In recent years, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (park board) has kept one aquatic weed harvesting machine at Lake Harriet and operates there for the summer. The other machine runs on a route that minimizes the chance of spreading new aquatic invasive species.
It starts in Cedar Lake, then moves to Lake of the Isles, and then ends at Bde Maka Ska. As you may know, both Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska have been designated as infested for zebra mussels, which is why the machines cannot move off of these lakes once stationed there without a decontamination step.
In some years, the harvester can finish up at Bde Maka Ska, be cleaned and dried, and then start the route over again, giving Isles and Cedar a second pass. In 2022, I am not sure that this action can be accomplished, since the cold spring caused the program to have a late start and our warm weather and low water both contribute to significant plant growth at Bde Maka Ska and the other lakes.
The temporary loss of the boat launch at Bde Maka Ska and the closure of the Kenilworth channel due to bridge work further complicate the desired AIS-free transfer of the harvesting machine.
