ENGINEER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER
ERDC Assists the New England District in the Management of Hydrilla The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Aquatic Plant Management Team in the Environmental Laboratory is working alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New England District to research and develop effective methods in managing the aquatic invasive plant species hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) in the Connecticut River.
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ydrilla was first detected in the Connecticut River in 2016, when the state of Connecticut discovered an unknown aquatic invasive plant species while performing aquatic plant
BY MARY MILLER MORGAN
surveys. Testing later confirmed the presence of hydrilla. At this time, other hydrilla populations existed in the United States but the physical appearance and genetics of the Connecticut River population didn’t quite match the other known populations. This particular plant population was considered
p The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Develop-
ment Center’s (ERDC) Aquatic Plant Management Team in the Environmental Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New England District are conducting a Hydrilla Research and Demonstration Water Study in the Connecticut River. USACE PHOTO
“genetically distinct” and therefore, limited information was available to assist in the development of management techniques. Over the past several years, hydrilla has aggressively spread throughout the Connecticut River system and into other lakes in the region, consuming lower tributaries, coves, and marinas. It causes significant ecological and economic harm by displacing native plants, altering critical fish and wildlife habitat, threatening endangered species, altering water quality, and impeding access and navigation. Dr. Benjamin Sperry, lead principal investigator with ERDC’s Aquatic Plant Management Team, stated, “Hydrilla is a completely submersed aquatic plant that is very fast-growing. Since this is a new problem to Connecticut, the state had minimal hydrilla management experience, so we are here to not only conduct research on a novel invasive plant problem, but to also provide our expertise in providing guidance to our
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