Water-Related News

Lee County officials working to reduce plants clogging Cape Coral canals

CAPE CORAL – Video taken on Thursday at a freshwater canal in Cape Coral shows lilies completely taking over. Residents say it’s gotten so bad that some can’t even use their boats anymore.

The plants are called Spatterdock. The City of Cape Coral is working with Lee County Hyacinth Control District to remove the flowers and clear up waterways.

“It’s our task to keep it free for navigation, fishing, and water control,” said Jason Cull, from Lee County Hyacinth Control District.

Contrary to their name, the Lee County Hyacinth Control District does more than just tackle invasive plants.

On Thursday, they were dispatched by the city of Cape Coral to clear out freshwater canals choked with pond lilies using a harvester and herbicide.

“It’s almost like mowing your grass. You have to mow your grass every couple weeks, you have to mow this down every few weeks, that’s how it grows.” Cull said.

Because of the high nutrient levels in the canals, this year instead of Blue-Green Algae, native spatterdock has taken over, and even though it’s considered a healthy plant, there is too much of a good thing.