Case Study: Aquatic Plant Harvester Combats Phragmites

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

20‐acre spring fed pond was originally a peat bog
Natural cold water spring produced over 300 gallons of water per minute
Illinois Department of Natural Resources transformed it into a fish hatchery
Operated as a fish hatcher from 1914 - 2004
At its height of operation, over 35 million fingerlings spawned at the facility
Village took ownership of the property in 2007 and will be public open space

Spring Grove Fish Hatchery Pond after EH-220 removed aquatic vegetation.

PROJECT CHALLENGE

Without maintenance after closing, aquatic plants took over the water

Majority of the pond is only 2 - 5 feet deep

Dense stands of phragmites spread along the shallow waters

THE SOLUTION

Not specifically designed to tackle phragmites, a contractor with an Aquarius Systems EH-220 Aquatic Weed Harvester worked with the city to reclaim the Spring Grove Fish Hatchery.

The Aquatic Plant Harvester systematically worked through the dense stands of phragmites. Operating for 6 hours per day for 6 weeks, with offloading in some areas every 8 minutes, the 20-acre pond which had become overrun with phragmites and other aquatic invasive species is once again open.

EH-220 Aquatic Weed Harvester Phagmites

EH-220 Mechanical Weed Harvester is small enough for legal over-the-road travel.

Once dilapidated and overgrown, the ponds and surrounding landscape were restored with renovations that include a visitor's center with interpretive signage.

800 trout from a central Illinois hatchery were brought in and held in a one-acre pond, formerly used as a growing pen. These trout were later introduced to the larger pond and in 2021 the historic Spring Grove Fish Hatchery Park celebrated its first trout fishing season.