The common reed is causing an environmental dilemma.
The weed known as Phragmites Grass is still a problem along the shoreline in Saugeen Shores.
Council recently accepted a recommendation from Public Works Director Bill Jones to apply a herbicide — commonly known as Round-Up — to eliminate the reed on a trial basis.
Councillor Victoria Serda says the method of taking the heavy grass-like weed out by hand is not very sustainable.
She says there is too much of an area to cover so they are trying this approach.
Serda says the seeds get washed away throughout the year and it causes new plants to crop up along the waterfront.
Being an environmentalist, Serda was first hesitant of using a chemical to kill the common reed.
She says a fellow conservationist — Jeff Peach of The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation — was also against using any chemical application but later found out that using the herbicide is less damaging to the environment than leaving the common reed alone.
Serda hopes this trial will be successful so that they can use it on other areas along the shoreline.
Jones’ report says the chemical will be applied by a licensed herbicide applicator under the supervision of the LHCCC.
