Every Saturday, I go to Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and pass through the Canal Anzaldúas. A while ago, my dad noticed that some water lilies were growing on the sides of the canal.
I thought the canal looked pretty, thanks to the water lilies. My dad, on the other hand, was really frustrated about it. Almost the entire ride, he talked about how people would only act on the issue once it was too much to handle.
It was impressive how every week, the water lilies grew so much that in certain spaces, it covered the canal completely. In all of that time, I never heard news that the city would take action.
I did some research about the plants and once I learned the truth about them, the plants didn’t seem as pretty as I thought.
The plant’s scientific name is Eichhornia crassipes, and its common name is water hyacinth. According to the Global Invasive Species Database, it is on the “100 World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species” list, along with three other aquatic plants.
A small piece can double its population in 12 days. A NASA Earth Observatory article by Jesse Allen states that the plant has “some of the highest growth rates in the world.”
The National Invasive Species Information Center mentions in a video that one water hyacinth “can multiply to cover an entire acre [of water].” The plants can also cover from a few inches underwater to more than 3 feet.
According to Allen, the plant is an invasive species because it prevents sunlight from reaching water and interrupts its flow. As a result, the plant damages water quality and disrupts the existence of oxygen, which leaves native species, such as fish, without a way to survive.
Water hyacinths reduce the amount of water by “sucking up water from their roots and transpiring it through their leaves,” according to an Aug. 8, 2014, article by Los Angeles KCET-TV’s environmental editor Chris Clarke. The article states, “You can lose eight times as much water as would have just evaporated from the bare surface.”
The only species happy about the growth of water hyacinth are mosquitoes, which find these plants most suitable for reproduction.
In a Sept. 24, 2021, news article by Paola Hernandez of Centro de Noticias Tamaulipas wrote about the daily removal of 60 tons of water hyacinth from the Rio Grande by the city of Matamoros.
Hernandez cited Guillermo Lash De la Fuente, general manager of the Junta de Aguas y Drenaje de Matamoros (JAD), in explaining the reason for the water hyacinth’s appearance, which is the opening of dams in the state of Nuevo Leon, where the plant spreads from the upper part of the river.
This means the water hyacinth has been present in the Rio Grande and spreading downstream to areas such as the Anzaldúas, despite concerns being raised.
Recently, there has been news about some parts of the Rio Grande drying out. Although, here I am talking about the Canal Anzaldúas and its water hyacinth presence. I think the issue of the water hyacinth’s presence should be acknowledged and resolved.
Water hyacinth consumes and reduces the amount of water in an area, and water at the moment should be preserved as much as possible due to the ongoing drought.
The Rio Grande Regional Water Authority’s website states some herbicides can stop the water hyacinth’s reproduction. However, Allen wrote, “Water managers are reluctant to use herbicides and other chemical controls since farmers and communities downstream draw on the same water being treated with these chemicals.” He wrote that mechanical chopping and biological controls are two types of solutions for water hyacinth removal.
Nevertheless, the city of Reynosa still has a long-overdue job to do. It is time for the city to get to work before the water hyacinth takes over the Canal Anzaldúas.
