Blackstone River Flood Alert Information

Prevent the Spread of Non-Native Aquatic Hitch Hikers

  1. Hand remove all materials (plant or animal) from equipment and dispose of it far away from the water. Pay special attention to the bunks or rollers where the boat is seated on the trailer as well as the trailer hitch.
  2. Wash and dry all equipment before reuse. Hose off the boat, diving gear and trailer.
  3. Drain and flush engine, cooling system and live wells, bait buckets and the buoyancy control device from diving equipment that has been in contact with a water body.

Invasive Water Chestnut Control Management Plan written by BRWA board member Michele B. Decoteau.

Description of Asian Water Chestnuts from Mass Dept. of Conservation and Recreation.

  • Water Chestnut is an annual, rooted floating leaved non-native plant that can form dense impenetrable mats at the water’s surface.
  • The green triangular 2-4 cm wide floating leaves form rosettes, which are attached to the main stem by an inflated petiole (leaf stem). The upper side of the leaves is waxy and shiny and the underside is coated with fine hairs. An air bladder is located at the base of the floating leaves, and the leaf margins are wavy.
  • The submerged leaves are feathered and whorled around the stem.
  • The slender stems can reach lengths of 15 feet.
  • Small white flowers with 4 petals develop from July until the first frost.
  • Nuts are 3 cm large and armed with 4 very sharp ½” barbs.

Asian Water Chestnuts growing in the West RiverThe Harvard University Botanical Gardens brought the Asian Water Chestnut to the United States from Asia in the late 1800s. Seeds escaped from the Gardens and, having no natural enemies, the plants have spread throughout Massachusetts and the Northeastern United States. This invasive plant has infested part of the West River, covering the water with a dense mat of vegetation, reducing the flow of the River, displacing native species, and impeding boating and fishing in the area.

Purple Loosestrife

Purple Loosestrife Purple loosestrife, is a wetland plant which is considered extremely invasive. Chemical extermination of the plant is hazardous and mechanical techniques only remove fragments of the roots. In Massachusetts the purple loosestrife biocontrol project was started in 2000. Purple Loosestrife The intent of the project is to release Galerucella beetles throughout Massachusetts to investigate the efficacy of purple loosestrife biocontrol and build a volunteer-based capacity to undertake beetle propagation, releases and monitoring.

Purple Loosestrife Purple loosestrife plants were dug up at River Bend Farm. The plants were grown in a green house at Uxbridge High School by Dave Warden's science class. There, the beetles were introduced then released at Rice City Pond in Uxbridge, MA.