MI Government Preparing To Battle Lake-Choking Hydrilla, Invasive Water Weed

[hatrack]

EDIT

Hydrilla hasn't reached the state border yet, but last fall it was found just 55 miles south, in an Indiana lake - the first time it has been found in the Midwest. The name itself sounds sinister and dangerous, like a lurking water monster. Experts say the description fits.

Consider:

• Hydrilla is an aggressive, fast-growing weed that needs little light to grow, can reproduce in four ways (including from tubers that can lie dormant up to four years on lake beds), and it spreads like a blanket on lakes, choking out fish and plant life below.

• It tangles boat motors and clogs water intake pipes.

• It can't be hurt by deep freeze winters.

• It can raise water temperatures and create stagnant water that breeds mosquitoes.

• It grows best in shallow areas with soft bottoms, but has been found at depths of up to 45 feet and can grow in free-floating bunches near the surface.

About the only good thing anyone can say about hydrilla is that ducks and geese find it scrumptious.

State officials fear that hydrilla infestation of the Great Lakes or some of the state's 11,000 inland lakes is inevitable. The weed often spreads as a hitchhiker on boats or trailers that were in an infected lake.

EDIT

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=71464

[kestrel91316]

1. This should be EASY to fix. Just import a whole bunch of exotic snails and

fish and such from wherever the stuff comes from and turn it loose in all the waterways and VOILA!

Oh, wait.....

[soothsayer]

2. It's a problem in the Potomac river here in DC, from time to time

[Porcupine]

3. At the very least this stuff would make great compost.

Water plants are rich in nutrients and are frequently used as additions to compost. What's wrong with scooping this stuff up, blenderizing it and spraying it on the fields.

Are there any native fish that eat this stuff? Could we borrow some hippos maybe.

Where we have problems we need to look to convert them to resources.