California Forest Pest Council

Aquatic weeds are plants that grows (usually too densely) in an area such that it hinders the usefulness or enjoyment of that area.  Some common examples of aquatic plants that can become weeds are the water milfoils, ribbon weeds, and pondweeds. Aquatic weeds cause obstructions to forest road crossings, water diversion structures, and water conveyance ditches that may lead to overtopping, erosion, reduced flow, and failure of structures.  They arechallenging to control due to limited ability to treat with herbicides in riparian areas and over water and difficulty accessing aquatic areas.