Helicopter crews began dumping pesticide on an infestation of giant plants Saturday at Toledo Bend Reservoir.
Giant Salvinia and Water Hyacinth have infested 2,000 acres of waterways in the area, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department aquatic vegetation biologist Howard Elder.
Texas Parks and Wildlife |
View of Toledo Bend Reservoir, which is being treated by helicopter crews dumping pesticide for an infestation of the invasive plant Giant Salvinia.
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Contributed photo |
Jennings Cove off Lake Livingston, after it was engulfed over the weekend by invading aquatic plants washed in by a large amount of recent rain.
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Resident Lowell Clark sent in photos to The Lufkin Daily News of a cove at Lake Livingston completely engulfed by an invasive aquatic plant he called hydrilla. Both hydrilla and Salvinia are similar aquatic invaders.
Jennings Cove at Indian Hills No. 2 was filled to the brim with the plant after heavy rains washed them down. There was no sign of the plant on Friday. Saturday there were patches scattered over the lake between highways 3126 and 3277.
"The southern breeze overnight sent it all in the direction of our cove, the results you see in the pictures below," Clark said, of the photo demonstrating the plant's invasion of the small cove.
It was unclear Monday whether both plant infestations were by the same or different species.
Friday morning, Elder surveyed the Toledo Bend situation from the air and reported: southerly winds have broken apart the main concentration, resulting in a few large mats and many smaller ones intermixed with scattered plants; the worst infestations are on the Texas portion of the reservoir; many plants are now being pushed against the shore and into small south-facing coves, some of which are now 100 percent covered; plants are now spread over 16 miles, from Patroon Bayou above Pendleton Bridge, to the southern point of Housen Bayou.
North Star Helicopter, Inc., out of Jasper, is under contract with TPWD for the herbicide treatments. Depending on weather conditions, spraying is estimated to take approximately five to seven days and should be completed by Nov. 13.
Larger concentrations of vegetation will be targeted first while smaller mats and scattered plants will be treated as conditions allow, a TPWD press release stated. Results from the treatments may take up to four weeks to be fully visible due to cooler water temperatures. Additional treatments will be necessary to reduce concentrations in areas the helicopters cannot reach.
