PITTSFIELD, Mass. – After a concern that zebra mussels could be in Onota Lake, leaders in the area are aiming to highlight the efforts to prevent the spread of invasive species in local waters.
What You Need To Know
- Onota Lake's water is testing negative for zebra mussels
- Last fall, the state detected zebra mussell DNA, leading to the city to start infestation prevention efforts
- Monthly samples have detected no zebra mussels, leading to believe it may have been a dead shell from a boat
- The city wants people to know it's important to be honest about where its boats have been to keep Onota Lake healthy
When the state discovered zebra mussel DNA in the lake last fall, it started to sample the water monthly.
Fortunately, it believes it may have been dead zebra mussel shells that fell from infected waters, as no additional evidence has recently been found.
Zebra mussels are an invasive freshwater mollusk native to Eurasia.
They can latch onto boats and spread fast-causing harm by filtering out algae that native species need, and can incapacitate native mussels.
“Zebra mussels are an amazingly aggressive invader in our water bodies, and if they are introduced into Onota Lake, the entire chemistry and ecosystem of the lake will change. And we’ve seen that at Laurel Lake down in Lee. So again, we are very aggressive about how we are approaching this,” said Jim McGrath, park, open space and natural resource program manager.
To help prevent zebra mussels, Onota Lake boat monitors are continuing to ask people to be honest when they fill out the clean boat certification forms before heading out into the water.