GENERAL SUGGESTIONS 



PREVENTIVE PLANNING 



In creating new ponds, it is frequently possible to prevent seri- 

 ous weed-control problems by proper planning in the blueprint 

 stage. An especially important step in this direction is the provi- 

 sion for draining and reflooding of pond basins. Such arrange- 

 ments, as discussed in the section on Control By Water-Level Man- 

 agement, page 6, help avoid weed infestations or enable effective 

 elimination of them. One of the advantages is the fact that pest 

 plants can be plowed up or destroyed by other means while the 

 pond is drained. 



Another construction feature that helps minimize weed difficul- 

 ties is the subdivision of large impoundments by means of dikes. 

 This makes possible more efficient management of water supplies, 

 both for weed control and for food production, especially when 

 there is provision for independent flooding and drainage of each 

 pool. Building the dikes wide enough to serve as roads permits 

 ready access for inspections, weed control, and other operations. 



PROMPT ACTION 



In weed control, an ounce of prevention is generally worth tons 

 of cure. Heading off serious infestations before they become well 

 established prevents deterioration of habitat and costly control 

 work later on. If the small colonies of waterchestnut found near 

 Alexandria, Va., in the early twenties had been eliminated at that 

 time, duck hunting, fishing, and other recreation on the Potomac 

 River would not have been ruined for a couple of decades, and 

 hundreds of thousands of dollars eventually spent on control of 

 the plant could have been saved. The principle of timely preven- 

 tion holds true for almost any marsh or pond. Destroying scat- 

 tered patches of invading weeds before they have a chance to 

 spread and become firmly established is the most efficient way of 

 controlling weeds. There are two important prerequisites, how- 

 ever: Ability to recognize the objectionable plants, and periodic 

 or seasonal inspections to spot early stages of infestation. 



