Invasive Plant Confirmed In Damariscotta Lake

AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER) -- A volunteer trained to spot invasive aquatic plants has identified a strain of North America Hydrilla in Damariscotta Lake. This week, state biologists confirmed the finding.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says Dick Butterfield, who volunteers for the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association, spotted hydrilla in a small cove on the lake's west shore. Butterfield, who is from Jefferson, attended a seminar this spring on identifying invasives.

The DEP says left alone, hydrilla can grow an inch a day and can overtake native lake habitats. Dense growths can alter water chemistry and oxygen levels.

On Friday, biologists are screening off the cove's mouth to prevent hydrilla fragments, and thereby potential new infestations, from migrating into the rest of Damariscotta Lake.

Pickerel Pond in Limerick, is the only other body of water in Maine infested with hydrilla. In total, 31 out of Maine's 5,700 ponds and lakes contain an invasive aquatic plant species.