Published: November 06, 2009 10:38 pm      

Officials to aerial spray Toledo Bend plant pest

ATHENS, Texas (AP) — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials have contracted with helicopter crews to begin treating with herbicide floating mats of exotic plants that have invaded Toledo Bend Reservoir.

The huge lake divides Texas and Louisiana.

The aerial spraying of giant salvinia is scheduled to begin Saturday and could last about a week.

State biologist Howard Elder says 2,000 acres stretching over 16 miles of the giant reservoir are affected. Some coves are 100 percent clogged. He says it may take up to four weeks to see results of the treatment.

Giant salvinia can double in size every eight to 10 days, blocks light and effectively kills anything trying to grow beneath it. The Brazilian plant is now a common nuisance throughout the Southeast.

Toledo Bend Reservoir is the largest man-made body of water in the South and the fifth-largest in the nation.