To the editor:
The weeds in the lake are out of control. Other than the public beaches, much of the water near the shores along Kelowna south of the bridge is infested with milfoil growth that has reached the surface and now going to seed. Although the growth is in ares in front of private residences, more and more locals and tourists use the lake in these areas for swimming, paddle board, kayaking, sailing and other activities. Becoming tangled in the unsightly and highly invasive weeds is a turn off and unsafe depending on the severity.
Apparently, all the authorities are aware of the sudden breakout that is likely due to an early run off and warm spring. However, we are not aware of any short term plans to control the problem and prevent it from becoming an even more serious and expensive problem next year. In years past, I recall seeing weed control machines working much more often in the areas now infested. I hope that this is not a budget cutting initiative. The community needs to voice its concerns and the authorities need to educate us on their plans any anything we can do to help.
Kelowna’s most valuable asset is at risk of being devalued. We should be taking extraordinary steps to deal with the extraordinary situation that I’ve not seen in my twenty years living in Kelowna.
Michael Neill, Kelowna
