Posted on 03/16/2011 10:27:53 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
DISCOVERY BAY (KCBS) – Boaters and swimmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are finally getting some help from the state in removing a non-native plant that is flourishing uncontrollably.
The plant is called Egeria Densa, or Brazilian Waterweed. The South American aquarium plant is notorious for being almost impossible to eradicate. The problem is especially noticeable near Discovery Bay.
”There might not even be any room for boaters to navigate because it’s so thick,” said Gloria Sandoval of the California Department of Boating and Waterways. “And for swimmers, their feet could get tangled in the weeds.”
Starting next month, the state will use an herbicide called fluridone to try to control the weed from growing any further.
(Excerpt) Read more at sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com ...
Kalifornia Kudzu.
We can get rid of non-native plants, but can’t do anything about all the non-native peoples that have invaded from south of the border?
* cue the ‘Thats Racist!’ kid *
How ‘bout we remove all the invasive, non-native liberal transplants that have screwed up this state as well?
I live in St. Mary’s County Maryland.
I realise this is a non-native plant, but I would like to tell you a story about water and grasses.
50 Years ago in my youth our waterways were choked with native grasses.
Boats had trouble getting in and out of the creeks. It was so thck that they used older sickle bar mowers pulled behind boats to cut a channel through it.
The Government decided to do us a favor and get ird of the grass, they sprayed it and killed it all.
Now the crabs do not have cover for shedding and the oxygen content in the water is down. 50 years and the grasses still have not recovered.
Think long and hard before allowing the government to help you with these grasses, what will whatever they use to kill the non native grasses do to the native grasses, Try to learn from the mistakes of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Hmmm, maybe the pesticide will affect the Delta Smelt, and water can be restored to the Central Valley?
Compost!
Free Biomass!
Animal feed!
Soil Conditioner!
Californians must be ecstatic!
Seriously, USE THE STUFF!
California? The same State that brought in the tamarask plant for “erosion control”? The same tamarask that is now choking the shorelines of the Colorado, Green, Snake, etc rivers and seriously depleting the water volume? Yeah. That State. What environmental disaster do those govt idiots plan now?
Yep, at a cost of $900-1400 per acre to spray it, there must be ways to take advantage of it's bounty.
The Orange County Water District has water rights for all water that is discharged from Prado Dam. Up stream of Prado the area is usually dry, but floods when it rains. This Brazilian grass drinks up literally tens of thousands of gallons of water and also prevents water from going into the water table (which is drinking water pumped out elsewhere). OCWD has spent tons of money to remove this grass so as to increase the amount of water flowing out of Prado dam.
The benefit? OCWD sells this water (at a profit) to OC users and at a much lower cost then MWD water.
Now this is different than at the Delta, but instead is based on logic and potential increased water flow where it is needed.
I hope it also kills off all the Delta Smelt.
FREE THE WATER, SAVE THE FARMS.
There are a few ideas here:
HANDBOOK OF UTILIZATION OF AQUATIC PLANTS
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X6862E/X6862E00.htm
The US is so screwed up.
I recognized the name of this plant because a client has it as the main plant in his aquarium at work.
You can buy Egeria Densa online and have it delivered anywhere in the country for about $20.
Then it escapes when little Ricky dumps the aquarium with the dead fish in the local stream for a funeral, and the plant propagates like mad.
FYI: This picture is just fine, but I cannot see post #10. I have had problems recently with some of the pictures that you post. I know that others have mentioned this to you on another thread the other day. I use IE but not sure which version.
After I posted, #10 became visible. I know that in times past, I have always been able to view your photo post.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.