William T. Echols, President, GCLA of TX
Unless adequate controls are established, Giant Salvinia could well spell the end of Caddo Lake as we know it. I know of no other issue past or present which has the potential to do as much damage to our lake. It is here, it is not going away and the infestation will continue to expand. We need a long term solution to controlling this very aggressive plant.
Currently there are four major methods of controlling it; physically removing it, spraying it, drawing down the water, and infecting it with weevils. Drawing down the lake is not feasible as Caddo does not have gates. Due to the nature of our lake and the size of the infestation, physical removal by machine or hand is not practical. Long term spraying is very expensive, it kills native as well as invasive plants, and puts large quantities of chemicals in the water with unknown long term effects. While spraying is immediately effective on the covered area, it has proven to be only marginally successful long term. That leaves only the Giant Salvinia Weevil as a viable long term solution to controlling the infestation. We need to get as many weevils put into the lake as we can, as soon as we can. Although they will not eradicate the salvinia they have proven themselves successful in controlling it.