Newcastle Beach Closing For Milfoil Treatment

BELLEVUE, WA - Newcastle Beach Park will close next week while private property owners treat the water for milfoil.

The treatment will happened Wednesday at 7 a.m. The swimming area at the park will be closed for 24 hours due to the herbicide in the water. There will be signs warning visitors of the closure.

What is milfoil? It's an invasive weed that, depending on the type, is either a class A or class B noxious weed in King County. There are two types: Eurasian watermilfoi and variable-leaf milfoil.

Here's what the county says:

"Both of these plants are very aggressive and can outcompete native aquatic plants, forming dense monotypic stands. They can reduce biodiversity, change the predator/prey relationships in a lake and adversely impact the food web. These milfoil species impact recreation by eliminating swimming opportunities, fouling

boat motors and snagging fishing lines. When allowed to grow in dense stands and “top out”, the floating mats or emergent flower stems prevent wind mixing, and extensive areas of low oxygen can develop during the summer. Stagnant mats create mosquito breeding areas and increase the water temperature
underneath by absorbing sunlight."

Image courtesy King County