Water crassula
Water crassula, or water needlewort, is a bright green succulent native to Australia.
The plant can cause a major problem in shallow waters or nature-friendly banks, growing tremendously fast and displacing or overgrowing unwanted other aquatic plants. This is not good for water quality. It can lead to too little oxygen in the water, especially if the plant covers a large part of the ditch. Therefore, the Water Board takes immediate action to stop the plant from spreading.
Removing this exotic plant is not easy and must be done carefully. First, the plant must be protected. To do this, oil booms (floating, oblong cushions) are placed in the ditch. Plates are also placed along the edges of the plant and the plant is covered with netting. After this, a specialized company removes the plants as quickly as possible. The plant remains are removed and destroyed. Controlling this exotic plant is difficult because any piece of stem left behind can grow back into a plant.
Who manages the water in your area?
In Zoetermeer we cooperate with 3 different Water Boards: HHSK, Rijnland and Delfland. The main watercourses are largely managed by 1 of these 3 Water Boards, all other water is managed by the municipality of Zoetermeer itself. You can see which water board your area falls under via the website www.waterschappen.nl | My Water Board.
Do you see this plant? If so, make a report to the Water Board in your area or the municipality of Zoetermeer.
- Make a report to Rhineland here
- Make a report here to Schieland and Krimpenerwaard
- Make a report to Delfland here
Note: Do you have this plant in your pond and want to get rid of it? Then do not put this plant out in public areas! But throw it in the garbage and NOT in the GFT bin.
