Water hyacinth has been growing in Sacramento and Stockton area waterways since the 1970’s but the invasive weed has been spreading more widely in the past couple years. Hyacinth choked ports and marinas so badly last fall that many boats were unable to move. To combat the plant’s spread, the California State Parks department of Boating and Waterways has started spraying herbicides earlier than ever. It’s also using mechanical harvesters to pull hyacinth from the water. To talk about the effort to remove water hyacinth from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta is Vicky Waters from the California Department of State Parks. She’ll also talk about what could have been driving the spread of the weed in the past couple years.

LINKS:

• California Invasive Plant Council
• Invasive Species Info