The Florida Legislature designated the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as the lead agency for coordinating aquatic plant control activities in 1971 ( 369.20 (2), Florida Statutes).  The DEP responded by creating the Bureau of Aquatic Plant Research and Control - now the Bureau of Invasive Plant Management (BIPM) - to oversee and coordinate these duties. 

Polk County Natural Resources participates in the Cooperative Aquatic Plant Control Program administered by DEP (Chapter 62C-54).  Polk County has been a participant in this program since 1977.  The annual benefit to the county ranges between $1.5 million and $6.0 million pending the necessary treatments.  Over the last ten years, funding for aquatic plant management has totaled $30,949,477.

The focus of this program is to control water hyacinths, water lettuce and hydrilla on the 81 public access lakes.  These exotic, invasive plants have the capability of taking over an entire water body.  More specifically, these aquatic plants are characterized by:

• Rapid Growth
• multiple reproductive methods
• wide dispersal and survival
• broad environmental tolerance
• resistance to management

Problems caused by invasive aquatic plants include:

• loss of recreation
• severe oxygen depletion
• stunted fish populations, fish kills
• water flow restrictions, flooding
• navigation restrictions
• accelerated sedimentation
• reduction in diversity
• reduction in property values

Water bodies must meet the following criteria to be considered public access and to receive State aquatic plant control funding:

• The water body must be sovereignty lands.
• The water body must have an improved public boat ramp.
• A sign must be posted at the ramp stating the water body is open to public use.
• There must be signs directing the public from roadways to the public ramp.
• The public ramp area must be sufficiently large to launch boats and park vehicles.