Bottom Barrier Program
Fill Out Application Form
To comply with permitting requirements, we ask that any homeowner wanting to participate in the Bottom Barrier Program to fill out a brief application form (Form 19).
This form, available below, allows the Waterways Department to track locations and ensure the program remains within the permitted five-acre limit. Additionally, all bottom barriers must be removed by November 1st to maintain compliance.
Rent or Buy from Lake Defense Force
Lake Defense Force has offered their services for this 2025 season. Homeowners can contact them directly and their crew of divers will be onsite in June to do the installations. Lake Defense Force is offering either the individual purchase of the bottom barriers or a rental program. They will bring the materials and do the installations in June, then return to remove the barriers at the end of the season around October.
If you purchase the barriers, they will remove them from the waterways in the fall and leave them at your property for future use; if you opt for the rental program, the divers will remove them from your waterways and property entirely.
*Please contact Jay ONeal at Lake Defense Force to schedule your installation.
Jay ONeal
jay@lakedefenseforce.com
206-640-5584
Website: lakedefenseforce.com
If you rather install barrier yourself, please regard information below:
Bottom barriers are typically made from permeable, tarp-like material that are weighed down on the lagoon floor, preventing sunlight from reaching aquatic weeds. This method is relatively simple to implement and can have great success.
The most effective installation involves securing the barriers with either 3/8” rebar or concrete-filled PVC pipes, spaced every six inches and around the perimeter. Using sandbags or any other loose material that could add sediment into the water is not allowed. Unproperly weighted bottom barriers will float to the surface causing issues and eliminating the effectiveness.
When determining the bottom barrier size you need, it is important to account for a four-inch overlap with each barrier to prevent weed growth in between the gaps.
Eight weeks is the minimum recommended duration for the barriers to be in place. Ideally installation would happen before the spring growth begins and left in place long enough into the fall to prevent the later season growth we experience with certain species. This lengthened approach will disrupt the plant reproduction cycle further increasing the beneficial gain of using bottom barriers.
*Additional vendors to purchase bottom barrier materials:
Website: lakebottomblanket.com
Website: lakemat.com
Website: lakematshop.com
