ATKINSON — Scuba divers are starting to put a serious dent in the number of invasive plants in Big Island Pond. But Bob Patterson, who managed the eight divers this summer, has a new plan to attack the almost 100 acres that have been infested with milfoil.

Patterson wants to arm local volunteers and people across the state with snorkeling gear to pull the weeds from the bottom of the state's lakes and ponds.

Milfoil doesn't grow any deeper than 20 feet in Big Island Pond and with the small supplied-air system Patterson built, anyone could spend all day skin diving to collect the nuisance plants.

Certifications for scuba diving and equipment can cost between $2,000 and $3,000, but a supplied-air system is much cheaper and can run all day on a gallon of gas.

"Now, I can have a diver in the water for $150 instead of thousands of dollars," Patterson said.

Volunteers can become certified skin divers in a weekend. They would only have to take a $100 course to learn to use the air system and complete a state-certified, weed-pulling class to learn how to identify milfoil and pull it, Patterson said.

The new system consists of a generator and a pump that pushes air through a tank and into a hose that connects to the diver's respirator.

The hose on the system Patterson built is about 50 feet long and is connected to a hose that sucks up the milfoil into a net on top of a harvester.

The new program is much easier on the diver, too.

A scuba tank weighs close to 40 pounds and can fatigue a diver within a few hours. But with the new system, the diver only needs a respirator and can dive all day without a problem.

Last weekend was the first time Patterson tried out the new system and he said he was able to stay underwater for 18 hours, something he never would have been able to do carrying a scuba tank.

"It's going to greatly increase the number of divers," he said.

The program has caught the attention of the New Hampshire Lakes Association.

Jared Teutsch, president of the association, said skin diving is the future of milfoil treatment, but first the state Department of Environmental Services needs to approve the treatment.

DES controls the treatment options in the state and has yet to allow skin diving. Chemical treatment and scuba diving are the only approved options to manage milfoil, Teutsch said.

Teutsch said his association would work with Patterson and the DES over the winter to allow the treatment.

Amy Smagula, exotic species coordinator at the DES, was not available yesterday for comment.

The lakes association has received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to fund alternative methods of weed control and would like to establish a grant program so lakes across the state can start their own skin diving programs.

"I don't know that we'll be able to put it together for next summer, but that would be ideal," Teutsch said.

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