KENT, Conn.—There will be a Lake Waramaug Invasive Hydrilla Informational Q & A at Bryan Memorial Town Hall in Washington on Thursday, March 5, at 6 p.m. ZOOM attendance will be possible.
Kent, Warren and Washington all border the scenic waterbody.
Hydrilla is considered to be a severe rapid-spreading threat to Lake Waramaug with local organizations and residents, including the Lake Waramaug Conservancy, working to prevent its establishment.
Due to its ability to clog waterways, efforts are focused on early detection, rapid response planning and rigorous boat sanitation to prevent introduction. Senate Bill 145, “An Act Studying the Remediation of Hydrilla in State Lakes and the Expediting of Permits Related to Such Remediation,” was introduced Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the General Assembly and was referred to the Joint Committee on Environment.
Brian Zipp of Warren wrote expressing his strong support for the bill. In his letter he stated that as a resident of the Lake Waramaug community and a current trustee of the Lake Waramaug Conservancy, he “urge[d] the Committee to ensure this bill establishes a functional rapid-response framework for Connecticut’s inland lakes.”
He noted that Lake Waramaug, Connecticut’s first designated Heritage Lake, serves as a model for ecological restoration across the state. “Our community has spent 50 years and millions of dollars to restore this lake using science-led, non-chemical methods,” he wrote. “However, we recognize that the arrival of Hydrilla verticillata represents a threat that our current tools cannot manage alone. Hydrilla is not a routine nuisance; it is widely considered the ‘world’s worst invasive aquatic plant.’”
He cited the plants “explosive growth” of up to an inch in a day, doubling its biomass every two weeks to form impenetrable surface mats. It spreads via fragmentation, freeze-resistant turions, and subterranean tubers that can remain viable in sediment for more than four years.
He said the genetically distinct, highly aggressive strain found in the Connecticut River has already spread to at least six other regional waterbodies via recreational boats and that the most critical factor in controlling the invader is speed.
“If a discovery is not addressed within its first season, the plant will establish a ‘tuber bank’ in the sediment, making eradication nearly impossible and ensuring decades of high-cost management burdens for taxpayers, towns and lake associations,” he cautioned.
Proposed actions therefore include securing permits for treatment in advance of discovery and potentially using chemical, mechanical or biological controls if the plant is found. Water vessels should also be scrupulously cleaned before being moved from one waterway to another.
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