All lakes have weeds. The Dead Sea might not, but it’s a sea, not a lake, so my first statement stands. The Salton Sea also might not have seaweed, but even though you might think of it as a lake, if you think of it at all, it is, in fact, a sea, to which I refer you back to my first statement. Lakes have seaweed. Some have more than others, obviously, which is why some lakes are lame and others are not. Delavan, for example, has lots of seaweed. Delavan also provides you with a simple visual clue to look for if you’re ever considering purchasing real estate at some other, lesser, weedier lake. If you are pursuing a property on another lake, and you happen to see a seaweed harvesting machine in that lake, either at work or at rest, then you will have completed the only essential bit of research needed. You must leave that lake, the lake with the seaweed harvester. This machine is an ominous sign as to the nature of that targeted lake.
Geneva is weedy, sure, but this is a relative game, so when viewed in light of lakes, it is an obvious gem. Weedlines in Geneva typically occur somewhere between 14 and 20 feet, the definition of such a line is where tallish seaweed gives way to low, grass style weeds, or none at all. In Geneva, with its gin clear water, you can typically see this weedline on calm, sunny days, all year around. I have been told by my lake guru, one Brian Gates of Geneva Lakes Bait and Tackle, that the weedlines over recent years have crept deeper, sometimes occurring now in as much as 22-24′. This might not seem like it matters, but I assure you that it does.
The weedline has crawled deeper as a result of clearer water. The water has been made clearer by the existence of the invasive Zebra Mussel, a small mollusk that might be to blame if you’ve ever cut yourself in rocky shallows on Geneva. The Zebra Mussel is a filter feeder, and by feeding and reproducing en mass, it has effectively cleaned what was clean water to begin with. The resulting extra clear water allows for more sun penetration, which allows for more weed growth in deeper waters. Thus, the Zebra Mussels are to thank for the clear water and to blame for the seaweed. Pick your poison friends, this is an invasive species game of roulette.
Thankfully, Geneva’s weed count appears to be elevated this year, but certainly not to catastrophic levels. A thick ice layer blanketed by heavy snow does an effective job at limiting seaweed growth, so if you’re a hater of seaweed, as am I, you should be praying for heavy ice and snow this winter. Since I am an avowed lover and defender of summer but at the same time a hater of seaweed, you can see how I might find this whole hoping for heavy ice cover thing a bit disheartening. Regardless of what happens with the winter ice, there are options for those lakefront owners who wish to see their seaweed disappear, if only you’ll follow me to a life where we do not live in fear of weeds.
My father, as a lakefront owner, receives many mailings every year from companies that offer chemical solutions to weed control. These companies should be banished to the deepest hell. It should be obvious to ignore the urge to dump buckets of chemicals into the lake, but since it might not be obvious to all, I’m writing today that it is obvious and that you shouldn’t do it. Chemicals that promise to be safe on fish and on the environment seem paradoxical to me. It’s like introducing chemo to your body. Sure it’ll kill the cancer, but it’ll also kill a bunch of other cells, some of which you may need later on. Step one in seaweed eradication is to put down the chemicals and pick up a garden tool.
Ah, but I got ahead of myself again. You must realize there are many other non-chemical options to seaweed control, and one of those other options I also despise. There are well intentioned people- people whom I like- who have, at times, implemented a bit of an aquatic rototiller of sorts as a means to cut weeds. This apparatus is simple, and mostly effective. It requires the assistance of a waverunner, or other tractor substitute, and features a heavy chain that is dragged back and forth along the bottom of the lake. This will tear seaweed quite efficiently, but it wavers from my dedication to marine life because it disrupts the bottom of the lake itself. It is not only removing seaweed, it is removing habitat for crayfish and young fish, and if the dragging is done too early in the season, it can destroy fish eggs. It is, unfortunately, a bad solution to our weedy problem.
The best, and only option, should you wish to clear a little swath around your pier, is to march to a hardware store and purchase a hedge trimmer- the kind with short stubby handles and long metal scissor style blades. Then you should get your swimsuit on. And maybe a swim mask, if you’re the sort. Take your hedge clippers, inhale a deep breath, then dive towards the bottom, clipping like mad. This method works, and it works well. My parent’s pier has remained weed free for years by employing the dive and clip method, and it not only works, it doesn’t disrupt any of the delicate bottom and is obviously chemical free.
This post isn’t intended to make you think that Geneva is overrun with excessive weeds; it isn’t. But there are weeds in lakes, and even the slightest touch of an underwater weed while swimming is unpleasant to some. If you suffer from an acute case of weed-phobia, remember what I’ve told you here. If you can’t hold your breath long enough to clip your seaweed, there’s a good chance some neighbor kid can. There’s an even better chance that for $50 in cash placed directly into that kids waterlogged palm you can have a weed-free lakefront for the duration of our glorious summer.