Hyacinth is still invading Bronkhorstspruit Dam
According to Paddy Waller, the cost of rehabilitating the dam will be far more than R20m as a start.
Water hyacinths are invading the Bronkhorstspruit Dam. The hyacinth, an aquatic plant native to South America, was first spotted in these local waters just over two years ago.
According to experts, dysfunctional wastewater treatment plants at Delmas are causing untreated sewerage to be discharged into the river and dam. Repairs to the dam have been ineffective and cannot be relied upon.
“Building and rehabilitating wetlands as natural water filters is our best chance of reducing the nutrients coming into the dam,” said Paddy Waller, director of Bronkhorstspruit Catchment Management Forum (BCMF).
There are currently nine rearing stations for superbugs around the dam. The mottled water hyacinth weevil, Neochetina Eichhorniae, attacks the invasive aquatic plant. Waller said they have begun releasing the bugs into the dam in the past few weeks.
“We will release as many bugs as possible, do what sublethal spraying we can and hold our thumbs that the coverage does not get worse than 25%,” said Waller.
“The community can help by putting me in touch with corporates who can contribute to the rehabilitation of wetlands in our river upstream of the dam.”
Warmer water and ambient temperature are causes of more rapid growth and spreading of hyacinth in the dam.
Waller said it is impossible to predict how much the hyacinth coverage will be this summer due to organic growth plus the germination of seeds in the sediment.
“Until the metals, chemicals and nutrient inflows are stopped or reduced, it is pointless spending money on the rehabilitation of the dam.”
According to Waller, the cost of rehabilitating the dam will be far more than R20m as a start.
He said the spike in water hyacinth can be attributed to pollution with sewage, industrial chemicals, heavy metals and litter flowing on rivers.
Water hyacinth is considered invasive worldwide because of its rapid growth that can form thick layers over the water.
These mat layers shade out the other aquatic plants, causing these shaded plants to die and decay. The decaying process depletes the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water.
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The water hyacinth is spreading rapidly, covering 1.8km of the Clover Hill shoreline and making it nearly impossible for visitors and owners to launch their watercraft.
According to the committee members of Clover Hill, the hyacinth has become more invasive this year and is endangering the waters for future generations.
The first step taken by the shareholders was physically removing the hyacinth from the shoreline last year. This was a successful method and they continued the removal themselves.
One of the main concerns regarding the hyacinth invasion is that the plant thrives because of the sewage spilt into the rivers.
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The committee pleaded with the local municipality and water affairs for more involvement and feedback on their plans to prevent the ‘beast’ from invading the waters.
They also emphasised that the weed makes its way into the drinking water, endangering water for future generations.
The committee is reaching out to the public and local businesses to create awareness of the future dangers. This plant could cause harm if people do not fight back and remove it from the dam.
They welcome donations to their funding for labour and purchasing their own machinery and equipment to assist neighbouring resorts with their hyacinth removal projects.
Donations can be made to:
• Bank: Standard Bank
• Account holder name: Clover Hill Club Share Block (Pty) Ltd
• Account number: 303297530
• Account type: Current
• Branch: Menlyn
• Branch code: 012345
• Reference: Your name/business name.
