[14] The plant was introduced when a Florida West Coast aquarium dealer shipped live Hydrilla from Sri Lanka under the common name "Indian star-vine.

[15] It is believed that several undocumented cases of accidental or careless releases followed, as there was extensive spread of the Hydrilla throughout Florida and the southeastern United States.

[16] The high photosynthesis rate of Hydrilla leads to the depletion in dissolved carbon dioxide during daytime, which raises the pH, and to higher concentrations of oxygen.

"As Hydrilla spread rapidly to lakes across the southern United States in the past, the expansion of resistant biotypes is likely to pose significant environmental challenges in the future.

[22] Hydrilla can host a biofilm of the cyanobacteria Aetokthonos hydrillicola, which can produce the brominated neurotoxin aetokthonotoxin — the causative agent of avian vacuolar myelinopathy, a fatal brain wasting disease of waterfowl and raptors.

Insects used as biological pest control for this plant include weevils of the genus Bagous and the Asian hydrilla leaf-mining fly (Hydrellia pakistanae).

The city of Ithaca and other local officials used the chemical herbicide endothall to try to head off establishment in the Finger Lakes, which would have been disastrous for their ecosystems.

[24] In August 2021 Hydrilla was discovered growing in a small boat marina connected to the Niagara River in the city of North Tonawanda, New York.

It has also been reported by local marinas and municipalities that they can no longer access certain boat slips and docks due to the density of Hydrilla.

The Connecticut River Conservancy in September 2021 requested area boaters to complete a survey to help with the ongoing management of the invasive plant.