Giant Salvinia remains a monster for area lakes; caution is advised
Submitted by Daingerfield1 on
Marlene J. Bohr
With summer in full swing, area lakes are filling up with people taking advantage of the warm weather for water recreation such as swimming, boating and fishing.
Walt Sears, general manager of the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District, along with Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urge residents to be on the lookout for Giant Salvinia or other aquatic plants that may be caught on your boat or trailer when you enter and when exiting a body of water.
Giant Salvinia is an invasive, non-native aquaticfloating fern, according to Mr. Sears. It is dangerous because it grows rapidly and removes oxygen from the water which can kill fish. When it removes oxygen from the water, it makes it impossible for fish to survive in the water. In ideal conditions, Giant Salvinia can double in size in four days. Left unchecked, the plant can potentially devastate lake ecosystems and tourism economies by choking off boating and fishing access to an entire lake, clogging power plant water intakes, and displacing beneficial native plants needed by fish.
To continue reading this article purchase the July 3rd edition of The Steel Country Bee or go to our online e-edition at: http://www.etypeservices.com/Daingerfield%20BeeID312/default.aspx
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