Then there’s Little Round Lake on U.S. 49 south of Greenwood, Little Roebuck Lake several miles south of Florewood Park and other lakes, including Roebuck Lake.
The oxbow lake winds for 20 miles south of U.S. 82 between Itta Bena and the Yazoo River. Some of it lines the town’s Lakeshore Drive. Parts of Roebuck have become a breeding area for water hyacinths.
In 10 years, a small patch of water hyacinths in a branch of the lake near County Road 555 has spread over almost every foot of the water’s surface. There’s little water to see.
Anyone who wants to read about invasive water hyacinths only has to search Wikipedia, where there are 40 letter-sized pages of information. The takeaway is that the invasive hyacinths are a worldwide menace and that the weed prefers climates like that of the Delta. Apparently, the plants slipped into Florida from South America in the late 19th century and have been spreading northward ever since.
“Common water hyacinths are vigorous growers, and mats can double in size in one to two weeks. In terms of plant count rather than size, they are said to multiply by more than a hundredfold in a matter of 23 days,” the Wikipedia post says.
There are said to be natural predators for the free-floating plant, including waterfowl, moths, weevils and even hippos.
In 1910, the American Hippo Bill was introduced in Congress but failed to pass. The idea was that hippos would feed on water hyacinths in Florida and Louisiana and then they could be butchered for their meat.
In May, the Leflore County Board of Supervisors authorized Mitchell to inquire about mechanical weed harvesters on its behalf.
This resulted in the demonstration on the lake at Berclair.
The next day, he and Collins also met with an expert from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks about how a floating mechanical harvester might be used in Blue Lake.
The equipment being shown is being sold by its developer, Weedoo. The firm is based in West Palm Beach, Florida.
At Blue Lake, an operator drove a engine-driven boat that is fitted with a large rake-like fork. This was used to lift large and heavy amounts of the floating weed from the lake. As it was driven over the water, the boat created a relatively hyacinth-free channel. Another type of bucket is used to skim the remainder of the weed from the water.
The company’s CEO, Tara Lordi, said, “If you can get ahead of the problem … you can stop the rapid growth rate.”
The purchase price hovers a bit over $100,000, and if the county became serious about buying a mechanical harvester, the board would have to advertise for bids for the equipment.
It is not clear what kind of funding might be available to help with the cost.
In areas where private property is involved, state law allows the county to enter that property for the purpose of protecting citizens’ general health and welfare, Board Attorney Kelvin Pulley said.
Collins acknowledged that the amount might appear to be steep but said the expense might be reasonable.
“It sounds like a lot of money, but it is a piece of equipment that could save hundreds of houses by keeping them from flooding,” he said.
Mitchell noted that drainage from Itta Bena flows through Blue Lake and southward past Morgan City to Yazoo City and Vicksburg.
His focus also is on the preservation of the landscape and recreational opportunities.
“Our intention is to get all of the lakes back to functioning where they can be used for family entertainment, such as recreational fishing and boat riding,” he said.