IF YOU have taken a trip to Paradise Dam lately you may have noticed that it doesn't look like paradise.

This is due to the aquatic weed salvinia.

Salvinia is an aquatic weed native to South America.

It can cause serious damage to habitats for native animals and plants by decreasing water quality and reducing water flow.

Thick mats can also form that can potentially interfere with recreational use.

A Sunwater spokesperson said SunWater was aware of the presence of salvinia at Paradise Dam and was undertaking measures to address the issue.

Brown patches seen in the salvinia indicate the presence of biological control, for example salvinia weevil.

"The current weather is slowing the weevil's progress in treating the weed naturally, as it is known to slow down in the winter months,” the SunWater spokesperson said.

SunWater has considered chemical control however it is not currently deemed practical due to wind moving plants around the dam, which makes co-ordination of treatments difficult.

"SunWater is also considering using a weed boom to keep salvinia away from dam infrastructure,” the spokesperson said.

The transitioning of the weather from winter to spring and higher temperatures will allow for the existing salvinia weevil to become more effective.

"SunWater will monitor the dam to ensure the salvinia weevil is distributed evenly across weed mats,” the spokesperson said.

SunWater works closely with relevant councils to manage weeds at catchment level and to also undertake surveillance activity.