No Sign of Zebra Mussels in Treated Lake
St. Paul, MN (KROC AM News) - It appears a new treatment designed to rid infested lakes of zebra mussels was effective.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says divers recently checked a popular recreational lake on the west side of the Twin Cities and could not find any sign of the invasive species. The search was conducted in the area where an isolated infestation of zebra mussels was found in Christmas Lake last year.
The three-step treatment of the lake began last September and ended in December when about a thousand pounds of potash was injected under the ice of the lake in Shorewood.
“We are encouraged by these early results,” said Keegan Lund, DNR aquatic invasive species specialist. “We used every available tool to respond to this isolated zebra mussel infestation and learned valuable information in terms of responding to new infestations.”
Previous treatment attempts in other lakes with isolated infestations have produced mixed results. The DNR plans to conduct additional searches of the lake starting next month and officials say extensive monitoring will be required over a period of years to determine if the zebra mussels have actually been eliminated.
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