Guide for Completing the State Application for Aquatic Herbicide Use

If you own a pond in Pennsylvania and plan to apply herbicides to control weeds or algae in the water, you'll need to obtain a permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) before you make any chemical applications.  Basic information about this permit is described in the Extension publication: Permit Requirements for Use of An Aquatic Herbicide in Ponds. Most questions on the permit application are easy to answer, but a few may be challenging. This article was written to help private pond owners complete the permit application on their own. Guidance only applies to ponds owned by private individuals. Property owners who manage large lakes, impoundments, streams, or canals or individuals who manage ponds owned by a government authority or other organization should reach out to Extension or DEP directly for assistance.

The application to apply pesticides in ponds is officially called the Application for Use of An Algicide, Herbicide or Fish Control Chemical in Waters of The Commonwealth and can be obtained from your local DEP regional office or online from DEP’s website. Be sure to also request or download the companion instructions DEP has developed for the application which are very helpful. Submit completed applications to DEP either electronically or through the mail.

Application Types

The application covers three permit types: New Permit, Renewal, and Permit Amendment. Because you are reading this article, you probably will check the box for New Permit.  But, if you previously obtained a 3- or 5-year permit before DEP developed the current non-expiring version, and your permit period is ending, you should check the box for Renewal.  Or, if you are requesting an amendment to an existing non-expiring permit, you should check the box for Amendment. Applicants who check either the Renewal or Amendment boxes should provide their existing permit number on the designated line. Now you’re ready to begin the main application which includes five sections, each with multiple questions.

Section 1: Applicant Information

Provide your name and contact information for the first question in this section. Since you plan to apply the algicide or herbicide yourself, instead of hiring a state-certified pesticide applicator, you can skip the line that asks for a DEP Client ID#. For Client Type/Code write "INDV", the code for individual. For question 2, check the box for Yes to confirm that you own or lease the pond you plan to treat with chemicals and indicate if you are a current or past holder of any DEP permits by checking either the Yes or No box. Let DEP know if you want your permit provided via email or regular mail, and provide an email if you choose that option. Skip the last question since you'll be the person conducting the aquatic chemical treatment.

Section 2: Site Location

Site location refers to the property where the pond, or ponds, is located and may differ from the mailing address you listed in Section 1. Begin by listing the County and Municipality where your site is located and let DEP know if the municipality is a City, Borough, or Township. For Site Location Line 1, provide a street address for the property where the pond(s) is located. Skip Site Location Line 2 unless needed. For Detailed Written Directions to Site, list the roads someone would need to travel to reach your site from the nearest interstate exit, city, or town.

Question 2 requires you to provide a topographic map of the site with each pond(s) clearly circled and named.  The map should include contour lines and be printed or formatted (for electronic submissions) to fit on 8.5" x 11" sized paper.  DEP suggests using 7.5-minute quadrangle maps produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and available from several free websites, including TopoQuest or topoView. Provide the name of the 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle for your site. You can find it using either Topoquest or topoView, but the latter is easier. From the topoView home page, select 24K from the menu of map choices and slowly zoom in over Pennsylvania until you notice a grid of rectangles. Enter the name of the rectangle, or rectangles, your site is located in. Next, provide the latitude (Lat) and longitude (Long) for a point at the approximate center of your site, not the center of your pond. Lat and Long coordinates are available from many free mapping websites including topoView.

The final question in this section asks for the total number of ponds you are seeking approval to treat with algaecide and/or herbicide. Most applicants will only list a single pond, but you may request coverage for up to 20 ponds on a single site. 

You're now ready to tackle page two of the application which contains two sections: Water Body Information and Treatment Information. You are required to submit a copy of this page for each pond that you plan to treat with herbicides or algaecides. For example, you'll only fill out page two once if you only have a single pond on your site. But, if your site contained three ponds and you wanted to treat each with herbicides, you would complete three separate copies of page two, one copy for each pond you plan to treat.

Section 3: Water Body Information

Start by providing a name for the pond you wish to treat. Any name will do, but it should match the name you listed on the map you prepared for Section 2. Next, check the box for Pond since that’s the only type of water body these instructions are designed to address. If your pond is over 80 acres or you wish to treat a stream or river, you should contact Penn State Extension or your regional DEP office for assistance.

The third question starts easy; simply check all applicable boxes for Water supply and Other uses, but then asks for your pond's Chapter 93 Classification. Not all ponds will have a classification which is also called a designated use. Use DEP's online tool called EMapPA to discover if yours does.

Neither of the two ponds in the top image are intersected by the mapped stream (blue line) so this applicant will not list a Chapter 93 classification for either pond. Two of the three ponds in the bottom picture are intersected by a stream so this applicant would list a Chapter 93 classification. Image: DEP eMapPA

From EMapPA's home page, locate the slider just above the map of Pennsylvania.  Toggle it right to reveal an imagery view. Next, locate the tab called Layers and make sure the following sublayers are selected: Regulated Facilities and Related Information, Streams and Water Resources, Water Quality, and Designated Use Streams (See screenshot from eMapPA below). 

Now zoom in until your pond is clearly visible and look to see if any colored lines, which indicate stream channels, intersect with your pond. If your pond lies within a mapped stream, select the identify tool (dark circle with the letter i) from the toolbar above the image and click on a spot where a stream connects with your pond to initiate a query and open a data table.

Search the data table for the Use Description line. The use that's listed is the Chapter 93 Classification you list for your pond.

For question 4, check the box for Yes unless your pond is devoid of fish and other aquatic organisms. The second part of the question applies to ponds with fish. Many applicants will check the box for Warm water species which includes bass, bluegills, sunfish, and catfish, but check the boxes for trout or grass carp if they live in your pond. Private ponds are not typically open to the public so most private pond owners will check the box for No for both parts of question five. Question 6 asks if your pond overflows any time of the year via a spillway, drainage channel, or vertical overflow.  If you select the box for Yes, indicate the usual month(s) or season when overflows occur or write "year-round" if flow is permanent. Next, identify the name of the nearest stream your pond drains to.  Use EMapPA to find the name if you don’t already know it. Question 8 asks for your pond’s surface area and average depth. If you don't know these measurements, you can learn how to obtain them by reading Extension's factsheet: Pond Measurements: Area, Volume and Residence Time.  For the last question in Section 3, provide Lat and Long coordinates for your pond's outlet (drainage pipe or spillway) if it has one. In the absence of an outlet, provide coordinates for any low point along the shoreline where water overflows during wet weather.

Screenshot showing the five layers to select in eMapPA to determine if your pond has a Chapter 93 classification or use description. You may deselect all other sublayers. Also note the identify tool from the toolbar and the data table that appears when using the identify tool to click on any point where a stream intersects your pond. The classification for this pond is CWF (Cold Water Fishes). Image: DEP eMapPA

Section 4: Treatment Information

To complete this section, you'll need to know the identity of the plants and algae you want to control. If unsure, contact your County Penn State Extension Office for help with plant identification. The application refers to aquatic weeds and algae as target organisms. Extension's publication Management of Aquatic Plant contains information about commonly used aquatic herbicides and the target organisms they control. This factsheet is worth reading for anyone planning an aquatic pesticide application, especially pond owners new to using chemicals for aquatic plant and algae control.

Penn State Extension's publication, Management of Aquatic Plants, will help any pond owner plan an aquatic pesticide application. Image: Penn State Extension

Section 4 includes a table with enough rows to list up to four herbicide and algaecide control products. In the rare event that you plan to treat your pond with more than four different brand-name products, you may attach duplicate copies of the table to your application. Write the name(s) of the aquatic plants or algae in the table's rightmost column and read each pesticide label to discover the brand name, manufacture, and EPA registration number to list in the leftmost column. Study the pesticide label to complete the remaining columns in the table.

For dose, list the maximum pesticide measure you expect to apply. Dose is usually reported in either pounds (lbs) or gallons (gals) per acre of surface area, or lbs or gals per acre-foot of water volume. The treatment area may be a measurement of the pond's total surface area or just a portion of the pond if you only plan to spot-treat nuisance plants with contact pesticides from the shoreline. Treatment depth refers to either the average depth of the pond for full pond treatments or the average depth of the sections you plan to spot-treat. Amount per treatment refers to the maximum quantity of pesticide you plan to apply for each treatment you make during a year. Report this number as gallons or pounds. You may apply less than the maximum amount per treatment but should never exceed it without applying for a permit amendment. For number of treatments, list the maximum number of times you expect to apply the chemical per year. You are not required to carry out each treatment, but you should avoid making more annual treatments than you indicate on your application.

The second question in the Treatment Information section asks for proposed treatment dates. Most aquatic plants and algae, but not all, are best managed early in the growing season. Consult the label and other guides on aquatic plants and algae for help determining the best time of year to use chemical control. Applying chemicals at the wrong time of year may result in minimal control of target organisms, not to mention wasted effort and money. Finally, list any information you think may help DEP evaluate your proposed pesticide treatment plan. See below for an example of a completed table and consult DEP's application instructions for additional assistance.

An example of the typical information that applicants will provide in Section 4 of the application. Applicants must carefully read and understand the pesticide label to provide these answers. Image: Penn State Extension

Section 5: Notification and Applicant Certification

Unlike the prior two sections which you complete separately for each pond you plan to treat on your site, but just like sections 1 and 2, you only fill out section 5 once per site. Because your pond is private, DEP considers you the only user who requires notification of your pesticide treatment, so check the boxes for Has occurred and No for question one. But don't forget to share the dates of your planned pesticide applications with family members, friends, or anyone else who may visit your pond(s) unannounced to fish or swim or just walk around. You don't want people to enter the site just after you complete an application because chemicals may remain active in the water or on weeds along the shoreline for several days. Each pesticide label will contain specific information about possible site entry and water use restrictions that may apply.

Wrap up the application by checking the appropriate permit fee and signing. DEP will accept electronic application uploads and payments, or you can mail the form with payment in the form of a check made payable to "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," to the DEP regional office that covers the county where your site is located. Address information for each regional office as well as counties served is listed on DEP's permit instructions or their website.