Case Study: Aquatic Plant Harvester Combats Phragmites
- 20-acre spring fed pond was originally a peat bog
- Natural cold water spring produced over 300 gallons of water per minute
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources transformed it into a fish hatchery
- Operated as a fish hatcher from 1914 - 2004
- At its height of operation, over 35 million fingerlings spawned at the facility
- Village took ownership of the property in 2007 and will be public open space
Without maintenance after closing, aquatic plants took over the water
Majority of the pond is only 2 - 5 feet deep
Dense stands of phragmites spread along the shallow waters
Not specifically designed to tackle phragmites, a contractor with an Aquarius Systems EH-220 Aquatic Weed Harvester worked with the city to reclaim the Spring Grove Fish Hatchery.
The Aquatic Plant Harvester systematically worked through the dense stands of phragmites. Operating for 6 hours per day for 6 weeks, with offloading in some areas every 8 minutes, the 20-acre pond which had become overrun with phragmites and other aquatic invasive species is once again open.
Once dilapidated and overgrown, the ponds and surrounding landscape were restored with renovations that include a visitor`s center with interpretive signage.
800 trout from a central Illinois hatchery were brought in and held in a one-acre pond, formerly used as a growing pen. These trout were later introduced to the larger pond and in 2021 the historic Spring Grove Fish Hatchery Park celebrated its first trout fishing season.
