]> 2026-04-18T02:32:19+00:00 Case study:River Soar Floating Pennywort Eradication 500 en Approved Environment Agency Leicester City Council Canal and River Trust Great Britain Yes No Yes false Die back after spraying1.jpg Die back after spraying2.jpg Die back after spraying3.jpg Die back after spraying4.jpg Progress at Devils Elbow from 2010 and 2014.jpg No This is a constant battle, it is something that needs to be undertaken each year. There was no action in 2008 and this saw a huge increase in the presence of pennywort. As the occurrence of the plant becomes less the time and cost associated with the project also decreases. 52.654495585785,-1.12767778337 Rebecca Environment Agency Brunt aerial sureys ,herbicide spraying, Removal of invasive plants,, ,aerial sureys,, On a comparable length of watercourse that has been included in all surveys since 2007 (as the survey area has increased over the years) the approximate length of pennywort beds totalled 10.3km in 2009 and 1.6km in 2012, this is a significant decrease in the occurrence of this species. We are already seeing the impacts of our work. Huge areas are now clear of Pennywort and the river is visible again. We have seen water lilies return in Abbey Park and fish are able to migrate as the water column is clear of the plant. Clearing the Grand Union Canal has made it much more accessible for boats. 21745 Leicester City Council, Canal and River Trust, Manual Removal in 2007.jpg 2007-01-01Z 2454101.5 In progress Around 96km of the River Soar and River Trent in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire have in the past been choked by the non-native plant Floating Pennywort. The plant was first identified in Leicestershire in 2004, thought to be an escapee from a private garden. It soon got a hold, growing fast in our waterways and out-competing our native plants. It can grow up to 20cm a day and spreads to block out light for other aquatic plants. The problem is so extensive that we have been carrying out annual herbicide spraying and some removal of the plant since 2007, with regular herbicide spraying from 2010. The project will continue with spraying and undertake aerial surveys. It has been noticed that the weed has entered off line waterbodies after flooding events. Therefore we will also be contacting the owners of these waterbodies to highlight the presence of this invasive weed to see how these waterbodies can be tackled. Continue to spray on the Barrow Gravel Pits SSSI which will address one of its reasons for being in unfavourable condition. River Soar Floating Pennywort Eradication river soar floating pennywort eradication No Soar Humber herbicide spraying Removal of invasive plants River Soar from River Sence to River Wreake river soar from river sence to river wreake 100 - 1000 km² 116 100 - 200 m River Soar from River Sence to River Wreake GB104028047030 Fisheries Habitat and biodiversity Water quality GB104028047030 River Soar from River Sence to River Wreake 2015-06-26T10:36:05Z 2457199.9417245 2017-01-10T12:22:45Z 2457764.0157986 River Soar Floating Pennywort Eradication 500 1 plainlist 5 [[Category:Case study]] [[Project title::!River Soar Floating Pennywort Eradication]] [[Subcatchment title::River Soar from River Sence to River Wreake]] River Soar Floating Pennywort Eradication# QUERYafb5f7ca36bc0879234b59dd76a6e737