Water Hyacinth discovered in Albury

One of the world's most notorious aquatic weeds has been discovered in Albury for the first time.

AlburyCity's Vegetation Management Officer, Sarah Stuart, says water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was found last week in a private dam off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive.

“Council is acting with landowners to identify the weed and assist with its removal to ensure it doesn't take hold in Albury,” Sarah says.

“We are trying to find out where the plant has come from and have carried out inspections in all dams and drainage lines in the vicinity. But we also need help from the community. It is important for landowners to look in their dams and ponds to check that they have not also been infested with this weed.

“If you find anything you are not sure about, please call AlburyCity and our weed officer will identify weeds for you.”

Council is carrying out a letterbox drop in the area of the infestation to help people identify the weed. It doesn't flower in winter, but in spring and summer it flowers for a couple of days. The flowers are light blue-purple, have a yellow centre and six petals.

The weed, which forms a dense mat on the water surface, has smooth, glossy, bright green leaves which are raised slightly above the water on large bulbous stems.

A fact sheet from the NSW Government's Department of Industry & Investment describes water hyacinth as one of the world's worst aquatic weeds.

“It infests rivers, dams, lakes and irrigation channels on every continent except Antarctica,” the factsheet says.

“It devastates aquatic environments and costs billions of dollars every year in control costs and economic losses,” 

Sarah says water hyacinth is a Class 2 Noxious weed and prohibited from sale in NSW. Class 2 weeds are “plants that pose a potentially serious threat to primary production or the environment”.