Goodrich-The village council voted 4-1 on Monday night for the continuation and renewal of a Michigan Department of Natural Resources permit to spray the mill pond with chemicals for excessive weed growth.
The cost of the permit is $400 and the cost of the two applications to spray the Mill Pond are $3,900 for the first and $3,445 for the second application if needed.
Councilmember Doug McAbee voted against the spraying.
‘The residents in my neighborhood asked me to vote against the spraying,? he said. ‘They believe the spray does not reach the whole pond. It washes down stream.?
Derek Brookshire, owner of Aquatic Weed Control of Swartz Creek, who had been contracted to spray the mill pond, responded to the effectiveness of the spraying for weeds in the pond.
‘We use a contact herbicide in late May or early June,? said Brookshire. ‘The plants in the pond take up the chemical in about three to four hours. We don’t spray within 300 feet of the dam so we’re not losing much down stream. For that matter, it’s pretty deep right in front of the dam, about 12 feet in some places, so few weeds grow right there down that deep. Still, a lot depends on Mother Nature. If the temperatures are warm like last year, there will be more growth or if it’s cooler the plants will not produce as fast.?