Enhancing Water Supply through Invasive Plant Removal: A Literature Review of Evapotranspiration Studies on Arundo Donax

Removal of the invasive, non-native plant Arundo donax (Arundo, giant reed) along riparian corridors is being considered by groundwater sustainability agencies as a potential water savings strategy that could provide co-benefits for groundwater sustainability as well as native ecosystem restoration. Arundo is a fast growing, densely vegetated reed that has purportedly high-water consumption (i.e., transpiration). This paper is intended to help agencies develop estimates of the water supply benefits that could be realized from Arundo removal.