Aril River Vegetation Trimming Aims to Control Algal Bloom and Odor

After the intervention of cutting the spontaneous vegetation in the Aril riverbed in Cassone, the shortest river in the world, we received some reports that better explain why this exceptional bloom occurred in the small tributary.

The cleaning of the Aril became necessary “following persistent complaints,” explained Mayor Lombardi, “from residents living near the river course and tourists due to the bad odor emitted by the algae, despite the vegetation covering almost the entire river this year, which was quite a sight to see.”

Method of intervention and ecological considerations

The cutting only thinned out the spontaneous vegetation without affecting the roots in any way, thus not compromising the ecological balance of the watercourse.

“Late July is the best period to perform this pruning without harming the plants,” explained Karl Trawoger, a naturalist photographer passionate about botany, member of the Gruppo italiano ricerca orchidee spontanee (Italian Group for Wild Orchid Research), and botanical consultant for the municipal administration.