Project to rehabilitate Witfield Dam

A family from Witfield recently started the Witfield Dam Rehabilitation project in an attempt to restore the dam – about 99 per cent covered in water hyacinth – to its former glory.

According to Charmaine and Grant Stockdale, they initiated the project after they noted the rapid growth of hyacinth since July.

The main aim of the project is to manage the spread and cover of the water hyacinth to enable the local wildlife and community members to make use of the dam.

“It was heartbreaking for us to see as we used to come here with our children. It used to be so beautiful. This is why we decided to research the invasive plant in December,” Charmaine explained.

Members of the initiative heard about the success the biological control had on the Hartbeespoort Dam and approached Rhodes University Centre for Biological Control (CBC) to help them create a solution.

According to Benjamin Miller, a researcher for the aquatic weeds programme at CBC, water hyacinth have become so problematic because they multiply rapidly, especially because so many of South Africa’s water bodies, including rivers and dams, are nutrient-rich due to pollution.

“Biological control is one method that can be used to manage water hyacinth, the others being manual clearing (hand pulling) and herbicide spraying.

“In summer, the plants grow significantly faster than they can be removed, making manual removal of the plants ineffective.

“Herbicides can be effective if used correctly, but they are expensive and are likely to cause damage to other vegetation surrounding the spray area.

“Biological control is specific to the target plant, making it the cheapest, safest and most effective long-term method of managing water hyacinth.”

He added the insects they have recently released have already begun to show success, which is an extremely positive start.

“We released two groups of biological control insects on the water hyacinth on the dam, the weevils (Neochetina eichhorniae and Neochetina bruchi) and a planthopper called Megamelus scutellaris.

“These insects have been used successfully in South Africa since the 1970s to manage water hyacinth and are entirely safe for release as they cannot survive on other plants,” he said.

Miller highlighted the services they offer are free to whoever requires assistance with invasive species.

“We are also involved in other projects on several invasive aquatic and cactus weed species throughout Southern Africa.”

She said the Ekurhuleni metro is also on board, adding the metro will be pulling out tons of hyacinth within the next few weeks.

“This might be a bit uncomfortable for residents as the hyacinth needs to lie next to the dam to dry for about a month or so, causing a stench,” she added.

For more information or to become involved, visit the Witfield Dam Rehabilitation site on Facebook.

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