U.S. Water News Online
LINCOLN, Neb. -- An invasive weed is sucking up water in areas across the state, hurting vegetation and destroying wildlife habitats, a University of Nebraska weeds specialist said.
The salt cedar is infesting the Platte River drainage at an alarming rate, said Bob Wilson with the university's Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff.
One acre of infested river bank can use 9 acre feet of water per year, he said. That comes out to 2.9 million gallons of water per year or twice the amount of water used by the city of Scottsbluff in one year, Wilson said.
The shrub has infested about 2,300 acres statewide. More than 100 acres of Lake McConaughy's floodplain are infested, as well as some wetlands and areas along the Republican, Niobrara and Missouri rivers.
The salt cedar also can damage vegetation and natural habitats.
The federal government lists salt cedar as one of the ten worst invasive weeds in the country. It hasn't been declared a noxious weed in Nebraska yet, but could be soon, Wilson said.
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