Syilx Territory, Vernon, B.C. – There’s a new heavy-hitter joining the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s (OBWB) milfoil control fleet, and she finally has a name.

Today, at Vernon’s Paddlewheel Park, the OBWB officially launched its newest invasive milfoil harvester, unveiling the winning entry from a region-wide naming contest: Millie Manatee.

Inspired by the harvester's job removing invasive milfoil and its paddlewheel design, the name gives a playful nod to the famously hungry manatee.

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

The naming contest attracted 340 submissions — and it's safe to say Okanagan residents didn't hold back. While a handful of entries were, diplomatically speaking, not suitable for a family-friendly news release, many had staff laughing out loud.

Among the crowd favourites were Milli-go-Nilli, Sir Rips-a-Lot, Lightning McWeed, Choppy Gilmore , Milfoilinator, Mill-Dread, Chopzilla, and Garfield — a nod to the machine's orange colour and appetite for milfoil. Millie Manatee ultimately surfaced as the winner, edging out dozens of creative contenders.

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

Millie hits the water just in time for the peak growing season, starting in July. She’ll be full-time on the lake this summer with an appetite a bit bigger than her namesake's — this harvester can haul nearly two-and-a-half tonnes of milfoil in a single load.

Millie Manatee is a customized Aquarius Systems HM-620 Aquatic Weed Harvester, built specifically to meet the needs of the OBWB’s milfoil control program. The machine replaces a harvester originally purchased by the Province of B.C. in 1978 and transferred to the Water Board in 1998 when the program became fully locally funded.

Built following a competitive procurement process in 2024, the new harvester was engineered with several custom features, including a lowering operator platform that allows it to pass beneath the bridge in Osoyoos and self-deploying paddlewheels that make launching faster and simpler than the previous bolt-on system. The machine was delivered in early fall 2025 after the harvest season, making this summer its first season in operation.

At a cost of $422,500, including delivery, the new harvester is expected to improve efficiency on the water thanks to a wider cutting deck and larger storage capacity. It can cut invasive milfoil up to five feet below the water’s surface, collect the vegetation, and transport it to shore for removal and composting.

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

Media, local government representatives, and members of the public had the opportunity to see the machine in action during today’s launch event and learn more about the OBWB’s long-running milfoil control efforts.



Contest winners, Dorothy Sela and Eduardo Sanchez, were invited to attend the launch and take a ride aboard Millie Manatee, they were also given a gift basket of local-curated goodies and OBWB items including the new Millie Manatee logo.