A small invasion force landed in Florida in the early 1890s, intent on taking control of the St. Johns River. The invasion force was small – only one unit – and on unknown territory. And green – literally.
At the time, the small water hyacinth plant that blossomed soft, white flowers was introduced to the St. Johns River for its beauty. Aside from the congested green leaves and roots, the white cup of the water hyacinth was a welcome detraction from the seemingly bland banks of the river. Ten years later, the mistake was magnified beyond fail.
The sparsely planted hyacinth spread to cover most of the river and its tributaries, forming a green, wool-like floating mat. Swimming subsided as the dense plant made the experience unpleasant. Boating on the river was similar to boating on a lawn. The powerful steamers of the time became trapped in the over-green waters. To make matters worse, large amounts of fish and plant species died as a direct result of the water hyacinth’s aggressive growth.
“Aquatic weeds like floating water hyacinth are as insidious as they are beautiful,” explains Kenneth Langeland, a University of Florida professor and researcher at the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. “Left to their own devices, they would continue to spread, eventually choking out waterways, making them unusable by people and uninhabitable to fish.”
The inadvertent introduction of hydrilla by a Tampa aquatic farmer in 1951 proved to the state the issue was quickly coming to a breaking point. Hydrilla was considered well established by 1959. One species of plant was hard enough to control, but two, along with several considered minor threats, was going to take organization and much more money than was available.
Currently, Florida spends approximately $27 million a year on management. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and researchers like Langeland continue to fight.