Process begins to kill invasive lily pads at Jackson County's Tarsney Lake

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]It's happening. It's not exactly what everyone wanted yet, but it's happening.

[00:00:05]This week a representative from Aquatic Control, officially hired by Jackson County, was at Tarsney Lake to begin the process of killing the invasive lily pads there. I talked to that company, the county executive, residents out there, even to another company who didn't get the bid about the years-long wait and what is likely a years-long solution. I think, you know, in the perfect world we all hoped you can just go out there, do something, and they're gone for good. That's not the way in the real world because we've got years of lily pads, the roots go deep. Deborah Corn has deep roots out here, too. For years, she's been working to get county help to make this lake not only more beautiful, but also safer for people to use. So, seeing a professional out on the water gives her real hope. Randy Kramer, the professional in the boat, has a plan. It's just not a fast one.

[00:00:53]It's not going to take care of all of it, by no means. Um, but it should be a much smaller percentage that comes back.

[00:00:58]It's probably going to take it 2 or 3 4 years for you to actually get rid of the majority of them. His job this week is to determine exactly what plants are out here, so his company can put the right chemicals together to kill them. Jackson County will pay more than $7,500 for this year's treatment.

[00:01:15]>> You're treating it this year, so it looks better next year. But not every resident was expecting a next year plan.

[00:01:20]Absolutely not, because my understanding was we were going to be able to use the lake this summer. We've been waiting for years. We've been told this, we've been told this, again and again. Some were actually hoping a different company might get the bid. Water Wizard was here in January when County Executive Phil Lovota visited and promised that the county would act. Their bid, which included spraying chemicals then mechanically removing the dead plants, would have cost tens of thousands of dollars more. Their president, Cal Clawson, told me he knew their bid would likely be the highest. A lot of people think that it's either one or the other.

[00:01:54]You're either going to remove with machinery or you're going to use chemicals. Our feeling is that neither of those by themselves are the answer, but together they're a better answer than anything else out there. Debra, as president of the citizens group, is preaching patience and gratitude.

[00:02:14]Comparing chemicals only to that is like comparing apples to oranges. I'll take apples over nothing at all.

[00:02:21]County Executive Phil LaVota told me Tuesday that Tarsney residents were ignored for a long time by county government. He also says the plan could change depending on how treatment goes this year.

[00:02:31]>> We'd like to throw a hundred thousand dollars at it and do everything, but I think we start here accepting responsibility for it, doing something, and let's see how we move along. And these residents will be watching. I'm so glad you're here because this is maybe the first time that we will get help, but they'll follow through. There are actually two lakes in that community, Tarsney Lake and the smaller Wood Lake, which is also infested, but with lotuses, not lilies.

[00:02:56]Aquatic Control made a bid to treat that lake, too, but says the county wants them to focus on just Tarsney for now.

[00:03:01]LaVota told me that the county is already planning at least another ten thousand dollars for Aquatic Control to be back next year. But in the future, he says he hopes the people who live there might be able to form a sort of HOA where they contribute to a fund to manage the lake. In the studio, Taylor Hemness, KSHP 41 News.