The proliferation of water lettuce on El Salvador's largest wetland reservoir, known as Lake Suchitlan, is jeopardizing a key source of the country's hydropower generation as well as local species and communities.

Suchitoto

An invasive aquatic weed, water lettuce, has overtaken Lake Suchitlan, El Salvador's largest wetland reservoir. The rapid spread of the weed is attributed to increased nutrients, debris, and pollution, worsened by seasonal rains. Local residents and workers are actively removing the weed both on the water and on land, using excavators and dump trucks to clear large areas.

Lake Suchitlan is vital for hydropower, biodiversity, and tourism in El Salvador. Since late July, authorities have removed about 1,400 tons of vegetation, covering an area equivalent to nine soccer fields. The infestation has impacted tourism, as the lake's appearance discourages visitors.

Invasive weed turns El Salvador's largest wetland reservoir green

An invasive aquatic weed has taken over El Salvador's largest wetland reservoir, turning it into a sea of green, authorities said on Tuesday. Residents and workers have been venturing out to Lake Suchitlan daily to remove swaths of the water lettuce, which can smother native plants and choke waterways. The removal work continues on land, as locals armed with excavators and dump trucks pick up the remainder. The invasive weed is growing rapidly due to a steady flow of nutrients, debris and pollution exacerbated by seasonal downpours. The reservoir is El Salvador's largest freshwater body, and its health is crucial to the livelihoods of many. It plays a key role in the country's hydropower operations, is a designated wetland site home to a rich variety of plants and birds, and brings in tourism money. When people see the lake like that, they don't want to come, this business owner says. Since late July, workers have cleared the equivalent of nine soccer fields of vegetation from the water's surface, weighing around 1,400 tons, according to the government's local hydroelectric commission.

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