Comment from Mark Hoddle

Arundo is a very serious weed of waterways in California. The mangaement costs of dealing with this weed, the fire risk it poses, and infrastructure threats during flood events (e.g., bridge destruction) are all very serious. Biological control of Arundo in California, and other affected areas in the USA will be of immense benefit to municipal and agricultural water users and managers. Water is a scare commodity in California, and threats to water security caused by invasive species affected every single person, business, and the State's valuable and unique recreational and wilderness areas. Biological control, in particular biocontrol of Arundo in California, has the potential to greatly assist in mitigating these well recognized threats and managment problems.