Within the next week, if the lake isn't windblown or in a storm, a boat from Restorative Lake Science will be on Lake Mitchell surveying to locate invasive and nuisance native aquatic vegetation  for herbicide treatment in early June.

To do herbicide  treatment PLM (Professional Lake Management) secure permits from  EGLE (Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy). Permits are required for herbicide treatment of any body of water greater than 10 acres. Permit applications have fees dependent on the the extent of the treatment.  All products approved for use in the control of aquatic vegetation and algae have undergone extensive testing  to make sure they are safe for use and will not have adverse  effects of water treated and the environment. Permits have over 15 pages of instructions and information concerning use of products. Herbicides are best applied through the use of the applicator, that is hired by the Lake Mitchell Improvement Board. The Lake Mitchell Improvement Board uses Professional Lake Management  to apply herbicide treatments.   

General permits have strict limits on timing and use of chemicals with specific requirements for dealing with non-native and nuisance native plants as well as algae. Developed properties on a lake are allowed up to 100 feet  from shore or treatment of native weeds weeds and/or algae. Invasive plants like Eurasian water milfoil may be treated in greater areas. If emergent species such as cattails or lily pads are treated, the area is limited to a maximum of 1600 square feet or roughly an area of 40 feet by 40 feet. 

Treating nuisance native plants that are beyond the 100 foot requirement need special approval form EGLE. In 2024 the native plant naiad produced dense mats of  that plant in several locations on Mitchell. RLS applied for a special permit to deal with this but were denied. 

Treatment intervals are based on the product  - some allowing retreatment within 14 days and others requiring more time between applications. 

Treatment can only be done after notification and posting has occurred. Notification of herbicide use occurs within 45 day before the first treatment On the day of treatment, notices will be posted along shorelines in the area where treatment will occur.  Posted notices could be put out earlier but windy or stormy weather on the scheduled date can cause treatment to be postponed. Once a treatment day is scheduled, this information will be sent in an email as well as posted on our website.