Douglas County Public Works plans to close Lone Star Lake to all boating activities on Monday, April 18 through Tuesday, April 19.  Boat ramps will be closed those days.  The department plans to treat the infestation of Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) those two days, weather permitting.  If weather prohibits the herbicide application those days, the application and lake closure will be delayed until the first available opportunity following April 19.

EWM is a non-native plant that threatens native aquatic plants and lake ecology.  This invasive plant will be treated with Sonar One and Sonar Genesis, EPA approved herbicides for water application.  Sonar herbicide is a systemic herbicide that is applied at a very low dosage (4-7 ppb).  This treatment provides the best chance of eradicating EWM from Lone Star Lake.  The Sonar herbicide labels do not require any lake restrictions for fishing, swimming or animal ingestion or contact.  The temporary closure to boating is a precaution to avoid conflicts with operations during herbicide application.

Douglas County received a Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) grant through the Communities Fisheries Assistance program (CFAP).  The grant stipulates the KDWPT will reimburse Douglas County for 57.1% of the total project cost up to a maximum contribution of $40,000.  Douglas County will be responsible for the remaining 42.9% of the project cost.