We will assist you or your Lake Association in developing a management plan that addresses all aspects of a suction harvesting program.
Defining the targeted area – We first begin by prioritizing the areas that need work, based on the type of plant, location, density and amount of traffic a given area might have.
Capacity – There are several criteria that must be assessed to determine the rate of progress (ROP) that we can achieve. It is important to understand the relationship between the time spent in any one spot versus the quantity of vegetation removed. Working the bottom more extensively takes more time but may also yield better results long term, relative to the re-growth. ROP varies from 200sq. ft. /hr to 600sq.ft. /hr.
- Type of plant: Rooting System dictates how fast we can remove this year’s plant. Your goal is to get last years plants out as well which are beneath this years plants. Last years plants will decompose reducing the oxygen in the water.
- The type of bottom – Soft, silted in bottoms will make plant removal and it’s rooting system easier to extract. Hard bottoms like clay or sand will require more suction to get to the rooting system of the plant.
- The density of the plant both in how many plants are in a given area as well as how tall they are. More Biomass requires more time to go through a given area.
- The Depth of the water is important because deeper water work will slow your rate of progress due to the logistics of moving around while under water and the size of the plants involved.
- Define The Other Types of debris in the area to be cleaned. Leafs, stick rocks, zebra mussels, and larger timber must be gone through as part of a shoreline remediation and to maximize your use of the waterfront.