Are there invasive weeds on Andover Lake?

During the last few summers, users of Andover Lake have noticed that underwater weeds have grown more than usual and in some cases have appeared in new locations. This begs the question whether this is problematic, and whether this would be due to new invasive weed species.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has conducted a survey of weeds around the lake and concluded that everything was fine. The survey was, however, limited to areas close to the shore. Hence, ALMA volunteers Rick Linden and George Knoecklein surveyed the rest of the lake a few days ago have come to the conclusion that indeed we have no invasive species. We can credit this to the consistent bleaching by our members of their boats when they bring them back from other waters. Note also, to answer a question above, that the larger quantity of weeds in the lake is most likely due to the clarity of the water, which has never been as good as in recent years. This allows the sun to penetrate deeper in the water and sustain more underwater weeds.

We have, however, an invasive weed on the shoreline: purple loosestrite. ALMA will ask property owner where this weed spreads to pull them. You can identify it with the image accompanying this post, or read more about it here. ALMA may also explore a program at the University of Connecticut that uses beetles feeding on this weed to control its spread. More about this is today's Courant.