Water Resources Problems Generated by Obnoxious Plants

Infestations of obnoxious aquatic plant growths distributed throughout the United States create costly problems in beneficial uses of the water resources. Programs for control and possible eradication of the most objectionable species are underway. Plant growths causing difficult problems in the humid regions are of the emersed and floating types, with some submersed plants. In the arid regions, objectionable plants include the submersed type, the phreatophytes, and ditchbank vegetation. Aquatic plants are seriously affecting navigation, flood control, agriculture, irrigation, drainage, recreation, fish and wildlife, public health, water supply, and water pollution control. The presence, persistence, and succession of aquatic weeds require engineers and scientists to modify design considerations and to continue research for economical control of objectionable aquatic vegetation.