A highly invasive aquatic weed has been discovered in a number of ponds in the Animas Valley in Colorado, putting the heat on to eradicate it before it enters the Animas River and, potentially, Lake Nighthorse.
The invasive weed aggressively outgrows and outcompetes native aquatic plants. It can then clog irrigation systems and ponds, and even push out native species of fish and other aquatic life.
So far, four ponds have been treated with an aquatic herbicide to remove the Eurasian watermilfoil, but the success of the effort won’t truly be known until next growing season to see if the plant greens up.