The Vermont and New York Department of Environmental Conservation have been focusing efforts in eradicating the invasive species of water chestnut that has been strangling the shorelines of Lake Champlain.

According to Ann Bove, an environmental scientist with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's Lake and Pond Management/Protection Section, the annual plant will begin its quick germination process late May, early June.

“Once you take any species out of its natural environment to a place nonnative it will grow really quickly and cause problems,” says Bove. “The water chestnut continues to spread, displace natural habitat, and create a monoculture along the lake shore.” The water chestnut also lowers nutrient and sediment levels, and makes it difficult, if not impossible, for swimmers and boaters to enjoy clear shoreline waters.

According to Bove, over the past eight years the Department of Environmental Conservation has received adequate funds to decrease the number of water chestnut in the lake. The Vermont organization has a number of mechanical harvesters that cruise the shoreline to take care of the largest populations of the plant. Volunteers are asked to pull the roots from the smaller populations that scatter the shore.

Water chestnut populations are noticeably more problematic in the southern regions of the lake. Fort Ticonderoga, for instance, has had multiple occurrences of heavy water chestnut population growth over the past few years, which have required heavy harvesting.

If you or anybody you know has seen populations of water chestnut growing along the shore, Bove strongly encourages you contact your state's Department of Environmental Conservation and let officials know the extent of the plant's growth before it takes over and destroys the once habitable lake shores.

Have you had any water chestnut plant problems near where you live?