Invasive hydrilla in Southwest Michigan ponds required massive removal effort
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article Hydrilla plants can be seen along the surface of the water at Selden Cove in Lyme, a cove that is part of the Connecticut River on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(FOX 2) – It took a lethal herbicide, digging up entire bodies of water, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and years of planned monitoring for Michigan environmental officials to rid an invasive plant species from two properties.
RiddinghydrillafromitsonlyknownlocationinMichiganrequiredamonumentaleffort.Andyet,officialsfullyexpectittoreturntothestate–andingreaterforce.
Bigpictureview:
Dubbedthe“world’smostinvasiveaquaticplant,”hydrillaisalmostimpossibletoremoveonceit’sestablishedinawaterbody.ThatrealitywascementedbyinvasivespeciesexpertswholearneditwasgrowingintwoprivatepondsinSouthwestMichiganin2023.
Thestate’sresponsewasextreme–anditneededtobe,accordingtoBillyKeiper,aninvasiveaquaticspeciesmonitorwithEGLE.
