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STOCKTON -- Every other day, Monique Haley and Edward Todd enjoy walking along the Stockton waterfront with 2-year-old Christopher, but this stroll was not always this pleasant.

"It was from all the way over here, to all the way over there. And they started cleaning it up again. But yes, it smelled so bad, you didn't want to come over here,” Haley said.

Water hyacinth covered this entire stretch of the Delta, bringing with it, a stinky smell. But now, things are clearing up.

In the months of May and June, it is illegal to mechanically harvest water hyacinth, but the California State Parks applied for an exception.

"We wanted to see if we can work with our federal entities. That way we can adjust the permit. That way we can control it in the times of May and June," CA State Parks spokesperson, Gloria Sandoval said.

Under strict guidelines, State Parks is now allowed to harvest the hyacinth alongside scientists from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and US Fish and Wildlife. The catch is, they must not disrupt the Salmon and Delta Smelt migration.

"While the harvesters remove the water hyacinth, the scientists are keeping an eye out to see whether or not there are things like fish that are being taken out of the water. If there is, that's when we need to stop our activities,” Sandoval explained.

For the next month, State Parks contractors will carefully scoop out tons of water hyacinth and dispose them in a Green waste landfill.

As for those who enjoy the waterfront, they are glad to see the invasive species gone.

"It's really been an eye sore, so it's a really good thing that they are taking the time to start cleaning it up,” walker, Edward Todd said.

The hyacinth cleanup for the other areas of the Stockton waterfront will begin on July 1.