GROUNDS MAINTENANCE/Combined efforts rid area of invasive reeds
Picture 10,000 acres of water-guzzling reeds, stretching 30 feet high and spreading a foot a day. Somewhere in the middle of that impenetrable mass is the Santa Ana River, which delivers precious water to Southern California. In many places, the river has not been visible for years. Neither have any native cottonwoods or the endangered least Bell’s vireo. Now, thanks to a $20 million allocation from a California bond issue, a consortium of counties and governmental agencies is working to remove nearly a third of the invasive reeds in the next five years.
The reed, Arundo donax, is a relative of bamboo that was introduced to Southern California in the 19th Century by Spanish settlers. It clogs the river and renders it worthless for wildlife or recreation. The vegetation consumes three times more water than native plants. Additionally, it is a fire hazard and contributes to flooding.
As a result, various groups and agencies are interested in the reed’s removal. For several years, a group known as Team Arundo has been clearing the plant from isolated sites such as county parks and flood-prone areas. Now, the group is able to launch a broader attack.
Team Arundo includes fire, flood, recreation and water districts in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties; California Fish and Game; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; resource conservation districts; and various individuals. The $20 million, which was allocated to the team late last year, will be administered by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority.
Daniel Cozad, deputy general manager for the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, says various entities within the team will apply for funds to conduct eradication projects so that multiple efforts are ongoing at the same time. He estimates that the money will last about five years. “We want to use all the capacity we can in the next five years to get rid of as much Arundo as possible,” Cozad says. He hopes to clear at least 3,000 acres from the Santa Ana River system in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The effort will rely on a formula that has proven successful during the past decade on smaller, targeted projects. First, the Arundo must be cut back. Team Arundo has arranged with the state to use non-violent prison inmates to chop down the reeds. Next, the stubble must be treated with a herbicide, or the giant reed will send up new shoots from its 16-foot roots.
Two products — AquaMaster (for use where water is present) and Roundup Pro (for use on stream banks) — have been used effectively, according to former Orange County Vegetation Manager Bill Tidwell. Both are produced by St. Louis-based Monsanto.
Paul Frandsen, chief of the Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District formed Team Arundo to coordinate the effort to stop the spread of the weed. “It brought regulators and the regulated together,” Frandsen says. “Before we hardly spoke with one another; now we are all fighting our common enemy.”
Ñ Dan Holman, freelancer, St. Louis