemical
[00:55:58.510]with a boom, an electric sprayer off the front of the boat.
[00:56:02.230]And to determine the amount of chemical to use,
[00:56:05.390]and to deliver that chemical evenly across the area,
[00:56:11.360]there are five factors that we look at, that have
[00:56:13.800]to be involved in determining that, or to be effective.
[00:56:18.260]The first factor is delivery rate of the equipment,
[00:56:21.250]such as gallons per hour, the boat speed, the swath width
[00:56:26.432]of your boom, the treatment area, and the amount
[00:56:30.560]of chemical being applied per acre.
[00:56:32.900]So by using the techniques that we've talked about today,
[00:56:36.570]you can maintain a quality aquatic environment.
[00:56:39.297](upbeat gentle music)
[00:56:48.290]A balanced aquatic environment is very important for fish.
[00:56:51.400]Jess Schuckman will discuss Chapter 7: Diagnosis and
[00:56:54.930]Prevention of Fish Related Problems.
[00:56:57.340]Learning objectives found in Chapter 7
[00:56:59.380]can be displayed here.
[00:57:02.690]Hi, I'm Jeff Schuckman with Nebraska Game and Parks
[00:57:04.920]Commission, I'm based out of Norfolk, Nebraska,
[00:57:07.720]I'm the Fisheries Manager for Northeast and part of
[00:57:10.040]North Central Nebraska, and we're here today
[00:57:11.860]at Tahazouka Lake in Norfolk to go over
[00:57:15.440]some aspects of prevention, diagnosis,
[00:57:18.337]and control of fish related problems.
[00:57:21.830]A couple major causes of oxygen depletion
[00:57:25.160]in the summertime that can lead to summer kill,
[00:57:28.580]would be aquatic vegetation dying off, if you have
[00:57:32.360]a heavy bloom of algae, or quite a bit of rooted
[00:57:35.730]vegetation, and you have several cloudy days of weather,
[00:57:41.000]it can lead to a die off of vegetation, and as that
[00:57:43.960]vegetation decomposes, it respires and uses oxygen
[00:57:47.933]during the decomposition process, rather than producing
[00:57:51.960]oxygen, and you can really see those oxygen levels
[00:57:54.850]plummet really quickly, and sometimes on a whole lake
[00:57:59.810]basis can lead to a pretty significant summer kill.
[00:58:02.500]Sometimes its a partial summer kill, where it only
[00:58:04.820]affects part of the lake, but the fish aren't quite
[00:58:07.140]smart enough to get out of the way, and seek those
[00:58:09.343]area of higher oxygen, so they end up
[00:58:11.810]sitting in one spot and dying.
[00:58:13.650]The other thing that can lead to summer kills
[00:58:15.380]is what we call a heavy stratification.
[00:58:18.140]And stratification in summer time
[00:58:19.790]is a layering of the water.
[00:58:22.250]It's a warm top layer, followed by an intermediate
[00:58:25.020]cooling layer, followed by a cold layer down below.
[00:58:28.080]And as you go down that profile from top to bottom,
[00:58:30.710]you'll see the water temperature change,
[00:58:32.350]and you'll see the oxygen levels change,
[00:58:34.590]and sometimes dramatically within two to four feet
[00:58:38.150]of the surface, and some sand pits that have a heavy
[00:58:40.470]algal bloom on it, so in other words you get
[00:58:43.200]an anoxic layer, perhaps two to four feet below
[00:58:46.340]the surface of the water, and sometimes that lake
[00:58:49.500]can turn over and mix either in a heavy thunderstorm
[00:58:52.620]situation, or a quick cool down,
[00:58:57.570]and you'll get an upwelling of that unoxygenated
[00:58:59.870]water mixing with the top water,
[00:59:01.227]and that will lead to a summer kill.
[00:59:03.170]A lot of times we'll see that phenomenon late
[00:59:05.240]in the summer, as things start to mix, but like I said,
[00:59:08.220]it can be caused by a quick cool down, rapid cool down
[00:59:10.860]by a heavy rainfall event or a thunderstorm,
[00:59:13.170]I've seen that trigger that before.
[00:59:15.750]Some ways to prevent winter kill, during the winter months,
[00:59:19.160]actually can start during the summer months,
[00:59:22.150]and that's with a good vegetation control system,
[00:59:26.680]and trying to control the nutrients that are entering
[00:59:29.140]into a pond, if it's a sand pit it's a little
[00:59:30.990]different situation, if it's a watershed lake
[00:59:32.920]or pond, you're gonna have runoff during the summer time,
[00:59:35.730]you're gonna have nutrients entering
[00:59:36.940]that body of water, and that can lead
[00:59:40.490]to excessive vegetation growth and algal growth.
[00:59:43.680]So, to control the nutrient runoff, coming in
[00:59:47.130]in the runoff, and controlling the vegetation
[00:59:49.560]and algae throughout the summertime
[00:59:50.830]goes a long way to preventing winter kill.
[00:59:52.840]You don't want a build up of that organic material
[00:59:55.130]going into the winter, when that lake's capped with ice,
[00:59:57.510]and not mixing and getting the atmospheric oxygen.
[01:00:00.470]And so it can actually start during the summer time.
[01:00:03.730]And some other ways to prevent that, are to keep
[01:00:06.840]some areas open in the winter time, so that atmospheric
[01:00:10.750]oxygen can mix with the water, cold water holds
[01:00:14.160]a lot more oxygen than warm water, so it doesn't
[01:00:16.840]take a lot to mix in, and sometimes
[01:00:19.210]an aeration system is the key to get that
[01:00:21.730]to mixing and keeping an area ice free.
[01:00:24.230]Also, snow cover leads to the formation
[01:00:28.840]of a winter kill situation.
[01:00:30.500]Sunlight needs to penetrate down into the water,
[01:00:33.010]through the ice, so that the algae that is present
[01:00:36.180]in there, and some of the leftover vegetation
[01:00:38.470]can continue to thrive and produce oxygen.
[01:00:41.890]When the opposite occurs, and they can't produce
[01:00:44.430]oxygen, then start to die off and we get into a problem.
[01:00:47.210]The sunlight penetration can be key.
[01:00:49.390]Sometimes there's not much you can do because
[01:00:51.270]Mother Nature dictates that for you, if you have
[01:00:53.570]ice formation during a heavy wind event,
[01:00:55.640]and it's cloudy ice, sometimes that's not a good
[01:00:58.640]situation going into the winter, especially if you get
[01:01:00.740]snow cover on it, so keep the vegetation and nutrients
[01:01:06.040]to a minimum, keep an area open if you can, ice free
[01:01:09.770]through an aeration system, and, in many instances,
[01:01:13.720]when you're building a pond or have a dugout pond,
[01:01:17.840]rather than mound the dirt up real high around it,
[01:01:20.904]knock those mounds of dirt down, let the wind
[01:01:23.920]get in there and knock that snow,
[01:01:25.490]blow that snow off the ice and that'll go
[01:01:27.420]a long way in preventing winter kill.
[01:01:29.810]If you encounter or suspect a fish kill,
[01:01:32.690]there are some criteria to note, and some very
[01:01:35.887]important criteria to note when investigating that,
[01:01:39.290]or if you come across it, there's about seven factors
[01:01:41.720]that you wanna write down and record, so we can try
[01:01:44.250]to figure out what's going on with that fish kill.
[01:01:47.630]And those things that you want to look at and record
[01:01:50.420]are the time of the day, the weather, whether it's hot,
[01:01:54.570]sunny, windy, cloudy, things like that, note what
[01:01:57.180]the weather is doing, the location, obviously that's very
[01:02:00.810]important, where the fish kill is occurring.
[01:02:03.900]And even within a body of water, or a stream segment,
[01:02:08.342]the location is very important.
[01:02:10.480]The color and smell of the water, which is important.
[01:02:13.270]That tells us a lot, that tells us whether
[01:02:15.100]it could be contamination from a runoff source,
[01:02:18.510]or a point source, or something like that.
[01:02:21.600]Very important to note the coloration, whether
[01:02:24.450]it's dirty, smells like animal waste, whatever
[01:02:30.550]it might be, is very important for that.
[01:02:33.330]Any unusual appearance and behavior of live fish,
[01:02:37.350]and that's important too, are they up
[01:02:39.050]at the surface gasping for air?
[01:02:40.960]If they are that tells us there's an oxygen depletion.
[01:02:43.560]Are they trying to physically jump out of the water
[01:02:45.790]up on the bank and look agitated?
[01:02:47.870]Note that, because if that's the case it could be
[01:02:50.060]an ammonia problem, coming out of a treatment plant
[01:02:54.470]somewhere, which we've run into some of those.
[01:02:57.310]So it's very important to note the behavior of the fish,
[01:03:00.310]and note the species and sizes that you see.
[01:03:04.010]If it's one particular species, sometimes
[01:03:06.210]that fish kill could be a disease problem.
[01:03:09.290]If it's multiple species then we're looking at something
[01:03:11.780]else, especially with multiple species up sucking
[01:03:14.120]on the surface for air, that tells us a lot.
[01:03:17.200]So look at the species and sizes affected,
[01:03:20.700]and these criteria can go a long way in helping someone
[01:03:25.370]from Game and Parks, DEQ, whoever it might be,
[01:03:28.510]in trying to pinpoint the cause of a fish kill,
[01:03:30.800]and we always ask for help from the public for fish kills,
[01:03:34.680]and it is absolutely utmost important that if you
[01:03:38.120]come across a fish kill, or suspect a fish kill
[01:03:40.360]and see fish that are stressed, contact one of the agencies
[01:03:43.960]immediately, because time is of the essence
[01:03:46.300]to try to figure out what's causing that fish kill.
[01:03:48.910]If there is a suspected fill kill, or you observe
[01:03:51.020]a fish kill, and you suspect it might be a toxicant,
[01:03:54.570]that kinda opens up a different window into
[01:03:56.630]the investigation, and some ways to determine
[01:03:59.770]whether it might be, you know was there some spraying
[01:04:02.930]activity going on, did you notice a point source
[01:04:05.550]of some runoff coming off of a field,
[01:04:08.443]or off of a feedlot or something like that.
[01:04:11.870]And if you do suspect that it might be a toxicant,
[01:04:16.160]then you contact Game and Parks DEQ right away.
[01:04:19.623]The best thing that we're gonna try to do
[01:04:22.010]is to get some water samples and bracket that affected area,
[01:04:25.640]and see if we can figure out if it is a toxicant.
[01:04:28.730]Some of these chemicals and toxicants break down
[01:04:31.560]very quickly once they get into water and get
[01:04:33.550]in the environment, and so again, time is of the essence
[01:04:37.390]to get someone notified so we can get there
[01:04:39.500]and get some samples, and fix those samples
[01:04:41.670]and get them properly analyzed and see what's going on.
[01:04:44.230]So, I'd like to talk a little bit now
[01:04:45.890]about a chemical called Rotenone.
[01:04:48.260]It's an aquatic pesticide, used to kill fish.
[01:04:52.210]A very effective tool when we get fish populations
[01:04:56.020]out of balance and we need to correct
[01:04:57.600]a certain situation in a lake.
[01:04:59.560]But it's a chemical that's produced from the root
[01:05:02.680]of the Derris plant in South America, have to import it
[01:05:05.210]into this country, and the way it affects the fish
[01:05:08.020]is they take up this chemical after we put it
[01:05:11.410]in the water, and it inhibits the uptake of oxygen
[01:05:15.360]at the cellular level within the fish.
[01:05:17.240]A lot of people think it takes the oxygen out of the water
[01:05:19.157]and it does not do that, it inhibits the fish's ability
[01:05:23.020]to uptake oxygen at the cellular level.
[01:05:26.820]So, it can affect other organisms, some of the
[01:05:31.500]invertebrates, it'll knock those back a little bit more,
[01:05:35.200]but it's primarily geared towards fish, and those organisms
[01:05:39.910]like fish, that get their oxygen from the water.
[01:05:43.730]So, it does break down fairly quickly, after we put it on,
[01:05:49.880]and the factors that affect the longevity
[01:05:53.300]of the treatment are turbidity of the water,
[01:05:56.780]water temperature is a big factor, sunlight is a big
[01:05:59.450]factor, toxicity can last from a few days
[01:06:03.540]to up to seven weeks, we've documented seven weeks
[01:06:07.160]of toxicity with an under the ice treatment,
[01:06:09.910]or just previous to ice up treatment.
[01:06:12.590]So it doesn't really make any difference what the water
[01:06:15.010]temperature is, or time of the year when you apply
[01:06:17.040]Rotenone, 'cause it'll be effective, it lasts longer
[01:06:20.710]and is toxic longer in colder water.
[01:06:23.140]But, you gotta remember, the fishes' metabolism
[01:06:27.130]is working slower in the wintertime, so it takes
[01:06:29.960]longer to get the mortality from this chemical
[01:06:33.250]on those fish than it does in the summer.
[01:06:34.850]In the summertime when the fishes' metabolism
[01:06:36.710]is high, water temperatures are warm,
[01:06:38.830]you can get a fish kill within a short
[01:06:41.620]period of time, within a matter of hours.
[01:06:43.830]In the wintertime it's gonna take longer,
[01:06:45.520]but it does stay toxic longer, so that's kinda
[01:06:48.540]the breakdown on Rotenone and how it works
[01:06:50.970]and how long the toxicity lasts.
[01:06:53.050]So in summary, we've talked about summer kill,
[01:06:56.170]winter kill, what causes those things.
[01:06:59.320]We've talked about if you suspect or come across
[01:07:01.973]a fish kill, those seven items to write down and record,
[01:07:05.400]call the authorities, time is of the essence.
[01:07:08.320]We've also talked about Rotenone, which is intentionally
[01:07:11.430]meant to kill the fish, and its toxicity,
[01:07:14.260]how it works, how long it lasts.
[01:07:16.240]And one last thing I wanna mention, is that even though
[01:07:19.620]you may have a commercial applicator's license,
[01:07:22.810]Rotenone is still strictly prohibited,
[01:07:26.030]by the state of Nebraska, by the Game and Parks.
[01:07:28.000]You have to have permission from Game and Parks
[01:07:29.910]Commission to apply Rotenone to kill fish.
[01:07:32.920]It's a very restricted chemical in our eyes,
[01:07:37.230]and you have to have permission to use it.
[01:07:40.060]The chemical applicator's license will give you
[01:07:43.190]the authority to purchase it, but contact
[01:07:45.510]Game and Parks prior to use, and we can help you
[01:07:48.750]with some tips on how to use it, and to enable you
[01:07:52.900]to have a good renovation, if you need to have that done.
[01:07:56.330](gentle upbeat music)
[01:08:04.930]Finally, Trevor Johnson will discuss
[01:08:06.730]the laws and regulations that pertain
[01:08:08.410]to aquatic pest control category.
[01:08:10.450]He will address the following learning
[01:08:11.820]objectives in Chapter 8.
[01:08:15.330]Hello, my name is Trevor Johnson, I'm the Certifications
[01:08:17.830]Specialist for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture,
[01:08:20.340]and today I'm going to tell you a little bit about
[01:08:21.930]the laws and regulations as they relate
[01:08:23.710]to the aquatic pest control category.
[01:08:27.180]First, who needs a license?
[01:08:28.890]Any individual applying Restricted Use Pesticides
[01:08:32.210]to an aquatic site must have a license.
[01:08:35.360]This is due to the high toxicity, or potential hazard
[01:08:37.930]to the environment that Restricted Use Pesticides pose.
[01:08:41.650]There are three different types of licenses in Nebraska.
[01:08:44.390]A commercial, noncommercial, and private license.
[01:08:47.930]The private license is only for the production
[01:08:49.730]of an agricultural commodity, and does not apply
[01:08:51.800]to the aquatic pest control category.
[01:08:55.510]So a commercial license is required for anyone
[01:08:57.710]applying pesticides to the property
[01:09:00.800]of another person for hire or compensation.
[01:09:03.560]A noncommercial license is for those applying
[01:09:05.720]to property owned by their employer, or owned by them,
[01:09:09.040]and it's specific to a single employer.
[01:09:10.890]So make sure that if the employer changes,
[01:09:13.140]you notify the Department of Agriculture.
[01:09:18.125]There are a variety of target pests when talking about
[01:09:20.500]aquatic pest control, it can be anything from vegetation,
[01:09:23.690]algae, pondweed, an undesirable fish species or invasive
[01:09:28.840]species, such as zebra mussels or quagga mussels.
[01:09:34.252]The definition of an aquatic site is essentially
[01:09:37.330]anywhere where surface water is president,
[01:09:40.040]so this could be rivers, irrigation canals,
[01:09:42.260]ponds, lakes, drainage ditches.
[01:09:47.180]So here we have two products, Shoreklear and Roundup.
[01:09:50.660]Both contain the same active ingredient, glyphosate,
[01:09:53.460]but they have very different inert ingredients, and for this
[01:09:56.340]reason you cannot use Roundup on an aquatic site.
[01:10:00.290]It is always important when reading the label
[01:10:02.080]to ensure that the site that you are applying
[01:10:03.960]to is approved on the label.
[01:10:06.770]This leads into my next point, that the label is the law.
[01:10:10.670]There's a statement on every label approved by the EPA,
[01:10:13.950]it is a violation of Federal law to use this product
[01:10:16.550]in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.
[01:10:19.682]It is your, the applicator's responsibility
[01:10:22.160]to read and understand the label, and comply
[01:10:24.730]with all the legal obligations therein.
[01:10:29.020]So on that label, there'll be different language.
[01:10:31.920]Some of the language is mandatory, such as must, do,
[01:10:35.330]or do not, these represent legal obligations
[01:10:39.835]by the applicator, that they must
[01:10:41.760]understand and perform those.
[01:10:43.840]There is also suggestive language, such as should, or may.
[01:10:47.980]These are suggestions that are designed to limit
[01:10:51.340]the exposure to the applicator and or the environment.
[01:10:56.830]As far as aquatic pesticide storage,
[01:11:00.761]it is always important to store in the original container,
[01:11:03.080]with a legible label, that's important for all pesticides,
[01:11:06.310]so you are sure you know what you're applying.
[01:11:09.800]Maintain a water pesticide division,
[01:11:12.380]so make sure the water doesn't get
[01:11:13.750]contaminated by your pesticides and vice versa.
[01:11:17.040]And then always store in a secure facility.
[01:11:22.260]So as with all pesticide applications, there's certain
[01:11:25.080]required record keeping, you must keep track
[01:11:28.390]of all these things listed here, you can get track
[01:11:31.300]however you'd like, you can keep track in a notebook,
[01:11:33.320]on your phone, just make sure it's a permanent
[01:11:36.162]place of storage, and it's easy for you to access
[01:11:38.648]in case one of our Nebraska Department of Ag inspectors
[01:11:41.590]should ask you for your records.
[01:11:45.550]So those records must be kept for a minimum
[01:11:48.540]of three years, and they must be written down
[01:11:51.630]within 48 hours of your pesticide application.
[01:11:54.580]Oftentimes it's easiest to just do it right after
[01:11:57.370]the application while it's still fresh in your memory.
[01:12:00.070]If you have any questions about recordkeeping,
[01:12:02.130]there are a couple resources, we have an NDA brochure,
[01:12:05.100]and then we also have the website listed below.
[01:12:10.760]Thank you for listening, if you'd like further
[01:12:12.850]information on the aquatic pest control category,
[01:12:15.330]you can go to either websites listed below,
[01:12:17.620]and always remember, the label is the law.
[01:12:19.576](gentle upbeat music)
[01:12:29.380]We have heard from a few specialists,
[01:12:31.080]and we hope that you have found the information
[01:12:32.860]provided useful in managing your aquatic
[01:12:35.060]environment and keeping them healthy.

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Aquatic Pest Control - Initial Training

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