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RALEIGH — To combat a rapidly spreading hydrilla infestation in the Eno River, the Eno River Hydrilla Management Task Force has begun applying an EPA - approved herbicide in the river from Lawrence Road to Roxboro Road in Orange and Durham counties. The application began Friday and runs through the end of September. SePRO Corp. is handling the application of fluridone, in a 16 -mile target zone of the river. SePRO Corporation will apply the herbicide in a concentration well within the limits approved by the EPA — a concentration that is both safe for swimmers and boaters and non -toxic to fish and wildlife. The herbicide treatment project is part of a two -year pilot program to reduce the presence of hydrilla in the Eno River. Hydrilla is a highly destructive, nonnative aquatic plant from Asia that creates nearly impenetrable mats of stems and leaves of the surface of lakes, rivers and other waterways. It crowds out native vegetation, reduces recreational opportunities, and ultimately can harm fish and other aquatic organisms, as well as bird species. The plant also can clog intakes in rivers and reservoirs that are used for drinking water supplies and irrigation. While task force members don't expect any significant injury to non - target plants within or adjacent to the treatment areas, they recommend that homeowners with properties adjacent to the river not use treated water for irrigation without consulting a task force member first. The application of fluridone in the Eno River will be the first time the herbicide has been used in a river in North Carolina to combat hydrilla, although it has been used successfully in Lake Gaston, Lake Tillery, Tar River Reservoir and Lake Waccamaw to control hydrilla. Hydrilla was first discovered in the Eno River basin in the early 1990s in Lake Orange, which is located upstream of Hillsborough. In 2009, biologists confirmed hydrilla in another upstream reservoir, West Fork Eno Reservoir. The N.C. Division of Water Resources is actively managing hydrilla in both upstream reservoirs. Members of the task force conducted a survey in fall 2013 and detected hydrilla at different densities in 25 miles of the river. The most infested area was about 15 miles of river from the N.C. Highway 70 Bridge in Hillsborough to Guess Road in Durham. "Hydrilla has significantly affected recreational opportunities in the Eno River," said Mark Fowlkes, the Piedmont aquatic habitat coordinator with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. "Specifically, when hydrilla has reached its full growth for the year, it is almost impossible to fish, kayak or wade in the river." Biologists say because hydrilla grows so quickly and can form new plants from tiny fragments, it could get established in Falls Lake and become a serious nuisance in terms of recreation and water supply. For more information, email rob.emens @ncdenr.gov or call 919- 707 -9012