Thanks to the quick actions of newly trained Tweed Shire staff, the Class 1 Noxious Weed Kidney Leaf Mud Plantain was recently removed from a drain that led directly into a major Banora Point waterway, averting potential disaster.
The weed is suspected to have come from a domestic fish tank, the contents of which had been thoughtlessly dumped into the drain when a resident was moving house.
Tweed Shire staff reported the suspected weed (Kidney Leaf Mud Plantain) to Far North Coast Weeds (FNCW) staff after attending a weed-identification workshop.
FNCW has treated the site and searched the surrounding area for Kidney Leaf Mud Plantain and will continue to monitor the area for new outbreaks.
This weed poses a real threat to agriculture and the natural environment as it has the potential to spread rapidly after disturbance or flood. As the far north coast has a large portion of floodplain, much of which is under sugarcane with drainage channels, Kidney Leaf Mud Plantain has the potential to become a serious problem in the region.
For more information contact your local council and to report a weed go to Far North Coast Weeds website www.fncw.nsw.gov.au.
