Control of Nuisance Aquatic Plants with Burlap Screen

Abstract

Ten-ounce burlap was applied as a sediment cover in June 1982 to two plots on Lake Rockwell (Portage Co., Ohio). The burlap at one of the plots was treated with a rot-retarding material, Netset. Plant biomass on treated plots was compared to adjacent plots. The application of burlap was effective for seasonal control of aquatic plant growth on a site where material could be tautly secured to the reservoir sediments. It was less effective at a site with highly unconsolidated sediments. Burlap would have to be applied annually since it rotted during the summer even with preservative treatment. The material cost of burlap is about 15-50% of commercial screening products.