OBWB Milfoil Field Operations and Safety Supervisor David Hoogendoorn showcasing Millie Manatee's Self-deploying paddlewheels at Paddlewheel Park & Beach Boat Launch in Vernon (Image Credit: OBWB)

By Liam Verster

Millie Manatee

New milfoil harvester out on Okanagan Lake following naming contest

Jul 8, 2026 | 12:34 PM

A new watermilfoil harvester has been christened and named following a public contest.

The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) held a contest to name the new machine designed for chopping, collecting and clearing invasive Eurasian watermilfoil from area lakes.

The contest received over 340 submissions, and after reviewing the proposals, the OBWB selected the winner “Millie Manatee.”

The name plays on the type of invasive weed in the lake and is an homage to the marine mammal that devours aquatic vegetation.

“Manatees are famous for being gentle, large, herbivorous aquatic mammals with paddle-shaped tails, which is a perfect description of our new paddlewheel-driven harvester,” said OBWB Chair Blair Ireland.

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“Plus, we hear they love eating invasive plants like milfoil. It’s a match made in heaven for our Okanagan lakes.”

Other notable submissions were Milli-go-Nilli, Sir Rips-a-Lot, Lightning McWeed, Choppy Gilmore, Milfoilinator, Mill-Dread, Chopzilla, and Garfield.

The OBWB noted the name for the custom-built Aquarius Systems HM-620 Aquatic Weed Harvester was a much better name than some previously selected for their machines.

“After years of operating equipment with names like Orange Roto and Blue Roto, we thought it was time to raise the bar,” James Littley, OBWB Chief Operating Officer, joked.

“Millie Manatee is fun, memorable, and perfectly captures what this machine is here to do — eat weeds. Millie joins Harvey Hippo and they are just the beginning. We’re hoping to build a fleet identity around herbivorous aquatic animals. Maybe we’ll see some beavers or turtles joining the crew in the future.”

The machine, which cost the OBWB $422,500 to build and deliver, was launched onto Okanagan Lake at Paddlewheel Park July 7.

“Millie Manatee is our newest tool to help manage invasive Eurasian watermilfoil in Okanagan lakes,” Littley said.

“With fewer cutting passes and fewer trips back to shore, this machine will help us work more efficiently while continuing to protect recreational access and lake health.”

Dorothy Sela and Eduardo Sanchez, winners of the naming contest, got to take a ride on the new machine once in the water, and were also given a gift basket filled with local-curated goods and OBWB items including the new Millie Manatee logo as a prize.

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by Liam Verster

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