Bottom Barrier Program
Fill Out Application Form if you choose to install yourself
To comply with permitting requirements, we ask that any homeowner wanting to participate in the Bottom Barrier Program by installing themselves or working with their own private divers to please 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 from Lake Defense Force
Lake Defense Force has offered their services again for the 2026 season. Homeowners can contact them directly and their crew of divers will be onsite in April/May to do the installations. They will bring the materials and do the installations in April/May, then return to remove the barriers at the end of the season around October.
Click HERE to request quote or sign up!
Ghislain "G" Devouton
ghislain@lakedefenseforce.com
206-640-5584
Website: lakedefenseforce.com
If you 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
