Today was another day of soap flushes, to determine the adult population numbers of Annual Bluegrass Weevil (ABW); always a challenging process. In Highlands, we've seen nothing to date, which is very rare. This is an insect we'll continue to monitor. Mixing lemon scented Joy or Dawn, is a way to get the adults to surface, where they can be counted for population numbers.
Our new approaches on holes, 11, 12, 14 and 17 are being aerated, rolled and topdressed, to smooth any inconsistencies. This will be an ongoing process through May.
Also today, water and sediment samples were sent off to a lab in Tampa, Florida, who will dertermine if the sediment and water samples meet the standards for hydraulic dredging, as opposed to mechanical dredging. This is something I will be talking to you more in depth with over the next few months, as we receive more analysis and results of the samples that have been sent off to various labs in the US.
Mechanical dredging is the process done on #10 pond this past winter. Long-reach excavators were brought it and the sediment was dug out of the pond.
Hydraulic dredging is the process of using a barge with an auger attachment on the front. As the barge moves through the water, the auger stirs up sediment while a large pump, sucks up both water and sediment moving it to a large (100'x30') dewatering bag, sitting on a nearby land mass. As the water drains out of the porous bag, the sediment is contained within. Once the material in the bag is dry, the bag can be cut open and its contents hauled away.