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August 22, 2003County uses corny way to cure itchNew method will save county $8,000 a yearByRecord-Eagle staff writer CADILLAC - No quack, no scratch. Wexford County plans to spend about $5,000 a year to defeat swimmers itch in lakes Cadillac and Mitchell by luring waterfowl away from the lakes to piles of cracked corn. The corn would be placed away from designated swimming and residential areas, John Divozzo, director of the Department of Public Works said. A three-year study of swimmer's itch in lakes Cadillac and Mitchell has suggested the splotchy, uncomfortable problem can probably be solved with the duck-baiting plan. That would allow the county to stop spraying the chemical copper sulfate into the water, which used to cost almost $13,000 per year, he said. Some also feared the spraying was hurting game fish. That's good news to Dan Yaklin of Cadillac, who often swims in the lake, even though he's never had swimmer's itch. "It'll be better for the people who like to swim in the lake, because they won't have to stay out of the water for a few days after they spray," he said. SICon LLC, a two-person firm in the Holland area specializing in swimmer's itch education, research and prevention, performed the study for $13,500 per year. During June and July, the group heard from four people who were afflicted from the two lakes, according to a report summary. "We're not sure that's worth spraying for 13 grand," Divozzo said. In the research project, SICon employed college students to help study the prevalence of the parasitic flatworm that cycles between two hosts, usually ducks or mergansers and snails. "The snails are only affected if the ducks are affected," said Ron Reimink, a high school biology teacher in Hudsonville who runs SICon along with a professor from Hope College. They also treated more than 330 mallards and black ducks with the drug praziquantel to interrupt the parasite's life cycle; identified snail beds; and passed out diaries for local residents to report any incidences of the itch. No spraying was done during the study. SICon keeps a running tally through its Web site, www.swimmersitch.com, from people around the United States who have been infested with the parasites. Most are in northern states, with Michigan leading the pack.
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