San Joaquin Delta to be sprayed with herbicide treatment to control invasive plants
The San Joaquin Delta estuary covers 1,000 square miles. That's a lot of room for non-native plants to accidentally invade the waterways. California State Park is trying to combat the spreading of invasive plants.
Starting March 6, crews from the perks department's division of boating and waterways (DBW) will be out spraying herbicides by boat, truck and even drone to help control the spread of 10 invasive plants that are interfering with the delta's native plants.
The treatment process will last until the end of November but it still won't get rid of them all.
Ten pesky plants keep showing up in the delta; they're non-native and invasive.
"Most of the plants probably came here through ornamental trade or they were from plants that were imported for aquariums and dumped in the waterways," said Jeffrey Caudill, senior environmental scientist with the division of boating and waterways.
There are six underwater plants and four floating plants the state officials have been spraying with a combination of chemicals, including Roundup, to help control their spread. The most common of the ten are water hyacinth, water primrose, and the curly leaf pond weed.
"Herbicide treatment is the primary tool for this because it's the most effective we can use with the limited resources we're given," Caudill said.
"I don't know what herbicide they're using but I got to believe it's going to end up in our food chain because whether it ends up on the water or downstream or in the air, they'll land on our food and crop products," boat mechanic Gene Colver said.
Colver has been running a boat mechanic shop for 46 years. He says he's quite familiar with the yearly treatments and they aren't working.
"Mother Nature has a protective design to where the more man tries to eradicate, the stronger the plant will become. For instance, some sort of herbicide, it will become tolerant," Colver said.
The DBW says they don't have the resources to completely eradicate the invasive plants, so they're aiming for control and targeting warmer areas where these plants tend to thrive.
"The reason our program exists is to support the economy the environment and public health and these plants impact all of that," Caudill said.
The program must adhere to strict guidelines from various agencies including the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
"If there are people in the area or likely to be in the area, we avoid treating that area," Caudill said.
The delta is extensive with many inlets and places for the invasive plants to hide. That's what Colver says is the problem. The hard-to-get areas tend to be left out due to lack of resources. The DBW says they focus on accessibility, so they first clear places like boating ramps or marinas.