On the 14th of December 2015, Water Hyacinth was located at a property in Deniliquin by Central Murray County Council Inspector Jarrod Guy.
Water Hyacinth is a declared Class 1, State Prohibited Weed
Water hyacinth is one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds. It infests rivers, dams, lakes and irrigation channels on every continent except Antarctica. It devastates aquatic environments and costs billions of dollars every year in control costs and economic losses. Water hyacinth is native to the Amazon basin in South America and was brought to Australia in the 1890s as an ornamental plant. Water hyacinth is justifiably called the world’s worst aquatic weed due to its ability to rapidly cover whole waterways. In Australia, it forms dense, impenetrable mats over the water surface. Specific impacts include:
- blocking irrigation channels and rivers
- restricting livestock access to water
- destroying natural wetlands
- eliminating native aquatic plants
- reducing infiltration of sunlight
- changing the temperature, pH and oxygen levels of water
- reducing gas exchange at the water surface
- increasing water loss through transpiration (greater than evaporation from an open water body)
Water hyacinth will rapidly take over an entire waterway. Under favourable conditions it can double its mass every 5 days, forming new plants on the ends of stolons. It also grows from seed which can remain viable for 20 years or longer. This enormous reproductive capacity causes annual reinfestation from seed and rapid coverage of previously treated areas, making ongoing control necessary.
If you see this plant contact your local council weeds officer.
Further information on Water hyacinth can be found at http://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/Details/145
23 December 2015
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