Attention Belgrade Stream Residents! Join 7 Lakes Alliance and learn how to manage invasive milfoil around your dock using proper techniques as well as installing benthic barriers. See details on graphic below.
Please contact Sharon Mann, 7 Lakes Alliance Invasive Aquatics Director at sharon@7lakes.org
What Is a Benthic Barrier?
Benthic barriers are materials—typically tarps or rolls of burlap—placed over rooted plants to block sunlight and suppress growth. Maine DEP regulations require that no more than 10% of any area be covered at one time to ensure natural processes and wildlife remain undisturbed. Barriers are intended to be removed or relocated every six months, unless the barrier is constructed of biodegradable materials like burlap. Once the invasive plants beneath them have died, the barrier is removed, allowing native species to naturally recolonize the exposed sediment.
Benthic barriers are used for variable-leaf milfoil, which has deeper and more resilient root systems. They are especially helpful in clay or compacted substrates, where complete root removal is difficult through hand-pulling alone.
Invasive Aquatic Plant Control
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