DNR: Zebra Mussel Treatment Appears Successful At Christmas Lake
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Department of Natural Resources says divers found no evidence of the aquatic invasive species zebra mussels in Christmas Lake in Shorewood.
They had found some in the water near the boat launch back in September
Crews first treated the affected area with bacteria-based pesticide Zequanox in September, followed by a copper treatment in November, then injected 1,000 pounds of potash under the ice in December.
The process has only been used twice before -- in Texas and Canada -- and both times appeared to work well.
The treatment is promising for other bodies of water, but only in specific circumstances -- DNR scientists caught the infestation early in Christmas Lake, so they knew they stood a chance.
Chip Welling is with the DNR. He says zebra mussels cause problems in Minnesota for a number of reasons.
"Their shells are sharp, so swimmers can cut their feet on them," Welling said. "They can have ecological impacts that can be damaging."
Although the new treatment method has ecologists hopeful, they say prevention is key, since there's no guarantee yet that the treatment completely works.
The invasive species spreads into new bodies of water through boats and equipment that hasn't been properly cleaned. Welling says boaters should wash off all plants and animals before going anywhere else, and to always drain any water from the boat in order to prevent spread.
"The vast majority of lakes in the state do not have zebra mussels, so that's good reason for boaters to take these precautions," he said.
The state legislature recently allocated $10 million for counties to put toward early detection methods, so there can be more possible successes in stopping the spread of zebra mussels across the state.
The DNR says it will continue to monitor Christmas Lake to confirm the zebra mussels have been eradicated.