MPCA pesticide decision could save lakeshore owners' cash

Lake Carlos
Lake Carlos, near Alexandria, Minn., is seen in a file photo. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will use existing DNR rules rather than issuing a new permit for applying pesticides to public waters to control weeds.
MPR File Photo/Ann Arbor Miller

Lakeshore homeowners could save money because the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has decided to piggy-back on Department of Natural Resources rules for pesticides used to control aquatic weeds.

A federal court ruling required states to create a new permit for pesticides applied to lakes and rivers.

But Elise Doucette, planner principal with the MPCA, said the agency determined that existing permits administered by the DNR and the state Department of Agriculture reflect the MPCA's goals.

"They were the ones with the knowledge, and it helped us write a better permit by working together with them," Doucette said.

Doucette said lakeshore owners and lake associations that get permits from the DNR to control weeds and invasive species will automatically be covered by an MPCA permit.

She said the MPCA's goal is to reduce the amount of pesticides going into the state's waters. She said that's happening more as people use integrated pest management, which includes biological, mechanical, and chemical controls.

Separate MPCA permits are required for pesticide use in areas not covered under DNR rules, such as in ditches and along roadsides.

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