Combating the reproduction and dispersion of aquatic invasive species (AIS) can have many different solutions, but there is no such thing as an end all be all solution to aquatic invasive species. Proposed solutions so far can range from educating water-goers to a literally removing the invasive species. My scope of legislation in governing AIS is the recent amendments in the removal of aquatic invasive species. This law is especially important because it creates an accountability system when removing invasive species, and ensures the removal process runs efficiently and is reliable as a solution. These are state laws that are primarily carried out and enforced by the MN DNR, but have also been implemented on weed removal businesses. The goal of this law is to combat the arrival of new invasive species into lakes, which is oriented around the unintended transportation of AIS.

                    84D.10 Subdivision 3: Removal and confinement

To sum up the political jargon, you must have a license for removal of AIS. Also, it is unlawful to enter an uninfested lake with living AIS organisms on equipment used in the removal process. Equipment used in the removal process must either be dried out for 11 days or if any early must be pressure washed at high temperatures to kill any living AIS.

DNR decontamination station at a public boat launch

  You may ask, how could removing the invasive species ever do more harm then good? The simple answer is they're many different types of aquatic invasive species and individual lakes contain a differing number of invasive species (or non at all). The equipment used when removing invasive species can act like a vehicle for them, traveling from lake to lake on a days work. Sense removal companies or the DNR travel to many lakes on a daily basis, this is noted as being a big threat of dispersion of an invasive species. 

I feel like I owe you in explaining how AIS can attach on to removal equipment. For example, a milfoil stalk naturally fragments itself in order to reproduce; it only takes one inch of a stalk in order to reproduce another plant. A zebra mussel can lie up to 40,000 eggs each mating season and produce larva as small as 2 cm. These are just examples of the things that can attach or get tangled in equipment. The elusiveness of these species through their size and numbers cannot be understated. This is what this law tries to address, and I hope to have illustrated the importance of the regulations we have on removing invasive species.

Like a lawn service for your milfoil

Believe it or not, people don't like zebra mussels or milfoil on their lakeshores and there's big money in the removal of AIS which for-profit companies are taking advantage of. The DNR isn't the only actor involved, the emergence of these businesses are a reason for the recent amendments in the removal process. The Minnesota state legislature recognizes businesses as being an actor that must be governed and held accountable. Assumingly, the DNR abides by these regulations so the spotlight is on these companies to make sure they follow through with these provisions. 

 This past summer I worked at a business out of Long Lake Minnesota, called Waterfront Restoration LLC. Take a look at the website! http://www.waterfrontrestoration.com/ . This is an example of a business that is removing a host of invasive species from a large number of lakes. The company has adapted to the provisions into its practice by mandating their divers to decontaminate equipment daily, as they cannot wait out the 11-day dry period otherwise. Our mornings always start with using the “Hosty” which sprays highly pressurized water at up to 200 Fahrenheit, killing any living AIS that is attached to buoys or dive gear. Scheduling out a crews day is also held in high regard because of this law. Our scheduler’s job is to make sure that dive crews don’t infest clean lakes with AIS that may be attached to their equipment throughout the day. In short, there is a dichotomy of crews that go into zebra mussel infested waters and crews that go in lakes without zebra mussels. It sounds like an easy task but with 8 crews going to as many as 25 different lakes each day, it’s a job that is taken seriously so that they don’t run the risk of infesting clean lakes.

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=84D

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www.aquarius-systems.com