Algae-Plagued Lagoon Is Reopened to Boats

Powerboats and personal watercraft will be allowed to return to a Carlsbad lagoon now that authorities appear to have eradicated a fast-spreading algae that endangered aquatic life.

The City Council voted 4 to 0 on Tuesday to end the three-year ban on motorized craft in the Snug Harbor area of Agua Hedionda Lagoon, which had been infested with Caulerpa taxifolia.

The algae, which was once a popular plant for aquariums because of its bright-green, feathery leaves, was discovered in the lagoon in July 2000.

The plant can choke native plants and disrupt ecosystems, as it has in the Mediterranean. An intensive eradication effort was launched and motor craft were banned to keep them from carrying pieces of the plant to new areas.