sentences:  The plant invaded Florida in 1890, and an estimated 50 kg/m2 of the plant mass choked Florida's waterways.The clogging of the St. Johns River was posing a serious threat, and in 1897 the U. S. government dispatched a task force of military engineers (U. S. Army Corps of Engineers) to solve the water hyacinth problem plaguing the Gulf states such as Florida and Louisiana.Thus in the early 20th century, the U.S. War Department (i.e., the Army Corps of Engineers) tested various means of eradicating the plants, including the jet-streaming of steam and hot water, application of various strong acids, and application of petroleum followed by incineration.