Rep. Bishop announced federal funding to battle hydrilla

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded $516,000 in funding for aquatic vegetation treatment and fishery repopulation to address hydrilla growth in Lake Seminole and Lake Walter F. George, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, announced Tuesday.

Both are located in the 2nd Congressional District of Georgia that is represented by Bishop, ranking member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.

“I am thrilled that the U.S. Army Corps is taking decisive action to revitalize Lake Seminole and Lake W.F. George,” Bishop said. “Addressing hydrilla growth in these two lakes will revitalize these important resources.

“The action taken by the Army Corps will restore ecological balance and allow for sustainable usage of the lakes by the surrounding communities. I look forward to seeing these lakes flourish for years to come.”

Hydrilla is an invasive aquatic weed that presents a major risk to the health and well-being of impacted lakes, Bishop’s office noted. Hybrid grass carp feed on aquatic weeds such as hydrilla and do not reproduce in ponds and lakes.

For Lake Seminole, the Corps awarded a contract of $143,000 to address growth of the invasive hydrilla weed and $95,000 to repopulate the lake’s hybrid grass carp.

For Lake George, the Corps awarded $68,000 to address hydrilla growth and $210,000 to repopulate its hybrid grass carp.

Addressing hydrilla growth in Lakes Seminole and George is vital to the environmental and economic health of these resources, Bishop’s office said. Hydrilla’s ability to multiply at alarmingly high speeds enables it to dominate the vegetation within a lake. As it grows, it creates a thick, blanket-like cover near the water’s surface, severely blocking sunlight and preventing oxygen from reaching the lake’s underwater plant life.

Hydrilla also significantly limits boat use and other forms of water recreation.

On April 13, Bishop held a town hall with Corps officials in Donalsonville to discuss the hydrilla challenge in Lake Seminole, a follow-up to a similar town hall held in August 2015. On April 27, he wrote a letter to the Corps urging sufficient resources be devoted to address the hydrilla issue.

Additionally, Bishop has supported appropriations measures to provide resources to address outbreaks of aquatic weeds, including hydrilla.