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February 14, 2012
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February 14, 2012Lafourche Parish Public Works announced it would try to combat the proliferation of large oxygen-depleting water lilies in Bayou Lafourche with herbicide and water flow.
Parish officials attributed the prevalence of water hyacinths to a mild winter in 2011. The plant, which can grow to a height of 3 feet, is “a very aggressive invader and can form thick mats. If these mats cover the enter surface of the pond they can cause oxygen depletions and cause fish kills,” according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
The worst of Lafourche’s hyacinth is near the Valentine Pontoon Bridge. Officials say the water plants have “built up and formed a choke point because they cannot flow south.”
Among the concerns is freeing up the fresh water flow along the bayou, a human health issue, said Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District Chairman Hugh Caffery.
Kerry Babin, director of Public Works, said certified applicators would begin spraying the plants with herbicide. “Breaking up heavy concentrations of lilies and allowing them to flow southward when currents are favorable would also help alleviate the problem,” he said.
The parish opened the Valentine Bridge Friday night at about 6 p.m. to allow incoming westerly winds to naturally push the lilies downstream toward the Gulf of Mexico said Logan Banks, a Lafourche spokesman.
Officials intended to discuss the plan before the parish council Tuesday night.
