GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Gov. Linda Lingle spoke with reporters yesterday at Wahiawa State Freshwater Park about Lake Wilson's Salvinia molesta problem. The governor was there to see firsthand the infestation covering the lake.
Gov. Linda Lingle said the state needs a plan of action to prevent what happened at Lake Wilson from happening again. Lingle urges plan to
head off weed infestationShe wants to prevent a recurrence
of the Lake Wilson dilemmaBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.comFor two weeks crews have been scooping out or poisoning the invasive salvinia weed that had nearly covered the Wahiawa waterway. And officials expect it will take at least an additional 45 days to remove about 70 percent of the fast-growing plant.
"One of the lessons we learned is, we need an early detection program. Once detected, we need to take aggressive action so things don't get out of control like it did in this situation," said Lingle. "We need to be vigilant. We want to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
Lingle toured the site for the first time yesterday, thanking workers who were clearing the weed from the south fork of the lake.
She also commended city, state and federal agencies for collaborating on the project.
Lingle reiterated an earlier estimate that it will cost more than $1.25 million to remove the weed, plus additional money to maintain the lake.
Lingle recalled a previous experience with the invasive species miconia, which was out of control on Maui while she was mayor, and how the county funded cleanups to tackle the problem.
She noted the weed problem at Lake Wilson cries for heightened awareness among the public.
"It's an important lesson for everyone that an invasive species can really wreak havoc with our resources."
About 300 to 500 cubic yards of the Salvinia molesta weed (enough to fill 30 to 50 dump trucks) is being removed by state and city workers daily said, Eric Hirano, head of engineering at the state Department of Land & Natural Resources, which is overseeing the coordinated effort.
The city is working at a site off Wilikina Drive, while state crews are working at the Wahiawa State Freshwater Park, which is closed to the public indefinitely.
Hirano said once a permit is obtained in about two weeks, work will begin at a third site managed by the military across from the city site.
Also, members of the National Guard will soon be assisting with the massive effort by operating heavy equipment.
Officials have set a goal to extract about two acres of Salvinia molesta and to spray herbicide on about six to eight acres a day at the 300-acre lake.
Peter Young, director of the DLNR, said workers from the state Department of Agriculture have sprayed herbicide on about 60 acres of the weed in five days. Once 70 percent of the weed has been cleared from the lake, the rest will be sprayed with the herbicide.
"We want to get rid of it as soon as we can," said Young.
Office of the Governor
