Limerick discuss Milfoil issue at Dec. 15 meeting

January 13, 2026

By Mike Riley

Limerick Township council discussed an informal meeting they had virtually on Nov. 26 to discuss a growing Milfoil problem on their lakes at their meeting on Dec. 15, looking at removal costs and methods, management strategies, grant planning and strategies and more. Wollaston Lake Home and Cottage Association’s lake steward Fred McConnell, who attended the meeting and provided his expertise, comments on this meeting to Bancroft This Week.

Eurasian Water Milfoil, which is appearing in the lakes and rivers in Limerick, is native to North Africa, Europe and Asia and was accidentally brought over to North America at some point between the late 1800s and the 1940s. It has since spread to 45 U.S. states and at least three Canadian provinces, including Ontario. According to OntarioInvasivePlants.ca, it was first recorded from an herbarium specimen collected at Rondeau Provincial Park on Lake Erie in 1961, with subsequent specimens collected along the St. Lawrence seaway throughout the remainder of that decade. By the early 1970s it had become a nuisance in some areas of the province like the Kawartha Lakes.

Milfoil is a submersed herb with finely divided leaves that inhabits water bodies, and is variable in appearance with long stems, and 12 to 21 leaflet pairs. Flowers are arranged on spikes above the water’s surface which have a spiral of female flowers at its base and a spiral of male flowers at its apex. It is found in lakes that vary in depth from over 100 metres to less than a metre. They overwinter in the sediment at the bottom of the lake and once warm temperatures arrive with spring, grow rapidly, outgrowing the native plant species and reaching the surface sooner. Its dense canopy also allows it to outcompete native plant life in the same water body, and fragmentation of its vegetation by boats is usually the way it is spread around a lake or between lakes. As far as how widespread Milfoil is in Ontario, the following site, www.eddmaps.org/distribution/viewmap.cfm?sub=3055, shows the known distribution of Milfoil across the province.

Milfoil’s spread can be curtailed by manual removal, mechanical harvesting, using a benthic barrier to prevent light from getting to the plants and using herbicides to kill off the infestation and marking the beds of Milfoil to prevent boats from going through it and fragmenting it, potentially spreading it to other lakes. The Ontario Invasive Plant Council has several resources, including best management practices for aquatic invasive plants and Milfoil at www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/resources/best-management-practices/.

Prevention is also important, including the practice of clean, drain and dry, which is the law in Ontario (inspecting and cleaning boats, trailers, and other watercraft to prevent the spread of Milfoil fragments), education and awareness (identifying Milfoil where it occurs and understanding how it spreads to help prevent its introduction to new areas), and early detection (regularly checking lakes and other water bodies for Milfoil and reporting any sightings to the appropriate authorities like the MNRF and Oceans and Fisheries Canada).

At the virtual meeting on Nov. 26, Limerick followed up on a presentation given by Leanne Baird at their October meeting, and to gather perspectives on different procedures to curtail the spread of Milfoil within the township. Tisdale recounted that the meeting attendees discussed removal costs and methods, with Baird reporting on a recent harvesting operation at Spring Lake that cost $280 per hour and $1,700 for float transport with a total cost of $2,580 for six hours work.

“Fred [McConnell] shared that Wollaston Lake Association used a harvester to remove 25,000 square feet of Milfoil over two days with a grant from the Invasive Species Centre of Ontario covering $3,500 of the cost. The group explored options for disposing of harvested Milfoil, with Fred offering to connect Leanne with farmers who have successfully used the material as mulch, and discussed the possibility of council providing assistance with Milfoil removal efforts,” she says.

Tisdale revealed that the group discussed a variety of approaches to managing Milfoil infestations in different lakes, and that McConnell shared the WLHCA’s experience with benthic mats, which cost around $200 each and last for five years.

“Joanne [Burghart] described Steenburg Lake’s education focused approach and their recent Milfoil survey results. The group explored options including herbicides, harvesting and potential collaboration between lakes to purchase equipment. They discussed permit limitations of 25,000 square metres for treatment areas due to fish habitat concerns. The conversation concluded with concerns about the high cost of herbicides and the need to balance treatment costs with lake fees,” she says.

The group discussed invasive species management, focusing on herbicides and harvesting methods, with Limerick expressing concern about using herbicides due to regulatory differences and uncertainty while McConnell and others shared their experiences with various control methods.

“The participants agreed to create a shared document or spreadsheet to compile information on different approaches, costs, and efficacy, which Tami suggested would help in decision making and communications. Fred offered to contribute information from their existing Milfoil Action Committee, and the group discussed the potential for coordinating efforts across multiple lakes to reduce costs and increase efficiency,” she says.

They also discussed grant opportunities for invasive species management, with McConnell explaining that larger grants might be available if they can demonstrate broader reach across multiple townships.

“Tami emphasized the need to document grant information in a spreadsheet and determine the best approaches before applying, as grant applications are due in January. Leanne inquired about other alternative landfill sites for invasive species disposal, and Limerick agreed to investigate other municipalities’ practices. Kyle shared research indicating that controlled burning is the most effective disposal method, though Limerick explained that burning in not an option due to water table concerns at their dump site,” she says.

The group also talked about strategies for managing invasive species in lakes, focusing on grant applications and collaborative approaches.

“They agreed to apply for individual microgrants of up to $3,500 per lake by Jan. 9 while exploring the possibility of an accelerator grant for multiple lakes. Victoria and Tami proposed doing a Google Doc or Excel sheet to gather information on costs, outcomes and options for different lakes which would then be used to support grant applications and future decision making. The group also discussed the importance of demonstrating the connectedness of their lakes to strengthen the case for collaborating funding,” she says.

The group also talked about standardizing costs for invasive species removal methods, and the team agreed to create a spreadsheet to collect data on different methods and costs, with Tami and Limerick planning to set up initial columns.

“They also discussed the importance of starting permit applications early, as it can take five to six months to obtain necessary approvals. With regard to removal at Spring Lake, the group discussed a $900 per day project cost, with Leanne agreeing to research legitimate driver costs for a skid steer loader. They explored the challenges of controlling Milfoil, which regenerates from roots and requires annual treatment and discussed the need for proper documentation and township involvement to ensure the work is done by the book and eligible for grant funding. The project scope was expanded to include multiple lakes in both Limerick and Wollaston Townships, with Fred McConnell’s expertise being recognized as valuable for the process,” she says.

Tisdale said the group discussed constraints and requirements for managing Milfoil on lakes, including timing limitations due to fish spawning and hatching seasons in July. She said the discussion concluded with Tami mentioning ongoing collaboration with Joanne on potentially combining efforts across all lakes.

“The group discussed creating a document to research and compare methods for managing Milfoil, including harvesting, herbicides, and mats. Tami and Leanne worked on setting up a Google Docs spreadsheet for collecting information on different companies’ products and services. An email address was created and the document was shared with the group setting a deadline of the following week, completing the information. They also discussed the need for a cost benefit analysis of different Milfoil management methods,” she says.

McConnell told Bancroft This Week that the meetings are quite effective in sharing experiences, contracts, best practices and funding opportunities.

“All participants want to do what is best for their lake. Each lake association is focussed on setting the objectives that are appropriate for their lake. The township of Limerick (like Wollaston Township) is interested in helping to build a knowledge base and to support the efforts to raise funds to manage invasive species. It is important to set expectations that it is highly unlikely that Eurasian Milfoil will be able to be eradicated from our area lakes,” he says.

McConnell outlined the chronology of work completed on Wollaston Lake and their objectives in working to manage the Milfoil. The chronology is as follows; FOCA consultant Robert Canning confirms presence of Milfoil in 2017, WLHCA supported by The Land Between charity provides public education on shoreline naturalization and Milfoil (purchases rakes and net for manual removal), the first delegation to municipal council and getting a $500 FOCA grant in 2018. In 2019, the WLHCA was approved for the Watersheds Canada Love your Lake program and began marking large, high traffic beds with a Watersheds Canada $500 grant, and the following year, they completed the LYL program and expanded bed marking and posted signs on all lake roads via a community group. In 2021, public education was expanded and a Milfoil Action community group was formed, benthic mats were deployed on one large bed and numerous property owner locations, a state of the lake review was initiated and several delegations were made to Wollaston council. The Milfoil Action committee further expanded education, conducted two days of Milfoil harvesting at the most intrusive location and got a $1,000 Invasive Species Centre microgrant in 2022. The following year, the committee expanded education further, again conducted two days of Milfoil harvesting at the most intrusive location, continued marking high traffic area beds, installed six benthic mats partnering with the Belleville dive club, and procured and $4,000 Invasive Species microgrant. The committee continued marking high traffic beds in 2024, installing seven benthic mats, harvesting 25,000 square metres to create a boating channel and got $5,000 Invasive Species microgrant. Last year, they installed nine benthic mats with the Belleville dive club, requested a review of programs to date with the DFO to ensure they were still adopting best practices, they completed research of approved herbicides, developed and distributed a survey to key stakeholders, completed an FAQ document and got a $7,000 Invasive Species microgrant.

“I believe success is based on what is required for each of the lakes based on the lake characteristics and the degree to which Eurasian Milfoil gets established and grows within each lake,” he says.

Their objectives are to attempt to limit the spread of Milfoil without causing additional damage (as non-intrusive as feasible), integrate the WLHCA Milfoil initiative within a comprehensive lake management plan and maximize funding opportunities, engage property owners and non-property stakeholders to raise community awareness of invasive species and lake health threats and prevent other invasives, engage the local municipal council in lake health initiatives, and utilize best practices by partnering with watersheds experts and other Ontario lake associations.

McConnell said that the strategy they’ve adopted for Wollaston Lake which may also help the lakes in Limerick experiencing similar issues with Milfoil infestation are; education, partnering with experts (learning from other lake associations, municipal government and integrate that into a broader lake management plan), keep other invasive species out, and pursue larger funding sources by demonstrating broad support, with municipal/WLHCA funding and LMP being key building blocks.

McConnell told Bancroft This Week that it was his impression that the group will continue to meet to share experiences, best practices, and funding opportunities to manage this invasive species.

“I fully support this initiative and will continue to participate and share the experiences of Wollaston Lake.”