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DocuSign Envelope ID: CCD5A630-F3A4-4984-86E5-2F9BFE4A9469 <br /> 1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: November 10, 2015 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 6 <br /> SUBJECT: Eno River Hydrilla Management Pilot Study Update <br /> DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br /> Parks and Recreation <br /> (DEAPR) <br /> ATTACHMENTS: INFORMATION CONTACTS: <br /> A. Hydrilla Verticillata and Eno David Stancil, 245-2510 <br /> Infestation Photographs Thomas Davis, 245-2510 <br /> B. Photograph of Eno Hydrilla <br /> Management Task Force Open <br /> House <br /> C. Example of Hydrilla Public Outreach <br /> Flyer <br /> D. Eno River at Pleasant Green Road, <br /> August 2012 and August 2015 <br /> PURPOSE: To receive an update on the first year of a two-year pilot study examining the <br /> management of hydrilla in the Eno River. <br /> BACKGROUND: Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) is an invasive aquatic plant native to Asia that <br /> was first noted in the United States in the 1960s (Attachment A). Since then, hydrilla has <br /> spread rapidly in the U.S., reaching nuisance levels in many locations. Hydrilla has been called <br /> "the perfect aquatic plant" because it spreads rapidly, is able to reproduce in four different ways, <br /> grows in extremely low light, and is able to crowd out native aquatic vegetation. <br /> For many years hydrilla has been present in portions of the Eno watershed, including Lake <br /> Orange, Corporation Lake, and the West Fork of the Eno Reservoir. More recently, Eno River <br /> State Park staff noted that hydrilla is their "number one resource management problem in the <br /> Eno". Hydrilla causes negative water quality impacts, can be harmful to the river ecosystem, <br /> and adversely impacts the recreational experiences of people visiting the State Park and <br /> elsewhere. Hydrilla can be spread from one water body to another via watercraft or waterfowl. <br /> The plant can also be spread by people discarding aquarium materials into waterways. <br /> In 2011 the Eno River Hydrilla Management Task Force, comprised of local governments and <br /> state agencies, including the Aquatic Weed Program of the NC Division of Water Resources, <br /> began planning to address the hydrilla infestation in the Eno River. The Task Force agreed to <br /> conduct a two-year pilot study to examine the effectiveness of using a US Environmental <br /> Protection Agency-approved herbicide to manage hydrilla in a portion of the river. In April 2015 <br /> the Task Force hosted a public information open house in Hillsborough concerning the pilot <br />