The state Department of Environmental Quality began treating the Eno River this week for an invasive plant called hydrilla. The treatment area will cover approximately 22 miles of the Eno River, starting near Kings Highway Park in Hillsborough to the West Point on the Eno in Durham.
Hydrilla is an aggressive aquatic plant that can overpower native plants, according to Drew Gay, an environmental specialist with the state Division of Water Resources.
"It really degrades the the habitat quality for a lot of our aquatic organisms," Gay said. "It can (also) clog up municipal water intakes ... and create these monocultures so that there's nothing else growing there."
Hydrilla was first discovered in the Eno River in 2005, according to DEQ. To treat the plant, DEQ uses an herbicide called fluridone.
Fluridone was first used in the Eno River in 2015. It's been used almost every year since, except for 2020 and 2021. Treatment was paused for those two years to assess the efficacy of the herbicide on hydrilla in the river.
DEQ does not expect the treatment to have any impact on wildlife or people recreating in the water.
"We've done a lot of work to monitor ... aquatic critters around the river to make sure the herbicide ... (does not) have any negative impact," Gay said.
DEQ is working with several partner organizations, including North Carolina State Parks and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, to complete the treatment, which will continue until Aug. 31.
