🛑 Petition to Ban All Chemical Herbicides in Lake Minnetonka

If you live on Lake Minnetonka, Fish on Lake Minnetonka, or use Lake Minnetonka for recreation, Please sign this petition to stop putting chemicals in our lake that kill the weeds!

We, the undersigned, call on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), and all relevant city and county officials to enact an immediate ban on the use of chemical herbicides in Lake Minnetonka, including but not limited to Diquat, Fluridone, ProcellaCOR, and auxin-mimic herbicides.

These chemicals pose a serious and growing threat to the health of our lake, our community, and our ecosystem:

• 🧪 ProcellaCOR, a so-called “targeted herbicide,” has been flagged by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as a potential PFAS compound — a class of forever chemicals that do not break down in the environment and may have long-term health consequences.
• 🐟 Walleye and panfish are at risk: Scientific studies show species like coontail, which provide critical spawning habitat, are being destroyed by these treatments — leading to declining fish populations and fewer loons, eagles, and other wildlife that depend on them.
• 🚱 Nutrient pollution is worsened, not reduced: When plants are chemically killed, phosphorus is released into the water, increasing the risk of harmful algae blooms and degrading water quality.
• 🧒 There is no long-term safety data for these chemicals in our lake, where children swim, pets play, and we all recreate.

We are not against managing aquatic vegetation — but chemical control is not the answer. Mechanical removal, hand-pulling, and natural shoreline management are safer, proven alternatives.

Lake Minnetonka is a public natural resource. It belongs to all Minnesotans — not just those who want a few feet of “clean” shoreline. We must protect this lake for future generations by banning the use of harmful aquatic herbicides now.

Sign this petition to stop chemical herbicide use in Lake Minnetonka.