November 27, 2006
Adel - When it comes to fishing, Buddy Sellars is hooked. He's trolled the lake at Reed Bingham Park for over a decade. "We go up there and catch shell crackers, speckled perch, bass," Sellars says.
But lately, he's fishing the weeds. Literally. "It's getting to where you can't really fish good because you can't troll for the speckled perch like you use to, on account of the grass."
If you look closely, you can see thick weed growing from the lake bed. It's grown so high, it's almost reached the surface.
And it's affecting both the fishing and boating. "If you get in that grass and you don't watch yourself and you don't keep the grass off your prop on your motor, it will burn your motor up," he adds.
So to combat the weeds, park officials will drain the lake this December.
They hope the cold weather will help kill it off. "We're hoping we have some good cold weather. If we have a mild winter, we're really in serious trouble next year," says Park Manager Chet Powell.
As an extra precaution, they'll add a chemical next spring that will finish the job if the weather can't.
They say these are measures they must take to ensure the safety and fun for future park goers. "During the summer months, a lot of our traffic out here and attendance is day use people who like to come out here and enjoy the lake. And if we don't do something now, we won't have the ability to do that next year."
They plan to refill the lake by February.
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