Lotus, aquatic weeds take over Old City Lake

The Old City Lake of Canton is in “pretty bad condition,” according to Assistant City Manager Andy Wolfe who presented findings to the Canton City Council Oct. 17. Wolfe said there were two main problems with the lake, an invasion of American Lotus plants and hydrilla verticillate, an aquatic weed.

The American Lotus has overtaken a majority of the lake, with heavy foliage at the west end. Wolfe gave information on the American Lotus, which Wolfe said, “rises above the water two to three feet and produces a yellow flower.”

“That flower produces 15-20 seeds per year. So, 50 percent of seeds will come back. Unfortunately, fish will not eat the plant. You can mechanically remove it, but that is not feasible. It not only reproduces from the seeds it drops, but the rhizomes in the stem, which also reproduces. So, even if you pull them from the water, they still come back each year,” stated Wolfe.

Wolfe said that there were aquatic herbicides that could be used to treat the lake that would slowly kill off the invasive American Lotus, but too much of the herbicide would lead to fish kill.

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