Christchurch City Council asks for patience in river weed battle

Christchurch City Council and City Care staff are asking the public to be understanding as they attempt to remove prolifically growing aquatic weeds from some of the city’s major waterways.

Large clumps of weed, including elodia and the native and Canadian pondweeds, have grown this summer in the Styx River, Heathcote River, Avon River at Kerrs Reach and in Horseshoe Lake.

Council Greenspace senior contract manager Owen Southen says the weeds are likely to cause some minor flooding along the Styx River and are a nuisance for rowers.

These weeds are a perennial problem for the Council but normally start growing in spring, when maintenance staff are able to systematically remove them.

“Last year we looked for them in spring but there was nothing much to be seen until January this year, when they all grew incredibly quickly,” Mr Southen says.

A weed cutter has been working to remove the Kerrs Reach clumps and will be finished in about two weeks. It will then take three to four days to remove the weeds in Horseshoe Lake, six weeks to remove them from the Styx River and several days to cut them out of the Heathcote River.

ENDS

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