Hydrilla Infestation

Walker Lake, North East end

I’m sure all of you, especially those with lakefront property, have noticed the Hydrilla infestation plaguing the lake. Many of you might remember a similar event several years ago. The members of the HOA Board thought we should take this opportunity to post something to inform members what we have been trying to do about the weeds in the water.

First, we need to be reminded that Walker Lake was created by Palmshores Development and Hidalgo County Irrigation District 6. The Irrigation District wanted to increase their reservoir capacity, and Palmshores wanted a water feature for the neighborhood. While the land under the lake was owned by Walker Lake HOA, the water was owned by the Irrigation District. As of December, 2003, the lake bed was deeded to the irrigation district. We are licensed to use the water for specific uses (fishing, boating using human or electric powered craft, swimming, etc.), but can not treat/modify the water in any way that would damage its ultimate use – irrigating our area’s farmland.

In our April 12th HOA meeting this year, we hosted several guests from The Coves, our neighbors on the lake. They were concerned about the Hydrilla, and wanted to join forces to present a possible solution to the Irrigation District. There are basically three ways to remove Hydrilla – mechanical removal (drain and dry the lake, then excavate the lake bed; herbicides, which would likely render the water unusable for irrigation; introduce some species to eat the Hydrilla. The Coves board had done some research into infestations/solutions in other areas in Texas. Lady Bird Lake, in Austin, introduced sterile Grass Carp (White Amur) into the lake to eat the Hydrilla infestation, with good results. Other lakes in Texas have gone this same route, with mostly positive results. To introduce these fish into our lake would require blessings from two entities – the Irrigation District, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. We voted to create a joint task force and move forward to gain Texas Parks and Wildlife permission for the Grass Carp, then present that as a solution to the Irrigation District.

Around June, a Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist came and inspected our situation. A report/ruling came a few weeks later – Texas Parks and Wildlife would NOT grant a permit to introduce the Grass Carp into Walker Lake. They stated that the fish could escape into the Rio Grande, and even if measures were taken to contain the fish, TP&W felt that the Grass Carp would be detrimental to the ecology of Walker Lake. As an alternative, TP&W suggested several chemicals, and our joint task force has been attempting an audience with the Irrigation District board to see what can be done.

Well, that’s about all I know, but we continue to search for a solution.

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