Floating Benthic Mat – Waterfront Property Owner Partnership Program

READ THE PRESS RELEASE ON OUR NEWS PAGE

For the last three years Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) has been piloting the use of floating benthic mats to examine the effectiveness in the control of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) and re-establishment of native plant species.

Based on the effectiveness that has been observed, the RDKB is initiating a Floating Benthic Mat - Waterfront Property Owner Partnership Program in Christina Lake.

The basic premise is that those waterfront property owners who wish to purchase their own floating benthic mats will be able to do so in partnership with the RDKB.

This program is not intended to be used for the purpose of shore beautification and not all waterfront property owners who submit will be picked as selection is dependent on specific provincial criteria and a site assessment performed by Qualified staff. Some of the initial criteria that will be considered is listed below:

Areas dominated by >75% EWM or Fragrant Water Lily the size of areas to be treated.
Is there a presence of a dock structure.
Environmental areas of high-value habitat for native fish species (E.G., locations with known shore spawning habitat aka red zones).

This seasons deadline to submit an application is March 1st, 2026.

Program Summary:

• RDKB responsibilities:

RDKB will apply for, hold and maintain required authorizations from the Province of BC;

Determine property eligibility and mat deployment strategy (including area, timing considerations);

RDKB will be responsible for deployment, monitoring, relocation and removal of benthic mats;

Provide required reporting to the Province of BC.

• Property owners will be responsible for:

Making application to the RDKB to be included in the Property Owner Partnership Program including the completion of all required paperwork;

Providing access to and working cooperatively with RDKB to allow for necessary investigations to be conducted to determine property eligibility;

Sign an agreement with the RDKB which outlines responsibilities, termination and liability waiver;

Purchasing and storing benthic mats, re-bar, floating markers and all other materials needed for deployment;

Allowing RDKB to monitor and conduct necessary reviews of the installed mats at any time.

To find out if you qualify for the program, please download an application form and email it to sgaim@rdkb.com to begin the process.

READ THE PRESS RELEASE ON OUR NEWS PAGE

For the last three years Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) has been piloting the use of floating benthic mats to examine the effectiveness in the control of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) and re-establishment of native plant species.

Based on the effectiveness that has been observed, the RDKB is initiating a Floating Benthic Mat - Waterfront Property Owner Partnership Program in Christina Lake.

The basic premise is that those waterfront property owners who wish to purchase their own floating benthic mats will be able to do so in partnership with the RDKB.

This program is not intended to be used for the purpose of shore beautification and not all waterfront property owners who submit will be picked as selection is dependent on specific provincial criteria and a site assessment performed by Qualified staff. Some of the initial criteria that will be considered is listed below:

Areas dominated by >75% EWM or Fragrant Water Lily the size of areas to be treated.
Is there a presence of a dock structure.
Environmental areas of high-value habitat for native fish species (E.G., locations with known shore spawning habitat aka red zones).

This seasons deadline to submit an application is March 1st, 2026.

Program Summary:

• RDKB responsibilities:

RDKB will apply for, hold and maintain required authorizations from the Province of BC;

Determine property eligibility and mat deployment strategy (including area, timing considerations);

RDKB will be responsible for deployment, monitoring, relocation and removal of benthic mats;

Provide required reporting to the Province of BC.

• Property owners will be responsible for:

Making application to the RDKB to be included in the Property Owner Partnership Program including the completion of all required paperwork;

Providing access to and working cooperatively with RDKB to allow for necessary investigations to be conducted to determine property eligibility;

Sign an agreement with the RDKB which outlines responsibilities, termination and liability waiver;

Purchasing and storing benthic mats, re-bar, floating markers and all other materials needed for deployment;

Allowing RDKB to monitor and conduct necessary reviews of the installed mats at any time.

To find out if you qualify for the program, please download an application form and email it to sgaim@rdkb.com to begin the process.

Questions

Questions? We love 'em

Share We chatted with both Janine and the Milfoil team last year and verbally agreed to using benthic mats to cover the milfoil and possibly water lilies. Unfortunately I believe we were held up by not having provincial “ok” for this work. Are the proposed mats floating on the surface or on top of the substrate? I believe in our situation the latter are more efficient and would work best in our scenario. As discussed previously we are fully prepared to accept any and all costs incurred. Please let me know whether this program is for floating or submerged mats, or both. on Facebook Share We chatted with both Janine and the Milfoil team last year and verbally agreed to using benthic mats to cover the milfoil and possibly water lilies. Unfortunately I believe we were held up by not having provincial “ok” for this work. Are the proposed mats floating on the surface or on top of the substrate? I believe in our situation the latter are more efficient and would work best in our scenario. As discussed previously we are fully prepared to accept any and all costs incurred. Please let me know whether this program is for floating or submerged mats, or both. on Twitter Share We chatted with both Janine and the Milfoil team last year and verbally agreed to using benthic mats to cover the milfoil and possibly water lilies. Unfortunately I believe we were held up by not having provincial “ok” for this work. Are the proposed mats floating on the surface or on top of the substrate? I believe in our situation the latter are more efficient and would work best in our scenario. As discussed previously we are fully prepared to accept any and all costs incurred. Please let me know whether this program is for floating or submerged mats, or both. on Linkedin Email We chatted with both Janine and the Milfoil team last year and verbally agreed to using benthic mats to cover the milfoil and possibly water lilies. Unfortunately I believe we were held up by not having provincial “ok” for this work. Are the proposed mats floating on the surface or on top of the substrate? I believe in our situation the latter are more efficient and would work best in our scenario. As discussed previously we are fully prepared to accept any and all costs incurred. Please let me know whether this program is for floating or submerged mats, or both. link

We chatted with both Janine and the Milfoil team last year and verbally agreed to using benthic mats to cover the milfoil and possibly water lilies. Unfortunately I believe we were held up by not having provincial “ok” for this work. Are the proposed mats floating on the surface or on top of the substrate? I believe in our situation the latter are more efficient and would work best in our scenario. As discussed previously we are fully prepared to accept any and all costs incurred. Please let me know whether this program is for floating or submerged mats, or both.

Pete Neilans asked 3 days ago

Hello,
The mats to be used for this program are they type that are fully submerged and installed on the lake floor.
Thank you for your question.

1

Page last updated: 27 Nov 2025, 04:17 PM