Federal, state and local officials will meet on March 21 at 6:30 p.m. in Hillsborough to discuss the status of an ongoing project aimed to reduce hydrilla, an invasive weed, in the Eno River. The meeting is open to the public.
WHO: Eno River Hydrilla Management Task Force
WHAT: Meeting on the status of hydrilla management in the Eno River watershed
WHEN: March 21, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Richard E. Whitted Building Room 250, 300 West Tryon Street, Hillsborough
In 2015, with direction from the Task Force, the Eno River was treated with an herbicide approved for aquatic-use. The area is a 16-mile section that is largely within Eno River State Park in Orange and Durham counties.
The Task Force has determined an additional year of treatment is needed and includes a section of the Eno River that runs through Hillsborough.
Members of the Eno River Hydrilla Management Task Force will describe efforts that were initiated in 2015 to manage the infestation of hydrilla in the Eno River and will also be available to answer questions about the project moving forward.
Hydrilla is a submerged aquatic plant that can create nearly impenetrable mats of stems and leaves in lakes, rivers and other waterways. An invasive species from Asia, hydrilla impedes recreational use of waterways, crowds out native vegetation and, ultimately, can harm fish and other aquatic and bird species. The plant was first discovered in the Eno River watershed in the early 1990s in Lake Orange.
The Eno River Hydrilla Management Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local government representatives, including those from the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, the N.C. Division of Water Resources Aquatic Weed Control Program and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. The group has been working since 2007 to evaluate and address the hydrilla threat in the Eno River.
For more information about the project, go to http://nc-ipc.weebly.com/eno-river-hydrilla-project.html.
For questions regarding this meeting, please contact Rob Emens at 919-707-9012, or rob.emens@ncdenr.gov.
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