Some lakesiders want to bring in a fish to eat the hydrilla. Sterile carp have been imported to clear other of the state's lakes of the pest. But the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department maintains the carp also eats vegetation that provides homes for sport fish. Instead, the parks department suggest a herbicide they say won't pollute the drinking water that the city of Austin draws from the lake, said Mary Gilroy, an environmental scientist with the city's Watershed Protection Department. Coleman worries that some lakeside residents won't wait for the city to act on the suggestion.
People are desperate.
Lakeside residents don't expect much sympathy from folks without waterfront homes and the accompanying recreational opportunities. But they say it isn't just problem of the privileged. They fear the hydrilla will eventually have wide-ranging affects from altering the smell and taste of the city's drinking water to diminishing the lake's natural beauty. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement .