Pollution-Driven Aquatic Weed Overruns El Salvador's Largest Reservoir

The spread of water lettuce in Lake Suchitlan, El Salvador's largest wetland reservoir, is threatening both the country’s hydropower generation and the local ecosystem, including native species and surrounding communities, authorities warned on Tuesday.

Residents armed with excavators and dump trucks among other tools venture out to the reservoir on a daily basis to remove swathes of the bright green aquatic plants, which are growing rapidly due to flows of nutrients, debris and pollution, exacerbated by seasonal downpours, The Caspian Post reports citing Reuters.

The free-floating invasive weed, which is not generally considered edible for humans, can smother native plants and choke waterways. The reservoir is El Salvador's largest freshwater body and plays a key role in the country's hydropower operations.

It is also a specially designated wetland site, home a rich variety of migratory birds, aquatic species and native plants. Since late July, workers have cleared the equivalent of nine soccer fields of vegetation from the water's surface, weighing around 1,270 metric tons, according to CEL, the government's local hydroelectric commission.