RIVER'S PLANTS WILL BE STUDIED.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Congress has allocated $100,000 to study ways to rid the Santa Clara River of two non-native plants that threaten the delicate balance of the river's ecology.

The money, secured by Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, will finance a study by the Army Corps of Engineers to eradicate the bamboo-like arundo and tamarisk, a flowering shrub.

Both plants abound in the 80-mile-long waterway, and both are sucking the water out of the river, which flows from the mountains of Acton to the Pacific Ocean at Oxnard.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the funding Tuesday night as part of the Energy and Water Appropriations Act.

The measure calls for restoration of the river's aquatic ecosystem and the control of non-native weeds in the river basin.

McKeon was criticized three years ago when he thwarted inclusion of the Santa Clara in President Clinton's Heritage River Program. The program designates rivers of significance across the nation, and the city of Santa Clarita was eager to include it as the last natural river in Southern California.

McKeon viewed the program as an intrusion by the federal government into a local issue and sought funding instead to clear the river of natural enemies, aide David Foy said.

``Congress has in the past funded this type of project,'' Foy said. ``It's a problem nationwide.''

Arundo, a miniature ornamental bamboo, grows as high as 15 feet. It was brought to the U.S. from Asia in the early part of the century and is noted for its rapid spread. It's proven an ecologic nightmare, changing a habitat by taking over the water supply. It also dries and become a fire hazard, biologists say.

And arundo is tough to remove. If bulldozed, the root ball breaks off and regenerates. Biologists have found that it's best to grind it down, then use herbicides to kill the rootball.

The yellow-flowered tamarisk was imported and used as a bank stabilizer. Like arundo, it draws huge amounts of water, weakening native cottonwoods and other species that draw wildlife, according to the Center for Land Management, a private preservation group.