Regional Eurasian Milfoil Plan for King County
December 2002

King County is a diverse mix of large urban areas, suburban cities, rural areas, farmland, timberland, and alpine wilderness. Most of the lakes are within or in close proximity to urban areas and are under pressure from urbanization. Since the early 1980s, the value of these lakes for use by people, fish, and wildlife has been greatly impacted by the introduction of invasive (noxious) plants, especially Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum).

The U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment has recognized Eurasian milfoil as a "harmful non-indigenous species." Eurasian milfoil is also on the State of Washington's Noxious Weed List. This list includes those plants that are exotic, invasive, and are known to cause detrimental impacts to the state's resources including the environment.

King County recognized the benefits of developing a regional plan that would provide a more efficient and focused approach for combating the spread of Eurasian milfoil. The result is the Regional Eurasian Milfoil Control Plan, which provides basic lake and watershed information, milfoil survey results from 38 King County lakes, and examples of plant control goals for different levels of infestation. It also describes available control strategies that are approved to meet selected goals.

The King County Regional Eurasian Milfoil Control Plan is available in Adobe Acrobat format. For help using Acrobat files, please visit our Acrobat help page. The document is available in parts to reduce download time and minimize computer problems during and after download.

Download here:

Regional Eurasian Milfoil Control Plan (149 KB)

Appendix A: Lake Characteristics and Aquatic Plant Survey Maps (5,498 KB)

Appendix B: Contacts & Resources (9 KB)

Appendix C: Infested Lake Control Strategies (183 KB)

Appendix D: Permitting and Aquatic Herbicide Information (29 KB)

For questions about lake reports and lakes in King County, please contact Sally Abella, senior engineer, Lake Stewardship Program.