Here’s another example in the long list of introduced species that didn’t work out quite as planned: The shores California’s Lake Berryessa, in Napa County, are infested with a Mediterranean plant originally brought in to control erosion.
Called Arundo and somewhat similar in appearance to bamboo, the rhizomatous plant spreads similarly to bamboo as well. It can grow more than 30 feet high, and it’s crowding out native plants around the lake and threatening to alter wildlife habitats. A further danger, ironically, is increased erosion: As the streamkeeper for the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee describes, the Arundo can eventually clog a stream channel and divert the water, leading to bank erosion.
County officials are in the process of cutting down and burning the Arundo, then applying herbicide to discourage its regrowth.