I've seen how their professional contractors spray all the buck brush, willows, lillypads on Fork.

They could be using the pellets which typically kills only where it's dumped

why can't the biologists see that hydrilla creates fantastic fishing in lakes where the cover has rotted away....and every lake they have sprayed,it has ruined the fishing.....almost makes you think the chemical companies have "found a way" to influence our biologists like maybe scholarships or research grants.....

Let's hope their "limited" spraying is much more restricted than the "limited" spraying they did on Murvaul 3-4 years ago.

I would love to see these contractors spraying one time. Targeted sprays using the properly labeled herbicides under legal spraying conditions can't kill hydrilla on the entire lake or even large areas. We treat hydrilla in our irrigation ponds on a regular basis. Have for many many years. We treat within 100 yards of our intakes. If it's not sprayed it never dies. EVER! So either there is major applicator error, they are lying about the actual acres treated, they are lying about the chemicals used, or the spraying is getting blamed for hydrilla dying of environmental conditions. For instance we got 10 inches of rain last week. The water in our irrigation ponds are 4ft -5ft high and muddy. This one event will cause a massive hydrilla die off in the coming weeks. Has nothing to do with any chemical application. It simply has no light to perform photosynthesis. I can promise you it is possible to make a targeted spray and not kill massive areas of aquatic vegetation. The other thing to consider is that many of the spray requests are made by HOA's, municipal ramps, etc to the reservoir control authority. Often times TPWD really has no decision on allowing or denying a spray application especially at the biologist level. Lots of factors here. It's a shame that this narrative just keeps going and going. I wish TPWD would to some investigating and PR work to either solve or clear up the misunderstanding on this issue.

I tried calling the TPWD office in Abilene 2 months ago three times, good luck getting a answer. I thought they were in a budget crunch. Typical BS

fishing isnt the lakes priority, its all about water rights.

They don't give a [censored] about the $ bass fishing brings to Breckenridge, tournaments come there because the fishing is great around the grass. Golden Spread club from Amarillo is scheduled to be there this week end, so 40 people can spend some money on rooms and restaurants. Why in the hell does Fort Worth cut need to be sprayed, and the props will keep ramps clear. I suppose some sea doos sucked in some grass and daddy got pissed, well I'm pissed.

If fishermen raised as much stink with the right people like the ones wanting the grass gone there might be a chance to stop the spraying.

Hydrilla is the devil!

I have talked with him and he is a nice guy. I simply have zero confidence that TPWD or landowners will get it right. Name one lake they have t killed virtually all of the grass on they were only going to spot treat. And one only has to look at LBJ to see what allowing property owners the right to treat their water fronts. At that lake they never sprayed only the landowners treated.

My hope is they can spot treat it and get it right but it will be the first time.

Sorry, I'm on your side.

I emailed them (TPWD) and they said they were only going to spot treat the ramps and the Ft Worth cut , we will see .

Ok guys, here's what they're officially saying.


WEST·CENTRAL·TEXAS·MUNICIPAL·WATER·DISTRICT 410 Hickory Street Abilene, TX 79601 Phone 325-673-8254 Fax 325-673-8272 www.wctmwd.org
AQUATIC VEGETATION HUBBARD CREEK RESERVOIR
New Update **07/09/2020**
The District continues to receive comments and inquiries concerning the summer Hydrilla bloom at Hubbard Creek Reservoir (HCR). As in previous years, we are in regular contact with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
TPWD Inland Fisheries conducts annual hydrilla coverage surveys. They documented extensive coverage during the 2017-2019 surveys. To date, no treatments of Hydrilla have been conducted at the reservoir. TPWD and the District have identified public access areas including HCR boat ramps, the public swimming area, and two areas used commonly for boating corridors as candidates for treatment. Chemical treatment of an entire reservoir is generally cost prohibitive and has significant impact on the reservoir’s fish population. Thus the TPWD Inland Fisheries has been adamant that any possible hydrilla treatments for HCR be to control access issues and would not be done at the expense of the fish habitat and angling.
This year, with prudent guidance from TPWD, a decision has been made to treat the major boating lanes, public boat ramps, and the swimming area at HCR. These treatments will be made with an EPA/TCEQ approved aquatic herbicide for public water supply reservoirs. In addition, the raw water intake for our four public water supplies is over 3,000 feet from the nearest treated area, meaning that if there were any impact to water quality, which is not the case according to both the Federal and State agencies, such impact would be attenuated by dilution.
The treatment date for all proposed areas is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
Lake lot owners still have the option to treat areas around their ramp, dock, or swimming areas with chemical herbicide or other methods. However, any mitigation will require submission of a a TPWD Aquatic Vegetation Treatment Proposal and approval. Licensed commercial applicators will be required for performing any proposed chemical treatments while following the guidelines provided by TPWD. Proposals will no longer be accepted by TPWD for 2020 after October 31st.
Per TPWD guidelines, proposed treatments are limited to a 10-ft radius around docks and a 15 linear foot boat lane from dock bays. Property shorelines may be treated out to a 25-linear ft

fringe from shoreline’s edge or a max of 4 ft deep. These guidelines are expected to improve swimming and boating access while maintaining fish and wildlife habitat.
For additional information, see: https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/environconcerns/nuisance_plants/ For the permit application, click on Appendix C in the above link.
For a list of licensed aquatic chemical applicators in Texas: http://www.texasaquaculture.org/PDF/Avail_List.pdf

Yep which would be fine but I don’t think they can effectively spot treat Fort Worth cut. That is one of the best areas on the lake for grass and holds a lot of fish.
How will the eliminate drift, wind and current from moving the herbicide around.