Weedoo Workboats

Water Hyacinths Plague Lakes

A company from West Palm Beach, Florida, demonstrates how water hyacinths covering Blue Lake at Berclair can be lifted from the surface and then mounded lakeside for drying and disposal. The hyacinths, which invade lakes and destroy water quality, are growing in lakes throughout Leflore County. They are rooted in water, not soil. Chemical applications also can be used to inhibit their growth. (By Susan Montgomery, Copyright 2024 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.)
By SUSAN MONTGOMERY – Staff Writer
Sat,07/20/24-2:00AM, 824 Reads
Weedoo boats: Water hyacinths covering Blue Lake
For years, members of the Leflore County Board of Supervisors have wondered what to do about the thick mats of water hyacinths that are covering the surfaces of some lakes across the county.
Herbicide applications have knocked back growth here and there and are  on the county’s list of methods for deterring growth of the invasive weed.
There is another option, and that’s mechanical removal. 
Earlier this past week, a group of county officials and employees watched a demonstration of an aquatic weed harvester at Berclair’s Blue Lake.
Like many of its kind in the Delta, Blue Lake is an old river-run lake that perhaps was left behind when a river changed course. The lake is about 3 miles west of Itta Bena, and it’s accessible from the town’s center or by turning off U.S. 82 at the  B.B. King blues marker, which says that King was born in Berclair. 
There’s a county bridge that crosses the lake, which is still good for fishing, according to District 4 Supervisor Eric Mitchell.
But whole sections of the lake are smothered by water hyacinths, which starve fish by blocking sunlight to the native water plants and phytoplankton.
When these die, so do the fish, and their decay infects the water.
“I have been working on this since I was first elected,” Mitchell said. “In 2020, I started getting involved to address the issue at Blue Lake.”
Last October, the board discussed the situation concerning the lake at Berclair and with another Blue Lake, which runs through Lakeview subdivision, beneath U.S. 82 and beside St. Francis Catholic Church. 
That lake suffers from overgrowth of aquatic plants, including hyacinths, which block culverts and drainage ditches. 
Sometimes, according to District 5 Supervisor Robert Collins, the decay creates a stink.

A photo from 2014 shows the water in one area of Roebuck Lake near Itta Bena along with blooming water hyacinths at its edge. (By Susan Montgomery, Copyright 2024 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.)

In this photo, taken in 2023, the water in the same area of Roebuck Lake cannot be seen and the mat of hyacinths on the surface give it the false appearance of solid ground(By Susan Montgomery, Copyright 2024 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.)

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.
– Contact Susan Montgomery at 662-581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.