Delta water hyacinth scooped up by harvester | Community

STOCKTON, CA - The operators of a Stockton marina have taken the fight against water hyacinth to a new level. 

PHOTOS: Hyacinth Leaf Hoppers in Delta

At Village West Marina, an employee spends hours maneuvering a tiny boat with claws among the docks, gathering up the plant that invades the delta each summer.

The marine harvester costs the marina about $25,000, but it's a big improvement to how the marina used to get rid of hyacinth.

"Our workers would go and cut it out in pieces, then wheel barrow it to the parking lot, to dump it," marina worker Melissa Zanini said. "It's a big chore getting it out. It's a lot faster."

The state is trying it's own hyacinth elimination method.  Bugs that feast on the leaves have been released in three different areas.

By Tim Daly, tdaly@news10.net