Watershed Group Seeks To Purchase $85K 'Ecoharvester' To Clean Weeds From Schuylkill River

The Valley Forge Watershed Association is working with local government officials and nonprofit leaders to purchase a unique technology to clean up the weeds out of the Schuylkill River.

The invasive weeds - primarily Eurasian watermilfoil - cause various problems, ranging from interfering with water recreation to restricting the access of first responders who respond to rescue calls on the river. That's aside from ecological issues caused by the weeds.

At a meeting on March 1 in Norristown, the Watershed Association, alongside Norristown's Dragon Boat Club, local officials, and other community groups, looked into various ways of removing the weeds. Chemicals were dismissed as they are used primarily for weed removal in lakes, not rivers. Attendees also agreed not to use beetles. A third option - trimming the weeds - was considered, but experts said that this would ultimately only make the problem worse.

In the end, they agreed they needed to purchase an EcoHarvester, an $85,000 machine (including operational costs) which can pull weeds up by the roots. The weeds can then be dried out and recycled as feed for livestock, like cows.

The machine can pull up around one to one and a half acres per hour. They are looking at weeding a roughly 60 acre stretch of the river.

Organizers say they believe they have support from local State Rep. Bradford and State Sen. Leach.

Patch file photo